Images from last Simchat Torah are indelibly seared upon our consciousness. The nine-day-old baby lying exposed on a windowsill symbolized our nation’s newfound vulnerability. The crumbling of Israel’s “Iron Wall” as terrorists infiltrated twenty-nine points along its perimeter undermined the self-image of Israeli invincibility. The border surveillance guard observed Hamas terrorists creating a replica of her observation tower and rehearsing the murder of her and her fellow soldiers, only to have her warnings dismissed by military brass, symbolizing the misconceptions that plagued us in the years leading up to this war.
Experts describe October 7th as a failure of conceptualization, known in Israel as “conceptzia.” We uncritically accepted certain truths and narratives about ourselves and our enemies, and this flawed understanding led to the catastrophic events of that day.
October 7th was a shock to our system, forcing us to reassess where we are, how we got here, and where we are going. We have lived through a year of Yom Kippur, the day of vulnerability, destabilization, questioning prior assumptions, and overturning preconceived notions.
Vulnerability
The words used for “sin” in the thirteen middot harachamim raise awareness of vulnerability for each and every person, whether or not we see ourselves as overt wrongdoers. “Avon, iniquity”; “pesha, recklessness”; “chata’a/chet, erring or missing the mark”; and even “aveirah,” which does not appear in the middot harachamim but suggests crossing a line or going too far, all define “sin” as an off-kilter state or lack of balance, to which everyone is susceptible. On Yom Kippur, viduy serves as confession to that vulnerability, which becomes a call to action, teshuva, precipitating an evening out of the scales.
Destabilization
Yom Kippur removes us from our comfort zones, subverting our usual inclination toward self-care and ease to focus our attention uncomfortably inward, compelling us to withdraw from our echo chambers and question everything. The five innuyim (prohibitions against eating, drinking, washing or anointing the body, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations) purposefully redirect our thoughts. Like Yonah, who initially sought consistency, predictability, and “justice” (where Nineveh should be punished), but was roused by G-d from physical and ideological sleep, denied the comfort of the kikayon tree, and whose boat was literally and figuratively rocked, we are forced to reassess our own assumptions and draw new conclusions.
Conceptzia
Opening Yom Kippur with Kol Nidrei, designed to absolve us of oaths, marks this day as a time for release from narrow-minded modes of thought, pre-existing narratives, and mentalities. Though oaths can sometimes be helpful, Chazal strongly discourage oath-making. “Anyone who takes a vow is considered as having built a private altar. If he transgressed and took a vow, it is a mitzvah to ask [a sage] to absolve it, so that he will not have an obstacle before him” (Rambam, Nedarim 13:25, citing Nedarim 22a).
Why such disapproval? In the prior halacha, Rambam distinguishes between a vow and an action, stating: “Instead [of taking vows], one should abstain from those things from which one should abstain without taking a vow.” Instead of locking oneself into narratives about actions to be taken, characterized by “oath-making,” one should simply act. Rambam exhorts us not to become stuck in a static way of thinking, creating internal schemas that are resistant to change. The absolutions of our oaths at the very start of Yom Kippur represent a retreat from “conceptzia.”
By reminding us of our vulnerability, disturbing our self-perceptions and removing us from stagnant frames of mind, Yom Kippur this year will be the concentrated expression of the last twelve months. But there is another
feature of Yom Kippur that requires special mention.
The last Mishnah in Masechet Yoma states that “for transgressions between a person and G-d, Yom Kippur atones; however, for transgressions between a person and another, Yom Kippur does not atone until he appeases the other person.” When it comes to interpersonal relationships, teshuva is results-oriented, requiring not just a change of action but the reestablishment of fellowship and unity.
We are all familiar with the tremendous acts of chesed that have persisted throughout the country since the beginning of the war. What is harder to articulate are the feelings of closeness, affinity, and familial affection that transcend the actions. From the moment the sirens sounded on October 7th, there has been a tangible sense of camaraderie, empathy, and love between people who had never before met, sometimes with deep differences. As I write, our collective hearts are shattered at news of Hamas’ brutal murder of six hostages. But even as some revert to factionalism and civil strife over who is to blame, there is deeply-shared pain and an existential state of being that connects us to each other here, perpetuating our “year-long Yom Kippur.”
We hope and pray that the experience of our personal Yom Kippur will connect us to the experience of all of Klal Yisrael, thereby bringing us a year of peace and healing.
Dr. Julie Goldstein is Rosh HaMidrasha of Midreshet Amudim.