Yom Kippur is Just the Beginning

Most machzorim translate Yom Kippur as the Day of Atonement. Rav Soloveitchik objected to the imprecision of this translation for a few reasons. First, in the Amidah that we will recite at Maariv we say: Vatiten Lanu Hashem Elokeinu B’Ahavah…..

“You, Hashem have given to us with love this day of Yom HaKippurim for forgiveness and pardon and atonement….”

If Kippurim was synonymous with atonement, then it would not make sense to define a word, kippurim, with the same word, kaparah.

Second, the Torah names holidays from the perspective of what we do on them, not what Hashem does or did. For example, Pesach is called Chag Hamatzot, not Chag Yetziat Mitzrayim, and the Torah refers to it as Shavuot, not Chag Matan Torah. Rosh Hashanah is referred to as Yom Hazikaron, a reference to the shofar, which is what we do on that day, and not Yom Hadin, which is what Hashem does on that day.

            To be consistent with the other holidays, the name Yom Hakippurim must reflect the idea that atonement does not come automatically from Hashem. Rather atonement must be attained through our efforts. Therefore Rav Soloveitchik suggested that the more literal and precise translation of Yom Hakippurim is the day on which we must perform specific actions in order to attain atonement. When translated more precisely it becomes clear that Yom Kippur is not about God bestowing upon us some status of atonement; rather today is about earning that selicha and kaparah- through our actions and our commitments. Our task on Yom Kippur is focused on Teshuva. The reason why the holiday’s name is in the plural, Kippurim, is because there are many different types of teshuva: complete teshuva and incomplete teshuva, thoughts of teshuva and acts of teshuva.

And Yom Kippur is not just the culmination of the Aseret Ymei Teshuva. It is also a beginning, a fresh start, the first day of the rest of our lives.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson asked his father, the Rebbe Rashab, what to do after Yom Kippur. His father answered, “Now, we repent.” This reminds me of the story a person who attended a silent Quaker service. During the worship, he turned to an usher and asked, “When does the service begin?” The usher looked at him and said, “Sir, we believe that the real service begins when you leave the sanctuary and begin to live your real life again.”

Nechama Leibowitz once noted, “When I was a child, they used to tell us in school that we needed to improve our actions during the auspicious time of Aseret Yemei Teshuva, between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. At home, my father would tell me that is true, however you also have to act just as good between Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.

If we put in the work, and view Yom Kippur as just the beginning then we can be confident that we have done our part to bring about Kaparah and be ready to receive many blessings in the new year.