Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Musing on the aftermath of Yom Kippur.


Yom Kippur is past us for this year. We dwell on the meaning, the practice, the rituals. We inject spirituality where spirituality is needed. But we need to open our eyes and look at reality all around us.

Take Israel for example, and welcome to the theater of the absurd. Murderers, rapist, and common thieves wear a Kippa a minute before they enter the court to go in front of the judge. They think that to demonstrate how frum they are maybe will trick the judge to lessen the verdict.

This "show" of the scum of the earth is not working for a long time, but they still try.

Enter Yom Kippur and the millions of "klal Israel" in the Land and the diaspora, who don't have any connction to Judaism but one day a Year, on Yom Kippur, they take out from the glove compartment the Kippa they received in the last funeral they attended, bring the Talit that they did not touch since last year and is a bit smelly. They take the Tefilin they bought the kid ten years ago, clean the dust off the old Siddur, put the whole disguise, and they are off to the Synagogue that they haven't seen since last year. In one day they want to Iron up the suspect credit they carry, and receive a new clean and pure one. Isn't it special?....

How are these people different from the criminal who wears a Kippa a second before he meets the judge? What is the different between criminals "Show" and the "Good Jews" "Show?"

If the judge in court is not impressed with the criminal's trick of wearing a Kippa, why should the Judge of all the earth, who in my opinion is quite busy see it differently? He is probably in stitches when He sees the a majority of Am Israel that in 364 days carried out every imagine sin in the book, now within 24 hours wanting a total Kaparah in the form of a light fasting, and chanting in the freezing Synagogue (air conditioning). Is the Holy One Be He really thinks that just like that without any effort a person can "cleanse" himself with a few hours of Shokeldink (Bending back and forth)?

Yom Kippur for this majority is akin to Catholics who go to the priest for confession and think they come out white as snow. Either one is a believer and keeps the Mitzvot, or they are not. There is no such thing as being "Masorti" (traditions)and keep only the Mitzvot that are easy for them to keep. If one is an apikors (non-believer), then let him have the courage to stay that way and not making a show of the whole thing. I don't think God approves of this.

5 comments:

  1. Good post. This also applies to the weekly sabbath. Well-intentioned statements during shabbat -- whether in the traditional prayers, or in songs, e.g. "May your word forever be on my lips." -- are empty, with the remainder of the week outside of shabbat not living up to those statements.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Judah. We need to do better. especially in educating our children and being an example to them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're right, Dan. I mean, is this mild observance anything more than a cultural superstition? Why bother acting to impress G-d? Is He blind the rest of the year? Does He not constantly examine our hearts? It makes no difference if it's Yom Kippur. Like Judah said, what about Shabbat? What about prayer? What about our hands and mouths? What about our thoughts? Our feelings towards Him? Towards His Torah? Towards our fellow man?

    The saddest part of it all is that so many have convinced themselves that they're working out some sort of atonement. The disparity between what G-d has graciously made available to us and what we've refused to accept is never as clear as on Yom Kippur.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Luke. I just had a thought, can we call it cheap grace?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Certainly. Hey, if the shoe fits..

    ReplyDelete