Yom Kippur D’var Torah

by Seth Elkins, 8th grade

וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃

בראשית א:כז

    

Tonight is Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is about being holy and forgiving. During this holiday we hear the word “Holiness” a lot, but do we know the true meaning of what holiness is? This is one question I had about Yom Kippur. It is very hard to define a word as complicated as holiness, so this semester I decided to take a course about Kedusha, (holiness) with Dr. Beliak. “And G-d created man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them." (Beresheet/Genesis 1:27) This means that G-d made us to be like Him. We also learned, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy." (Vayikra/Leviticus 19:2) This means that we are holy because God is holy.

Dr. Baruch Levine, Jewish philosopher and commentator, says that people who act like G-d are holy. G-d does chesed (kindness) by helping people in need; and we do chesed, for instance, by giving to the poor. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says that being holy means to be ready to do the right thing. In order to do the right thing, you need to be more self aware; which makes you the way G-d wants you to be. In result you are in G-d's image. For example, if you drink too much wine, you get drunk, and that is not holy. But wine can be holy if we use it in the correct time and with the correct mindset (Kiddush on Shabbat and holidays). Therefore, anything can be holy if we are aware of the right time and place to use it.

In conclusion, it is important to be holy because it makes you the better version of yourself; the version that G-d wanted you to be, by acting like Him, and by being ready to do the right thing.

Gmar Chatima Tovah and have an easy fast,

Seth Elkins