Torah Study Blog

Orthodox Jews will read on Yom Kippur morning: “For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before the Lord.” (Leviticus 16:30)

The High Holidays start next week and, as a reminder, Yom Kippur is a time when we pray for forgiveness for our sins. The Torah portion for Yom Kippur for Orthodox Jews is Leviticus 16 where we learn how the shrine is cleansed. And we also learn about the origin of the word “scapegoat” which is how the community is cleansed of its sins. The priest, Aaron, is instructed to “lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their sin, putting them on the head of the goat; and it shall be sent off to the wilderness…”

Reform Jews, like us, read passages from Deuteronomy on Yom Kippur morning. Those passages are included in this week’s Torah portion and includes behavior that is NOT forgivable. The gist of it is that we are supposed to “love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess. But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods, I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil…” (Deuteronomy 30:16-18)

The 12^th century Jewish sage Maimonides said that the commandments were given so that one may live by them, but not die because of them. Therefore, if a gentile forces a Jew to transgress a commandment or die – to eat pork, for example – the Jew should transgress if there is no one else around to witness his transgression. In order to save his own life, God will be understanding and forgive the transgression. But if there is another Jew nearby to witness him transgress, it is better that the Jew die then to lead another Jew into transgression.

However, Maimonides said that there are three commandments that should never be violated: 1) worship of other gods, 2) forbidden sexual relations, and 3) murder.

Maimonides said that there are steps a person must take in order to repent from their sin. First, they must recognize that what they did is a sin. Second, they must feel remorse for having sinned. Third, they must refrain from sinning again if put in the same situation. Fourth, they must make restitution for damages, if possible. And, finally, the sinner must confess their sin.

A sinner can demonstrate true repentance when they have the opportunity and capacity to repeat a particular transgression, and they refrain from doing so. Not out of weakness or fear, but because of true repentance, or "teshuvah." For example, if a man had had a forbidden sexual relation and then found himself alone with that partner again but did not have sex, that would demonstrate true repentance. He has shown that he is stronger than his impulses.

As is true with much Jewish thought, there are always differences of opinion. From the Talmud, Rabbi Levi says that the punishment for setting your weights and measures unfairly, so that your customers are cheated, is worse than having forbidden sexual relations. Torah Study attendee Maude Meisel pointed out that in Dante’s Inferno, crimes of passion are actually not as sinful as crimes of treachery. People who use their intellect, like flatterers or corrupt politicians, are lower down in the Circles of Hell than a murdered who might have killed in a fit of passion. (Premeditated murder would count as treachery.) Rabbi Levi would have agreed with Dante.

When we pray at Yom Kippur, there is a long line of sins we ask God to forgive us for. Rabbi Jaech feels comfortable stating that not all members of her congregation are guilty of all these sins! However, we collectively recite the sins so that we are covered when we confess as a community. Then we ask God to forgive us, to pardon us, and to grant us atonement.

When people have confessed their sins and done what they can to make amends and recompense, they are expected to be forgiven. Although it can be hard to let go of hurt feelings, withholding forgiveness when the other person has done all the right things is in itself a sin.

misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Jaech taught us are the responsibility of Tara Keiter