| From the Chassidic Masters
A short prayer"And he would offer a short prayer there
in the Sanctuary, after he left the Holy of Holies in order not to worry the people
that perhaps he died in the Sanctuary" [Yom Kippur prayers] There
is however another reason for the brevity of the High Priest's prayer:
The service of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies represented the pinnacle
of cleaving and elevation, in all of the three categories of "world,"
"year' and "soul": the place was the most holy, the time was the
most holy, and so was the person. On such a high level of attachment to the Divine
there was no need for a prolonged prayer, and a short one sufficed. From
Likutei Sichot (quoted in Days of Awe, Days of Joy)
From the Kabbalists "This shall be an eternal statute (chok) for you...on
the tenth day of the seventh month you must afflict yourselves and not do any
work...on this you shall have all your sins atoned so that you shall be purified
before G-d...A Sabbath of Sabbaths..." [Levit. 16:29-31] The Torah wishes
to teach that G-d neither wants man to afflict himself-fast, etc.-but merely wants
complete repentance. Self-castigation is of no intrinsic value, cannot take the
place of repentance, and is only a means to an end, the end being character rehabilitation. G-d,
having described a variety of animal sacrifices, points out that man himself must
also afflict himself in some way. G-d does not want man to think however, that
His interest is served by man afflicting himself, such as denying himself food
and drink. He wishes that man would restrain himself "as an eternal statute,"
i.e., on an ongoing basis, all year round, lifelong. In that event, special rituals
leading to repentance would not ever be needed! If such were man's lifestyle,
then these rituals would become a chok, i.e. irrational, since they would be unnecessary
in practice, man not having any need to induce repentance by means of self affliction.
Man would then be assured of complete atonement for any errors he had committed,
without the need for such legislation. The occurrence of the very day of Yom Kippur
would suffice for him to purify himself of his own accord in public, but also
in his heart, "before G-d," i.e. something visible only to G-d Himself.
In such a scenario, Yom Kippur will become merely a shabbbat shabaton, a heightened
Sabbath experience, due to the forgiveness this particular Sabbath brings in its
wake. On the other hand, "afflicting yourselves," will become merely
a formality, a chukat olam, an ongoing statute, devoid of significance for you. There
is a distinction between atonement and purification. The former occurs by the
grace of G-d, the latter by dint of one's own efforts. Although Yom Kippur brings
with it atonement, forgiveness, its ultimate objective is that you "purify
yourselves before G-d," inside and out, by your own efforts. In order
to achieve this purification, the average person requires the afflictions, a part
of the Torah legislation. It is true that by its very nature, Yom Kippur is shabbat
shabbaton, a heightened Sabbath experience, a day of rest and rejoicing for the
forgiveness attained, nonetheless the legislation to submit to afflictions is
an ongoing one, chukkat olam, "an eternal statute." Although G-d could
have insisted on a variety of acts of affliction, He requires this only achat
bashanah (verse 34), once a year. (adapted from Torat Moshe - 16th commentary
of Rabbi Moshe Alshech of Zefat on the Torah, as translated and condensed in the
English version of Eliyahu Munk)
From Ascent
Quarterly #16 "REPENTANCE"-"PRAYER"-"CHARITY"
Yom Kippur has been on the Jewish calender for 3334 years, starting with
10 Tishrei 2449 (1312 BCE), when Moses descended from Mt. Sinai bearing
the second set of the Tablets of Law and bringing word of G-d's forgiveness
of the Golden Calf incident. Ever since, G-d's mercy and forgiveness
has been an integral part of this day. Sensitivity to this theme
of Yom Kippur yields an unshakeable feeling of confidence in G-d's mercy,
providing an upbeat counterpoint to the seriousness of the day.
The Talmud declares that the inherent holiness of Yom Kippur in itself
effects atonement, but in order to benefit from this, a certain level
of participation on our part is required. The three principle modes for
our efforts are: TESHUVAH, TEFILLAH AND TZEDAKAH, which will be explained
below.
TESHUVAH ("REPENTANCE")
The basic meaning of the term teshuvah
is to return to G-d with all of one's heart and soul, and to serve Him and keep
all His commandments. Yet teshuvah can take place on varying levels, from
actual remorse for severe transgressions to subtle self-refinement that leads
to lofty spiritual growth. "Lower teshuvah" is a return to one's
true essence, which for a Jew means living in accordance with G-d's will as revealed
in the Torah. Fulfillment of the mitzvah of repentance requires simply the
confessing of one's transgressions, accompanied by a sincere resolve never to
repeat them. This cleansing experience is exhilarating for some, alienating
or depressing for others; but, in any case, this is not what Yom Kippur is supposed
to be all about. Therefore, it should be initiated well in advance (ideally in
Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah) and completed before Yom Kippur. "Higher
teshuvah" goes much further. It requires a primary identification with
one's soul rather than one's body and moving (returning!) towards increasing closeness
with G-d. Needless to say, no time is more suitable for this than the holiest
of holy days, Yom Kippur.
TEFILLAH ("PRAYER")
Oral
confession, in the form of the Al Cheit prayer, is both the initial stage
of teshuvah and the focal point of the Yom Kippur prayer services. It is
recited at ten different times during the course of the holiday. One reason
is that as Yom Kippur progresses and we become more refined and wish to be closer
to G-d, we are better able to perceive our flaws and more sincerely seek to improve
the relationship. The five levels of the soul — nefesh, ruach, neshamah,
chayah, and yechidah — correspond to the five prayer services prescribed
for the day: Ma'ariv, Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah, and Ne'ilah.
They also relate to the five forms of abstinences obligatory on Yom Kippur (see
below). These physical restrictions enable innate spiritual powers to gain
expression. Yechidah, the fifth and and most exalted level of the soul, constitutes
the essential bond between the soul and G-d, transcending all limitations and
boundaries. On Yom Kippur, the innate level of yechidah is accessible to every
Jew; through concentrated effort in the prayers, and in the purification of thought,
speech, and deed, a person may reach this highest of levels. TZEDAKAH
("CHARITY")
Since money may not be handled on Yom Kippur, tzedakah is given
liberally on the days before and especially on the day preceding Yom Kippur.
The merit of charity is a shield against evil decrees. It is said that the jingling
of the coins of charity given on the day preceding Yom Kippur creates such a great
clamor in Heaven that all of the forces of impurity together cannot stand in their
way.
Some Laws and Customs
Traditionally, on Erev Yom Kippur before Mincha people set
out trays for charity in the synagogue. The Ba'al Shem Tov commented on this:
the sound of the coins clinking in the trays on Erev Yom Kippur nullifies all
the klipot. From Luach Kollel Chabad
'REPENTANCE,
PRAYER and CHARITY avert the severity of the decree."
(From the
repetition of the Yom Kippur Musaf Amidah) "Out with the old year
and its curses! In with the new year and its
blessings!"L'shana Tova tikateiv v'tihateim
MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED AND SEALED
FOR A GOOD AND SWEET YEAR
OF HAPPINESS AND GROWTH! The
ASCENT staff 
Last year's Yom Kippur page
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