Yom Kippur 5778
Rabbi Jablinowitz
When Yaakov Avinu is told he should preempt his brother Eisav and receive the bracha from his father Yitzchak, he is concerned he will be found out. After all, Yaakov says to his mother (Chapter 27, Pasuk 11), Eisav Achi Ish Sa'ir V'Anochi Ish Chalak. My brother Eisav is a hairy person and I am smooth skinned. The Medrash Rabbah (65, 15) teaches on the pasuk that Ish Chalak is to be understood similar to the pasuk in Devarim (Chapter 32, Pasuk 9), Ki Chelek Hashem Amo Yaakov Chevel Nachalaso. The portion of Hashem is His nation, the descendants of Yaakov. Then the Medrash continues and darshens a different drasha on the words Anochi Ish Chalak I am smooth skinned, that Yaakov might dirty himself with sins the whole year, but when Yom Kippur comes Hashem purifies them.
These two drashos seem to be totally unrelated; one stresses the unique portion of the descendants of Yaakov and the other mentions the ability of Yaakov's descendants to purify themselves. However, the Sfas Emes teaches that the two are very much related. Since our portion is to be the nation of Hashem, therefore we are able to merit purification on Yom Kippur.
The Sfas Emes takes this idea to a deeper level. One of the thirteen attributes of Gd, which feature so prominently in the Tefillah on Yom Kippur, is Rav Chesed, much chesed. One might ask, what is the point of the additional word Rav before the word chesed? We all know that chesed means lifnim m'shuras ha'din, going beyond the letter of the law. But what is Rav Chesed?
He answers that chesed, as we said, is going beyond the letter of the law. The person doesn't deserve something at all and nonetheless it is given to him. But Rav Chesed is being able to see that maybe on some level the person does deserve it and this is why the chesed is being done to him. On face value he doesn’t deserve it; but when we dig deeper we see that there is a basis to give the person what he asks for.
This is what Hashem does for us on Yom Kippur and this is the meaning of the Medrash. Though we sin the entire year, we are purified on Yom Kippur. Our skin is smooth so that the sins are able to slide off. Why is this? Ki Chelek Hashem Amo, our essential definition is we are the nation of Hashem. Whenever we sin, it isn't a reflection of whom we really are, it is an aberration, a temporary defect. And this is the Rav Chesed; the fact that Hashem sees us as His people who want to do the right thing and any sinning we might do is not definitional to who we really are. The two parts of the Medrash complement each other; since we are essentially a holy people who belong to Hashem we are able to receive purification on Yom Kippur.
This idea is also expressed by the Ramban in his commentary on the Torah in parshat Emor. He calls Yom Kippur "Yom Rachamim Badin". Yom Kippur is a day of mercy in judgment. He means the same thing as the Sfas Emes said regarding Rav Chesed. The mercy and compassion we receive from Hashem isn't without basis. It is a mercy based on judgment. We are essentially the nation of Hashem and want not to sin. When one looks beyond our actions to the longing of our souls, it is clear that though we sin we long for a closer connection to Hashem. It is on this basis that we ask Hashem to forgive us and shower us with Rav Chesed. Yehi Ratzon that we should connect to our inner longing for connection to Hashem and realize that any misdeeds are an aberration and not reflective of who are. And in this merit we should be purified by Hashem, as Rabbi Akiva teaches Ma Hamikva Metaher es Ha'Temaim, af Hakadosh Baruch Hu Metaher Eschem.
Good Shabbos and Gemar Chasima Tova
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