Yom HaKippurim Topics/0/en

Yom HaKippurim Topics

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A Day of Repentance or Atonement?

Is Yom Hakippurim a day which revolves around individual change and repentance, or is it literally just a day of atonement?  What does the description of the service of Yom HaKippurim in Vayikra 16 suggest?

• In the time of the Beit HaMikdash, one of the eagerly anticipated rites of the day was the dispatching to Azazel of a goat, laden with the nation's sins.  Who or what is Azazel and what is the purpose of the ceremony? How does it achieve atonement; are the people really cleansed of their sins simply by transferring them to a goat and sending it away? Is there no need for the people to actually repent for their misdeeds?
• While mystics like RambanVayikra 16:8About R. Moshe b. Nachman suggest that the goat serves to appease demonic beings lest they accuse Israel, the rationalist RambamMoreh Nevukhim 3:46About R. Moshe b. Maimon views the goat as a standard sacrifice which is only sent out of the Mikdash for technical reasons. R"Y Bekhor ShorVayikra 16:10About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor and RalbagVayikra 16:22About R. Levi b. Gershom, in contrast, view the animal as a symbolic scapegoat. The ceremony enables the people to feel that they have been given a fresh start, while simultaneously reminding them that the goat's fate should really have been theirs.  What does each position suggest about the nature of the day as a whole? 

See Why is the Goat Sent to Azazel for a full discussion of the above.

To Forgive and Forget?

According to many modern commentators,¹ Yonah's refusal to heed Hashem's call to rebuke Nineveh stemmed from his theological objections to the concept of repentance. The position makes the reader question some fundamental notions about both repentance and forgiveness:

• How does repentance work? Does it serve to erase both sin and punishment, or only the former?  Would justice really be served if a mere apology eliminated the need for recompense for heinous crimes?
• What factors play a role in forgiveness? Must it be a response to change, or might it stem from mercy or love?  Is forgiveness incompatible with punishment?
• Finally, does repentance that stems from fear of punishment have the same status as that which derives from simple recognition of right and wrong?  Is there any worth in short-lived repentance?

See Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem for elaboration.

Prophetic Disobedience

Given that the main mission of every prophet is to bring the people closer to Hashem and lead them on the path of righteousness, it is perplexing that Yonah should choose to flee rather than aid the people of Nineveh to repent. 

• Is it conceivable that a true prophet might simply disregard a command of Hashem? Why would Hashem select someone like this as His prophet?  What does this suggest about prophecy in general?
• Did Yonah really think that he could escape his mission or avoid Divine detection simply by boarding a boat to Tarshish?
• Finally, and most fundamentally, why was Yonah so adamant in his refusal to  assist the people of Nineveh to repent?  While Rashi Yonah 1:3About R. Shelomo Yitzchakisuggests that Yonah had patriotic motives,² Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer10About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer suggests that Yonah was acting only out of self interest.³  R. SaadiaHaEmunot VeHaDeiot 3:5About R. Saadia Gaon, meanwhile, attempts to explain that really Yonah never disobeyed Hashem and that verses which indicate otherwise must be reinterpreted. Which of these approaches is best supported by the text?   How do they affect your view of Yonah? See Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem for elaboration.

The Gates of Repentance are Never Locked

Is it really true that the gates of repentance are never locked?  Is it possible that Hashem might punish someone by declaring them ineligible for repentance?  Similarly, is it possible for someone to sincerely repent, and for their repentance not to be accepted?

For topics which touch on these questions, see: Hardened Hearts and Repentance Rejected.

¹ See, for example, R"E Ben-Menachem, Da'at Mikra Commentary to Yonah, (1973): 7-8, Prof. U. Simon, Mikra LeYisrael, Commentary to Yonah (1992), Prof. D. Henshke, "למשמעו של ספר יונה", Megadim 20 (1998): 75-90, and many others.

² He feared that Israel would be cast in a negative light if they persisted in their evil ways while Nineveh repented.

³ He feared being labelled a false prophet if the people's repentance resulted in an overturning of the decree of destruction.