Torah Commentary Archives


Yom Kippur

Leviticus 16:1 – 34; 18:1 – 30
Numbers 29:7 – 11

Isaiah 57:14-58:14
Hebrews 10

The Days of Awe

The month of Elul is now be behind us. We all heard the sounds of earthly shofars, but were not joined by the sound of the ingathering shofar from the heavens. Not to set dates or say Yah can no do things outside of our boxes, but it does seem that We are in the field of harvest for another year. If this is true we must ask the question of what will we do with the year which is upon us? It is clear at least to me that if I only do what I did last year, I can only be where I am now when I get to the years end. Before I expound on that thought allow me to take a pause.

I the tradition is correct, The King has been with us in our field during this past month. Think about what you were praying for during that time whether you were or were not conscious of the tradition. Were there opportunities brought into your life last month that you said no to? Are you sure those were not answers? Think back over the month and consider it in light of that thought. So he has turned and has now made the walk back to the palace. Are you in awe that he even came to meet you at all? Are you grieved in the slightest that this was not the year you would be called out of the field to be with him? Have you considered that he may grieve also even though he understands why this is not the fullness of time?

What are we to do? We should first reconsider the passed on opportunities I spoke of. is there time to go claim them? With the new help he has given us we go back to work, but now with new purpose and vigor. On Yom Kippur we cease our work and consider that there will be a day which we will stand in awe struck wonder as we gaze upon Him. We can rehearse that day even though we are still in the field. We can also imagine that there is coming a day in which we will not be packing the car to go to a park or a lake but we will be packing for our trek to Mt. Zion and a visit to His house for eight days. We can imagine the thought of the first time we will wave the lulav in His Kingdom and the first year of bringing the harvest from our own field in Israel, setting it at His feet and reciting in His presence the instructed words of Duet 26.

Do I have you dreaming and yearning yet? I pray so for it is those dreams that vision in your mind which will cause you to forget what is behind and press on toward the calling He has given you. The year ahead of us does not bring with it a promise of no obstacles, trials, struggles or pain. What it does bring is a hope that we have been given the opportunity to work in His field another year so that if on next Yom Teruah the earthly shofars are drowned out by a heavenly shofar, the offering we will take to set as His feet will be a bit larger than would have been this year.

As we enter the day of Yom Kippur in a very short time, consider that this is not a day to afflict our souls over how bad we are, but rather over how good He is. It is a day much like Moshe experienced on Mt. Sinai. In fact he had forty of those days in which he did not eat or drink because he was so caught up in the awe of whose presence he was standing in. This Yom Kippur, consider the One Moshe saw, the One Isaiah saw, the One the three Hebrews walked with in the furnace. Consider that one day will be THAT DAY!

It is my prayer, not that your fast would be an easy one, but rather your fast would be so filled with His presence that your earthly cares, needs and desires are not not so much as a thought.