Yom Kippur Thoughts and Blessing - What do we hope to gain by confessing so much and all these prayers?!

September 18, 2018

I hoe you are doing well. Preparing for the service I was once again struck at how often we apologize and confess - my goodness! So much of the service is saying how sorry we are, what we did wrong and then prayers asking G-d to forgive us.

Do we need to apologize to G-d so much? Does G-d even need our apologies?

Very few of us feel a burning desire to apologize to G-d, we think we are pretty good, sins and apologies are a little old fashioned, (they don’t sound very Jewish anymore) and for some people it takes away from the beauty of the day - lets focus on something positive! Why do we invest so much time in it?

Here is one perspective.

When you put a seed in the ground – is it buried or planted?

Depends; If it just stays in the ground and doesn’t grow – it’s buried. If it grows, especially when it grows something nicer and more useful than the seed – it was planted and well planted.

The seed is perfect, whole, smooth, solid – it has its identity. If it remains intact and stays in its perfection, nothing will ever grow and its potential will never be actualized. It’s just a seed buried in dirt.

To unlock the life and potential hidden in the seed – the strong, perfect exterior needs to crack open – the seed now mixes with the earth and beautiful things grow.

Perfection gets buried – Openness gets planted and blossoms.

When we remain perfect – we remain locked in our small image and box; we can’t connect well (with anyone, let alone with) the Divine.

The confessing and apologizing to G-d is one way of cracking our tough exterior – opening up our hearts and souls to G-d. It’s this vulnerability and humility that allows us to connect with something so far beyond us. When we are in this state we can then become one and experience a renewed and heightened relationship with the Infinite Light – G-d.

May you be blessed this Yom Kippur to have an open mind and open heart to renew your connection with Hashem and yourself, to grow beautiful fruits and love the results of your efforts, and may you be written in the book of life for a happy, healthy, sweet new year.

Gmar Chatima Tova! Shana Tova Umitukah!

Shlomo and Nechama Rothstein