“You shall afflict your souls” (16; 31)
Several times in the Talmud it teaches the well-known drasha, “If someone eats and drinks on the ninth (of Tishrei – the day before Yom Kippur) it is considered as if he has fasted on both the ninth and the tenth.”
The reason for this drasha is not clear. Why should there be such a great reward for eating and drinking so that it is considered like fasting on Yom Kippur?
Perhaps we can explain this based on the Mishna in Ta’anis 26a that the anshei mishmar (the representatives from each town who went to the Bais HaMikdash in shifts to ‘supervise’ the sacrifices) would sit and learn constantly near the Beis Hamikdash and would dedicate their learning and the sacrifices to all Jews. They would fast every day of the week except for (Shabbos and) Sunday. The Talmud explains the reason for not fasting on Sunday, so that they should not go directly from the rest and enjoyment of Shabbos into fasting, which may weaken them significantly and possibly endanger their lives.
In addition, the same Mishna in Ta’anis means that on Shabbos a person spoils themselves with food and drink, as Rashi explains in Beitza 16a regarding the extra soul of Shabbos. This soul expands the ability of the heart to enjoy and be happy with food and drink without being repulsed by it.
We can thus understand that ‘being repulsed’ teaches that the nature of a person is when they have eaten their fill and there is no room left in their bellies, then, they lose their appetite for any more food and become repulsed by it. (But on Shabbos a person is able to eat and drink more than usual without becoming ill from having eaten too much.)
Therefore, it is clear that a fast that comes straight after Shabbos is very difficult. This is why the anshei mishmar would not fast on Sunday. Similarly, the more one eats and drinks on the day before Yom Kippur, the more difficult it is for them to fast on Yom Kippur. This is why it is praiseworthy to eat and drink on the ninth and it is considered as if they had fasted. The difficulty of the subsequent fast is considered like a double fast.
You should know that based on this explanation we can understand the statement on Brachos 34b that in a place where Ba’alei Teshuva stand, completely righteous people are unable to stand. At first glance it seems difficult to understand why someone who has sinned should be on a higher level than someone who has not. The sinner has filled their body and soul with sins and all kinds of forbidden things. How can they reach a higher level than a Tzadik who has never sinned but lived their life in purity and holiness?
According to our explanation above, we can explain that the higher level attained by someone who has sinned and done Teshuva is precisely because they have filled themselves with the pleasures of sin and physical desires. This makes it much more difficult for them to separate themselves from the physicality. To make the transition from a lifestyle of hedonism to the ‘afflictions’ and ‘suffering’ of keeping the mitzvos makes them much greater than those who were completely righteous all of their lives. Therefore, the challenge of someone who becomes a Ba’al Teshuva is much greater and their reward is similarly much greater.
