And so, the first step of the atonement on Yom Kippur is to do true teshuvah and to feel a greater sense of Hashem’s Presence. This level is required by every person to reach. The step after this is a higher level, which not everyone reaches: to want this closeness with Hashem so much that you are willing to die for it, as Nadav and Avihu did.
May Hashem help us be clear about the goal of this day of Yom Kippur, to know clearly why exactly we seek to be forgiven and atoned. It shouldn’t just be known to us on an intellectual level; rather, we should feel it in our heart, of why we really seek atonement.
May we merit that these requests to be forgiven and atoned should stem from our innermost depths, from a clear recognition and a true desire, to remove the barriers that have formed between us and Hashem, and to genuinely feel His closeness to us.
Then, may we all merit together to feel the Creator, to feel the pleasantness of sensing Hashem’s existence, to be pulled after him like a magnetic pull, and may we be willing to give all our strength and all of our soul for this.
