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GIFTS
Judaism views life itself as the ultimate gift granted to us by Heaven. As such, it takes the highest prominence and priority. However, most humans, when not in situations of danger and emergency, hardly view their lives in such a perspective. Instead of seeing it as a gift, most humans simply see it as a given state of existence to which they are somehow entitled. Because of this view, life itself loses some of its meaning, even to the extent of murder and suicide.
A precious gift is always treasured by the one who receives it. It is not only the value of the item itself that is involved but, even more importantly, it is the relationship between the one who gave the gift and the recipient. Seeing one's life as a gift from Heaven automatically gives one a connection with the Creator and with eternity. That is what the rabbis of the Talmud meant when they said that rather than complaining about life's vicissitudes one should simply be grateful for the gift of life itself.
During this holy day season through which we are passing, our prayers constantly reemphasize this gift of life. It is axiomatic that without life all of the other blessings are nonexistent. The constant repetition of prayers for life is meant to impress upon us the transient nature of this gift and realization that it is not something that we are automatically entitled to own and have.
The great day of Yom Kippur is also one of the ultimate gifts that Heaven has bestowed upon the Jewish people. We all yearn at different times in our lives to somehow wipe the slate clean, shutdown the past and its consequences, and to somehow start again fresh and anew. For most of our experiences in life, at least in the physical world in which we are engaged, this is a practical impossibility.
We live with our past decisions, no matter whether they were fortuitous or ill advised. However, in spiritual matters regarding our soul, we are granted this great gift of a new start. And this is not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but we are given this chance for renewal on an annual basis, on this holy day of Yom Kippur.
But since our relations with fellow human beings are always measured in the real and physical world, the gift of renewal of Yom Kippur cannot really affect those relationships. Only by personal actions can fences be mended and past hurts and slights be softened and soothed. But God's gift of forgiveness and the relief from the awkwardness and embarrassment of past behavior extends to our spiritual relationship and encounter with Heaven itself. Human relationships are important and should be treasured, but how much more so should be our relationship with our Creator, and with all that this entails. After the gift of life itself, Yom Kippur is the greatest treasure one can receive.
Oftentimes, especially when we are children, we are more interested with the wrappings and the box that the gift came in then we are in appreciating the gift itself. I remember vividly purchasing what I thought to be a most educational and skill-oriented toy for my two-year-old grandchild. When I proudly and graciously delivered the toy to the child I noticed that the he was more interested in and played with the box rather than with the toy.
To a certain extent we are all children playing with that box. We discuss how long the services took on Yom Kippur, whether the break was sufficiently long or short; whether the Cantor was on tune or not and how much rest we were able to get in during the Rabbi’s sermon. But none of this is the toy itself – the treasure of Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur should provide us with the ability to maintain a conversation with Heaven and the eternal. That gift should not be easily squandered or neglected. Yom Kippur may truly erase past sins, mistakes and transgressions. But it can only do so if we wish that those past errors no longer constitute part of our persona and our attitude towards life. I believe that this can only be accomplished if we view the holy day of Yom Kippur as a gift to us and not just as a day of fasting and physical abstention.
Shabbat shalom
Chag sameach
Shana tova
Berel Wein
