Living the Change

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is one of the most important days in the Jewish calendar. It’s a time when Jews around the world seek forgiveness, reflect on their actions, and aim for personal growth. On this holiest of days, we feel a deep connection to something greater than ourselves, whether through fasting, prayer, or a heightened sense of spirituality. But there’s something curious about the readings from the Torah on Yom Kippur that invites deeper reflection.

On the morning of Yom Kippur, the Torah reading, taken from Leviticus 16, focuses on the sacred service of the High Priest in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. This was the only day of the year when he could enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost and most sacred part of the Temple, to offer prayers for the people. The reading highlights the awe and reverence of this unique moment, reminding us of the holiness of the day and its potential for deep spiritual connection and purification, as it says:

However, in the afternoon, the Torah reading takes a sharp turn. It suddenly shifts to Leviticus 18, a section dealing with forbidden relationships—laws that describe improper and even immoral behaviors. For many, this feels like a strange and uncomfortable transition. After spending the day seeking forgiveness and trying to rise above our flaws, why would we focus on something so negative and base? Why would we bring up such distasteful topics at the very moment when we’re striving to be our best selves? Shouldn’t we be focusing only on holiness and purity, especially as the day draws to a close?

Yet, there’s an important lesson hidden in this juxtaposition. The afternoon reading reminds us that Yom Kippur is not just a day of spiritual inspiration and closeness to God. It’s a day to prepare ourselves for the real world—the world we step back into once Yom Kippur is over, where temptations and challenges await. This section of the Torah is meant to help us guard against falling into the very mistakes that can undo our spiritual progress. Even though on Yom Kippur we may feel elevated and pure, the Torah reading gives us a gentle but firm reminder that when it’s over, life will test us. We need to be ready for those tests.

Yom Kippur is a model day, a glimpse of what we can achieve when we’re at our best. The holiness and purity we experience on this day should be a guide for how we live in the weeks and months that follow. That’s why, as the day winds down and we feel most connected to our spiritual selves, the Torah reminds us of our human frailties. It’s a reality check. Yes, we’ve spent the day reaching for something higher, but we still need to be prepared for the challenges we’ll face when the day is over.

Now that Yom Kippur is behind us, the real challenge begins: can we take the lessons of the day—its messages of forgiveness, self-reflection, and spiritual growth—and carry them with us into the days and weeks ahead? Can we face life’s inevitable tests with the awareness and strength we gained during Yom Kippur?

As we step into the days ahead, the challenge is to live up to the potential we glimpsed on Yom Kippur. Let’s make sure that the commitments we made, the forgiveness we sought, and the spiritual heights we reached stay with us—not just for one day, but for the entire year. The real journey is only just beginning.

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