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September 24, 2004/Tishri 9 5765, Vol. 57, No. 4
On Yom Kippur, you shall afflict yourself
Torah study
RABBI RIFAT SONSINO
Deuteronomy 29:9-14, 30:11-20 (morning);
Leviticus 19:1-4, 19:9-18, 19:32-37 (afternoon)
The origin of Yom Kippur goes back to antiquity when it was, like temple purifications of other ancient Near Eastern communities, a day of cleansing the sanctuaries of the Temple through elaborate rituals. Such practices are no longer relevant to Jewish worship. This is one of the reasons that, in the Torah service for the Day of Atonement, Reform Jews read passages from Deuteronomy 29-30 that address the existential question of personal responsibility rather than priestly rituals from Leviticus 16:1-34.
According to the Pentateuch, on Yom Kippur, both Israelites and resident aliens are expected to do two things in order to achieve the expiation of their sins: abstain from doing work and "afflict themselves." If they fail to do either, the punishment is karet (Leviticus 23:29-30), which according to the ancient Rabbis meant "chastisement from heaven."
We know more or less how to abstain from work, but what does it mean "to afflict oneself?" During the late biblical period, afflicting oneself was understood as fasting, based on the parallel between fasting and affliction in Isaiah 58:3: "Why, when we fasted, did You not see? When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?"
The Rabbis interpreted the injunction as fasting and elaborated that "food and drink, and the other pleasures of the sense of touch arouse the physical self to be drawn to desire and sin; and they can interrupt the form of the spirit of wisdom from seeking after the truth, which is the service of God and His good and sweet moral lessons" (Sefer HaChinuch, translated by C. Wengrov, pages 328-329).
Yet even in the biblical period, people tried to broaden the scope of the translation. Isaiah, for example, not satisfied with just bodily fasting, asked that it be coupled with social concerns: "To unlock the fetters of wickedness ... to share your bread with the hungry ... when you see the naked, to clothe him" (Isaiah 58:6-7).
In Psalm 35:13, inneti vatzom nafshi, "I afflicted myself with fasting," we learn that fasting is one way to express regret. Later, in Mishnah Yoma 8:1, we are told that on Yom Kippur, self-denial means abstaining not only from eating and drinking, but also from bathing, anointing, wearing sandals and sexual intercourse (Targum Yonatan on Leviticus 16:23-27). We are told also that children, pregnant women and the infirm should not fast (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 82a-83a).
I believe our fasting should be accompanied by genuine repentance, as indicated by the prophet Joel when he says: "Turn back to Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, weeping, and lamenting. Rend your hearts, rather than your garments" (Joel 2:12-14), and with genuine concern for our fellow human beings, as suggested by Isaiah 58:6-7.
In addition to fasting (if we can), we need to look inward and confront ourselves with intense soul-searching and spiritual cleansing that is honest and even painful - a clearing of our conscience that is as difficult as any other act of self-denial. This, I believe, is the existential meaning of self-affliction. Only after we give an honest account of our past deeds, make peace with others and ourselves, ask for forgiveness and grant pardon to others, can we hope to be worthy of being sealed in the Book of Life for another year.
Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D., is rabbi emeritus at Temple Beth Shalom, Needham, Mass., and a faculty member of the Department of Theology at Boston College. Torat Hayim is available at urj.org/torah.
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