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Yom Kippur

By: SFW Students & Alumna
Koreen Rosenfeld, SFW 5766

(based on a shiur by Rav Mordechai Elon) 

The parsha of Akeidat Yitzchak is emphasized in our daily tefilot, but it has a special emphasis during this time of the year.   It is read on Rosh Hashana, and mentioned every day in sefaradi selichot. What is so central about this parsha? Rav Mordechai Elon says that it is actually the essence of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  

We know that Avraham's attribute was Ahava, seeing the kedusha everywhere and bringing people closer to Hashem. On the other hand, Yitzchak was more introverted, the attribute of Yir'ah, his avodat Hashem was more focused on boundaries and halacha. A test, is when one is forced to work on their weaker traits and perfect them. Here, in Akeidat Yitzchak, the test was double sided. It was a test for Yitzchak to work on his Ahava, and for Avraham to work on Yir'ah.

On the way up to Har Hamoriya there was only one conversation between father and son. Yitzchak says "Avi," my father, and Avraham answers "Hineni b'ni," here I am, my son. Yitzhak is saying, I know that you were there when Hashem called out to you, but are you also there for me? Avraham answers, just like I am there when Hashem calls me, I am also there for you. My love for both of you knows no bounds, even though there exists a seeming contradiction now. This was Yitzchak's lesson in Ahava. It doesen't always need to make sense. Only after this unconditional love was understood, does it say that they walked together, "yachdav". The word "yachdav" does not only mean together physically, but deeper than that, it means a unity of purpose, a unity of their neshamot. Now, it was Yitchak's turn to teach Avraham a lesson in Yir'ah. Midrash Tanchuma says that Yitzchak asked Avraham to tie him up so that he doesen't wince out of fear, so that he could be a kosher korban. Serving Hashem just out of passion and love could sometimes lead one down dangerous paths that don't serve the original purpose. The greatest Ahava is only complete if it has boundaries. Here Yitzhak is showing that we must work within the boundaries of man. We know that Avraham internalized this message when at the moment that he was about to slaughter Yitzchak, expressing his unrelenting love for Hashem, Hashem tells him to stop. Here we see Avraham using the attribute of Yir'ah, putting boundaries on expressing his love for Hashem. The shofar actually shows the connection between these two middot. The keren is the hard part, the outside of the shofar, Yir'ah. The shofar is the hollow center, ahava.   In the end, a korban was brought that shows the joining of these two middot.

The most amazing part is, that after reaching such spiritual heights, Avraham is able to descend the mountain and walk 'yachdav' together with the two servants that waited at the bottom. They couldn't even fathom what had just occurred, they are now in a totally separate world from Avraham. But after Avraham joined with the attribute of Yir'ah, he could go back to his Midat HaAhava with much greater strength.

But what happened with Yitzchak? He seems to disappear. However, the story of the Akeida does not end here, but ends when Yitzchak meets Rivka. The Torah says that he was coming back from Be'er Lechai Ro'i when Rivka meets him. What was he doing there? The midrash says that after the akeida he went there to bring back Hagar and Yishmael. He was engaging in Kiruv, in Ahava. However, when Rivka sees Yitzchak from afar, she falls off her camel because of the intensity of his Yira'h.  Here we see that as the result of the Akeida both Yitzchak and Avraham strengthened their weak attribute, and afterwards returned to their original mida, but even stronger.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are Yir'ah and Ahava 'yachdav'. If they were days of pure judgement we would be all wearing black and paralyzed from fear. If they were days of pure Ahava, there wouldn't be any day of judgement. This is especially a lesson for our times. It is so easy, especially in Israel, to write off those who are not yet observant. They don't understand the things that are important to us, they have different values. It is easy to decide that we should save what we have and focus inward on our religious communities and make them as holy as possible.  Yir'ah. That is much easier. The trick is, however, to mix our devotion to halacha with Ahava. Avraham went down from Har Hamoriya and embraced two servants who were not even able to see it. He saw their potential. Instead of pushing others away, we have to show them the light that they cannot yet appreciate. The Tanya says that all Jews are one neshama split into many bodies. If one single Jew is missing, a piece of our neshama is lost. By mixing these two middot,  joining Ahava and Yir'ah, we can truly emulate Hashem who judges us with din and chessed, and act towards other Jews in the same way. And with this unity we can bring the Tikkun to Sinat Chinam and build the Beit Hamikdash.