“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh-Yom Kippur 5775
9 Tishrei 5774/October 3, 2014
A few weeks ago I was
invited to give a presentation in the Yeshiva Ketana of Waterbury, Connecticut.
While driving on the highway to Waterbury
When I concluded the
presentation and headed back to my car however, I realized that the warning was
well founded. One of my tires was almost completely flat. I called my
brother-in-law who lives locally and he directed me to a mechanic that was
fairly close. With four working tires the drive to Don’s Garage would have
taken 2 minutes. But because I had to drive so painfully slowly it took me
almost fifteen tense minutes.
The mechanic removed
the tire to get a better look. In under a minute he related to me his grim
prognosis: the tire was a goner. He showed me that a thick nail had lodged
itself in the tire and the tire could not be salvaged. Not only did that tire
have to be replaced, but to maintain balance the opposite tire had to be
replaced.
I pulled out Mr. Visa
and within a few minutes the tires were replaced and I was back on the road
heading home (after stopping to visit my sister and brother-in-law’s new home
of course).
In the waning moments
of Yom Kippur, when we are running on nothing other than spiritual strength, we
emphatically proclaim in unison the timeless mantra of our people: “Shema
Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad!”
It is the proclamation
of our complete subjugation to G-d, above all else. Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaarei
Teshuva writes that if one accepts upon himself the yoke of heaven in regards
to all mitzvos except for one, he is considered a ‘poreik ol’ one who
has cast off the yoke of Heaven. Kabbolas Ol Malchus Shamayim, accepting
upon ourselves the Yoke of Heaven, is an all or nothing endeavor.
Perhaps we may falter
and sin, but it’s not because we have not accepted the yoke of heaven upon
ourselves fully. Rather, it’s that we become sidetracked and lose focus on our
mission and priorities.
My tire was virtually
completely intact. There was only one spot which had a massive nail wedged into
it. But that one nail was enough to deflate and destroy the entire tire and
impede my car’s ability to drive properly.
At Sinai we proclaimed
our unyielding acceptance of our mission to be G-d’s Chosen holy people. Every
year on Yom Kippur we renew our dedication to that mission.
Our tires don’t have
any holes, for our dedication is steadfast and unrelenting. It’s that just that
throughout the year our internal yetzer hara adeptly gets us to let some
air out of our tires. On Yom Kippur we refill them, so that we are rearing and
ready to go!
G’mar Vachasima Tova
Good Shabbos &
Shabbat Shalom,
R’ Dani and Chani
Staum