The unique power of Yom Kippur is called “itsumo shel yom.” It cleanses us and transforms us
Prepared for print by Rabbi Eran Feintuch
When we hear the words “Yom Kippur,” we get nervous. The demands of the day seem impossible. We must do teshuvah for every improper deed, word, and thought. We have to be perfect and holy the whole day. We have to daven so many tefillos, almost the entire day, with kavanah. And we have to do all this while fasting. We’re tense the whole day long, and relieved when it’s finally over.
But for some, Yom Kippur has an entirely different flavor. I’ve seen gedolim who are serene and full of simchah from Kol Nidrei till the final shofar blast. No, it’s not because they’re saints who do nothing wrong and effortlessly pray with dveikus. It’s because they’re in tune with the real nature of the day. They know that it’s not a day of daunting demands. It’s a day of tremendous rachamim, when Hashem takes us by the hand and leads us away from our past misdeeds into a new, purer life.
Yom Kippur has a power unlike any other day. All the moadim have a special characteristic that certain spiritual achievements are easier on those days. It’s easier to achieve simchah on Succos than the rest of the year; on Pesach it’s easier to break free from negative habits that inhibit our avodas Hashem.
But on Yom Kippur, the day itself changes us. The Gemara brings an opinion that Yom Kippur atones for our transgressions, even without teshuvah. The consensus is, of course, that we need to do teshuvah. But we don’t need to do it all ourselves. Yom Kippur isn’t just a walking stick to help us trudge the long road to atonement. Yom Kippur is the train that takes us there. All we need to do is pay the fare through teshuvah and tefillah.
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