Yom Kippur (Ha'azinu)
To those of you who have not yet donated towards the Yom Tov needs of our women tachers, please do so at https://www.yayoe.org/rabbis-fund/. Thank you.
דברים פרק לב פסוק יא (פרשת האזינו)
(יא) כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנּוֹ עַל גּוֹזָלָיו יְרַחֵף יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ יִשָּׂאֵהוּ עַל אֶבְרָתוֹ:
"Like an eagle that rouses its nest, over its young it hovers; it spreads its wings, takes them, and carries them on its wings." Devarim 32:11
Rav Gershon Bess, shlita, shared a beautiful insight from Rav S.R Hirsch, ztz”l last Shabbos, and I, in turn am sharing it with you.
When carrying its young from the nest to the heavens, the eagle first awakens its nest. Then it spreads its wings above the baby eagles and they jump on to the wings that await them. They, so to speak, decide to entrust themselves into their father’s hands so that he may carry them to the heights. The father eagle takes them, but they must leave the comfort zone of their nest and make the first leap onto his awaiting wings.
So too, HaShem trained the Klal Yisroel in the Midbar and taught them to trust Him and devote themselves to Him. Once they showed themselves willing to forsake what other nations rely on for comfort, namely solid ground, human power and talent, that conscious and free will decision to jump aboard became the precondition for their journey to the heights of spirituality and morality, where the Jewish Nation most often has to fly alone. The entire journey through the Midbar, with all its tests and lessons, came only to awaken the spirit of the Klal Yisroel, to educate it and train it toward that courage of heart.
I would add, that Yom Kippur, the day known throughout our history as the Yom Hakadosh, is the day where HaShem is waiting for us to “jump onboard” so he can take us to heights that can last for an entire year. As we will say many times, “This day will atone for you;” as a kind of “mikvah in time,” HaShem will “sprinkle pure waters on us to purify us.” Our job? To be present, to be willing to forsake our illusory comfort zones, commit ourselves and trust that HaShem will take us this year to the places that in our hearts we know we really want to go.
Gmar Chasim Tova,
Rabbi Goldberg