On Yom Kippur we wonder who we really are. The divided and fractured society of the rest of the year, or the relaxed, loving, and reconciled society of Yom Kippur. Suddenly an entire country stops its march and plunges into introspection. This is a phenomenon that has no equal in the entire world.
On Yom Kippur we beat our chests in the prayer 'for sin', reconcile one another, make good decisions about ourselves. Jews who have not visited the synagogue all year come to pray and shed tears in the prayers 'Kol Nidrei' and 'Ne'ila'. Does the image we wear on Yom Kippur reflect our true essence?
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A true point in the soul
Some see the internal gathering on Yom Kippur as a form of pretense. Many of those who fast on this day feel no connection to the Torah and its commandments the rest of the year. They even call themselves "secular," an expression that their lives revolve around the mundane and have no sacred concerns in their world.
And yet they feel a deep need to fast on Yom Kippur, to come to the synagogue to pray, to connect with the age-old Jewish experience. Is there hypocrisy here? Or are they seeking to 'bribe' God with one day of fasting and prayer, and in return receive 'permission' to do whatever they please all year long? Is Yom Kippur a day when people lie, God forbid, to themselves and to their God?
Clearly, this is not so. You don't have to be a heart and soul examiner to know that people fast on Yom Kippur and go to synagogue not out of hypocrisy or as lip service. It is enough to look at their faces and see that this day awakens a very real point in their souls. This is the point of Judaism that exists in the heart of every Jew.
During the normal days of the year, some people ignore that Jewish point within their souls. They are overwhelmed by mundane life and routine, to the point where Jewish identity is not always truly expressed. However, when Yom Kippur arrives, every Jew feels his Jewishness, and he feels a deep need to connect with his Judaism and his inner truth.
That Jew, who throughout the year is content with the mere fact of being a Jew, now feels a deep inner urge to express his Jewishness. That is why he fasts and comes to the synagogue. In doing so, he is, as it were, declaring and saying: I too am a Jew!
The lie is a lie.
A Jew who stands on Yom Kippur and pours out his soul before the Creator of the world is actually revealing the truth within him. If there is falsehood and pretense, they are present in everyday life all year round. There we lie to ourselves, deny the inner truth within us, ignore the true desires of our soul. On Yom Kippur we shed the coverings of lies and connect with who we really are.
Yom Kippur reveals that there are actually no 'secular' Jews. Every Jew is holy. It is impossible to divide the Jewish people into sacred Jews and profane Jews. Holiness is inseparable from the essence of every Jew. It does not always come to light, but it always exists in the depths of the soul and awaits the opportunity to break through and reveal itself. On Yom Kippur we discover the holiness within us, and therefore this day unites all members of the Jewish people in such a wonderful way. Because after all the masks fall, that is what we are – Jews!
