Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Jewish Teachings: Parsha Ha'azinu/Shabbat Shuva/Yom Kippur – What Is Your Relationship With Heaven & Earth?
Description
The Torah gives us Yom Kippur. For twenty-five hours Judaism asks us to live an almost impossible existence. We stop eating and drinking. We step away from physical pleasure. We spend the day in prayer, attempting to reach somewhere higher.
It may strengthen our Jewish faith; but then, suddenly, it is over.
We put our shoes back on. We eat. We return to work, money, relationships, frustrations and the ordinary demands of life. So what exactly was Yom Kippur trying to achieve? Where is the Torah wisdom?
The opening words of Ha’azinu contain an extraordinary clue. Moshe Rabbeinu calls upon Heaven and Earth, but listen carefully and he does not speak to them in the same way.
That difference opens up a remarkable understanding of Jewish values and what our lives are supposed to look like. By examining this more closely this Torah study we will uncover a different way of thinking about Yom Kippur, and about teshuvah itself.
Perhaps Yom Kippur is not really about how high we can reach. Perhaps the bigger question is what we bring back with us.