Yom Kippur Teaches Us: We Can Change!

Today is 8 Tishrei, two days before Yom Kippur. Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment, has passed. Who knows what HaShem has written for us for this coming year? As we say in the U’Netaneh Tokeph Prayer: “Who will live? Who will die? Who by water, who by fire, who by plague, etc.” The future is unknown.

HaShem gave us these Days of Judgment so that we do not waste our lives frivolously. They are meant to help us focus on what is truly important, what really counts, rather than the daily grind. What have we accomplished until now? Where are we headed? What about our wives, husbands, children, parents? What’s REALLY happening in their lives?

Or, more to the point, what’s happening in our own lives?

If we take stock, we’d probably think that this past year was like the others. We haven’t changed much. Daily pressures, stress, and challenges drain us more than we realize. Therefore, though HaShem judged us on Rosh HaShanah, He is compassionate enough to know that we aren’t angels—not by any means. And that’s why He gave us Yom Kippur.

Rebbe Nachman (Likutey Moharan I, 179) teaches that we can change. We can rise above the mundane issues we face daily. On Yom Kippur we fast. What does that mean? It means that we are able to subdue our physical and material desires, to push aside even the basic urge to eat, and instead embrace the will of HaShem. This act demonstrates that we can willingly align ourselves with His will. It teaches us that we CAN subjugate our daily desires for a higher purpose, for the greater objective of fulfilling HaShem’s will.

True, Yom Kippur is only one day. It may feel easier to control ourselves for just 24 hours. But it shows us that self-control is possible.

This year, let us substitute material yearnings for higher goals and spiritual growth. Let us incorporate some spirituality into our daily lives. The rewards are phenomenal. First, we grow as individuals. Second, we rise above the daily grind. And third, our essence becomes focused on ourselves and our families, enabling us to become the people we truly are meant to be!

Have a kesivah v’chatimah tovah, a great year, a wonderful year filled with amazing growth and peace for all Israel, Amen.