On a day that we’re purified\u00a0\u201clifnei Hashem<\/i>\u00a0– before G-d (Vayikra<\/i>\u00a016:30)\u201d and thrust into the Holy of Holies, we must contemplate our overall duty of devotion. With a war raging, Messianic reverberations rising, antisemitism spiking, and widespread assimilation, there needs to be a refocusing of Jewish devotion. Rabbi Shmuel Yackov Bergman,\u00a0Director, Community Kollel of Rechavia, offers important insights on Yonah and quotes a Vilna Gaon that sheds light on the type of service needed these days.<\/p>\n
Yonah Revives the Avraham Doctrine<\/b><\/p>\n
We read Yonah as the\u00a0Haftorah<\/i>\u00a0on Yom Kippur. Many themes are contained within. However, one stands out, and points towards the kind of way we must now serve G-d.<\/p>\n
When the water is raging and the ship seems close to capsizing, the non-Jewish sailors start praying to their gods. After praying with no result, they were sure the reason for the chaos was unrelated to them.<\/p>\n
They had a clear formula: you pray to G-d and get answered – no questions.<\/p>\n
They come upon Yonah and ask of his situation. He explains that he’s fleeing from his G-d, and that’s the cause of the storm. He’s eventually thrown overboard.<\/p>\n
It was incomprehensible to the sailors that one would abandon his G-d, as Yonah did. It’s no surprise that all the sailors converted to Judaism after witnessing this, as they all believed in a supreme being, only now they had confirmation of the true one.<\/p>\n
We have a case of unqualified belief and a passionate desire to serve the true G-d.<\/p>\n
Remember Avraham, the\u00a0ivri<\/i>, the Jewish one who was on the other side of the\u00a0ever<\/i>\u00a0– separating himself from all idol worship and serving one G-d with full allegiance.<\/p>\n
He’s known as\u00a0Eitan<\/i>\u00a0(Bava Batra\u00a0<\/i>15a), the strong one. The G-d of the heavens was his rock. He spread G-d’s name in the world due to his focus on one Creator Who runs everything. He was clear about Who was behind every occurrence and Who decides what will be in the world. It was simple to him: everything comes from the heavens.<\/p>\n
Our world is in a state of confusion. News cycles, not G-d, are on our mind. We’re far from saying, if G-d wants a victory, then we’ll have one. A return to that is needed quickly.<\/p>\n
A Concealed World<\/b><\/p>\n
There’s a \u201cdouble\u201d challenge in today’s times of simply looking to the heavens and focusing on the Creator above. The Vilna Gaon notes that the two words in parsha\u00a0Vayelech, “<\/i>astir tastir<\/i>\u00a0– I am hidden,\u201d are said twice to emphasize how hidden G-d really is. On one level G-d’s inherently hidden because we’re in\u00a0galus<\/i>. But he notes the second\u00a0astir<\/i>\u00a0refers to the end of days, when uncovering and seeking and recognizing that everything is from G-d will become extremely challenging.<\/p>\n
Again, Yonah and Avraham must be at the top of our thoughts. Recognize everything is from G-d. Every occurrence needs to be immediately attributed to G-d. There is no coincidence in this world, and clarity of belief must be at the top of the agenda.<\/p>\n
Our Duty<\/b><\/p>\n
If something you experienced didn’t \u201cseem\u201d to end in the way you wanted, say \u201cgam zu letovah<\/i>\u00a0– this is also for the good,\u201d and if you got the result you wanted, express immediate gratitude to G-d. Shouldn’t a G-d that’s viewing every creature and occurrence in the world be thanked for personally overseeing every one of your interactions?<\/p>\n
Build belief day by day. Focus on the cause of things.\u00a0 Imagine if you entered a business transaction with someone else where you had the backing of the richest person in the world. Would you question whether it will be in your favor?<\/p>\n
The Creator of the world is our willing backer when we look towards Him with intention.<\/p>\n
Breslov must be given credit for introducing the need to continually speak to G-d. We must converse with our Father in Heaven to tell him our wants and needs. We must not see him as a hidden G-d, but one ready to fulfill our wills when our eyes are looking towards Him.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n
The Gemara in\u00a0Sotah<\/i>\u00a0(49b) presents the seminal thought of existence that must “inundate” our mind. It says, \u201cIn the times of Mashiach, there is only one to rely on, our G-d in Heavens.\u201d<\/p>\n
One could ask why we find this saying in Gemara\u00a0Sotah<\/i>.\u00a0Sotah<\/i>\u00a0involves a status of doubt. We’re not sure if the wife is guilty of the sin or not. To contrast this, comes the thought of belief in G-d, which must be accompanied by clarity.<\/p>\n
On this day, we should be focused up. It’s true that it\u2019s a day where our sins are forgiven, but we must also make this a day where we finally reach the ability to rely solely on G-d for everything, after all we are\u00a0lifnei Hashem<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On a day that we’re purified\u00a0\u201clifnei Hashem\u00a0– before G-d (Vayikra\u00a016:30)\u201d and thrust into the Holy of Holies, we must contemplate our overall duty of devotion. With a war raging, Messianic reverberations rising, antisemitism spiking, and widespread assimilation, there needs to be a refocusing of Jewish devotion. Rabbi Shmuel Yackov Bergman,\u00a0Director, Community Kollel of Rechavia, offers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133844,"featured_media":58281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yom-kippur"],"yoast_head":"\n