The Mishna teaches us that there were never better days than Tu B’av, which takes place several days following the 9th of Av, and Yom Kippur, because that’s the day on which the second set of luchos were given. Yom Kippur is also the day that Hashem declared that He forgives the Jewish people for the sin of the golden calf. In fact, the Torah says that Yom Kippur is a day on which Hashem will atone and purify the Jewish people from all their sins. How does this work, and how does it connect to the giving of the second luchos?
Kol Nidrei is the famous introduction to this special day. Its serious, monotonous tune spooks people out of their lethargy, but the source for this passage is not very clear. Why should we be so focused on vows and oaths? I once thought of a reason and recently saw a similar idea from R Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l who writes that since we’re about to spend 24 hours of davening, we need to appreciate the power of words, and the best lesson to be learned about the potency of words can be gleaned from vows and oaths. A person can make a simple vow without realizing that he has created a forbidden item, simply by pronouncing the words. For example, if he says that cake is forbidden to him and he won’t eat it, the cake is now a forbidden item, and if he regrets the vow, he must follow a prescribed procedure for nullifying it. This shows us the power of words.
I would like to share another thought that connects to our first question about the two luchos. The Gemara says that we are mushba veomed, meaning we were sworn in at Har Sinai to keep the Torah. What does this mean? Hashem at Har Sinai swore us into a covenant with Him. In fact, He held Har Sinai over us and didn’t give us much of a choice whether or not to keep the Torah. I would like to suggest that the introduction to Yom Kippur is a symbolic reminder of where it all started. The Nation of Israel became the special chosen nation with the giving of the luchos at Sinai. Hashem chose us because He loves us and He had a special mission that only we, the Jews were commissioned to do.
In the Mishna, Rabbi Akiva reminds us of how fortunate we, the Jewish people, are because our Father is purifying us on this day. Yom Kippur is a day to remember the incredible marriage that took place between us and Hashem and the conduit for forging and strengthening this relationship is the priceless Torah that He gave us to study so we can know him on a deeper level. By identifying Him and becoming more acquainted with his ways we can draw closer to Him and love Him which is the ultimate goal as explained in more detail by the Chovos Levavos in ‘The Gate of Love of Hashem.’
So yes, Yom Kippur is a serious day, because we work on reaching a stage where we regret our mistakes and shortcomings and lack of living up to our mission, but it is also the best day of the year, the day Hashem said, “I still want you as my special nation an. As long as you say you are sorry, we can start over again.”
by Rabbi Daniel Coren
