Yom Kimpur Morning Sermon; By Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Shana Tovah, Gmar Chatimah Tovah-May you be sealed for a good inscription this day.
First let me say how good it is to see all of you. I am glad you have made it home to our Congregation. Each year at the holidays I am filled with joy because I get to visit and connect with so many of our community. But then you get busy with your lives, your work your family and friends and despite what I know is your best intentions, temple life and Judaism get pushed further down the list of priorities for many of you. But in truth this is your home and your people. Your tribe needs you to be with us not just once or twice a year but throughout the year. . Having a community to be with makes a difference in both good times and difficult ones. Consider this your invitation from me to celebrate and to grow with us during the year.

Of course the stresses of living in this day and time can pile up on each one of us and make it difficult to manage. Bills pile up. Deadlines for work are pressing. The kids or aging parents, sometimes both and family pull at us. There is nary a moment for ourselves. Health issues knock on our door. Terrorism's ugly and evil hand strikes without warning. There is a malaise that has eaten away at our nation and at us.
Even the simple things seem harder. Getting in the car used to be fun. Do you remember a leisurely Sunday drive? The typical Angeleno wastes more than 72 hours a year in traffic! That is the equivalent of a long weekend with Monday off! In our city the traffic is worse than ever and just getting from point A to point B can be a challenge.
So too it is with Yom Kippur. It is a challenge. We Jews create a traffic jam of repentance on Yom Kippur. All year long the doors of the synagogue are open but we clog the heavens on Yom Kippur with our sincere prayers and repentance. We try to get from point A -where we have been in the past year-to point B-a place in the New Year that fills us with contentment and peace; far from the stresses of life. We search and we look. Sometimes we seek out other spiritual paths hoping they will answer our questions and fulfill our dreams. Sometimes we look to self-help groups to help us clarify our beings and fix the general malaise of the world and us. We stray from Judaism. And often times we try to fill up the voids inside with material things. But while interesting for a while-we soon are on to the next idea-a new home, a new car, new clothes. But it rarely makes one content and satisfied. All too often we imagine that if we busily change the outside then our inside will change too.
But this morning we are not concerned with the outside. We are not to be concerned with material things. We are to fast. We are to refrain from shows of wealth. Traditionally we are to wear white so that we are all equal on the outside. Because on this day, we Jews are concerned with the inside. In truth, Judaism focuses on our character and our behavior not just on Yom Kippur but all the time. God gave us a beautiful treasure, a system of mitzvot to follow so that we could grow in beauty from the inside out!
But especially on Yom Kippur our task is clear. We are to focus on improving our character. We are to truly repent our sins, our errors and begin anew. On this Yom Kippur morning we are to fill up the holes in our souls, the holes in our spirit with our connection to our people and our God.
Rabbi Abraham Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel in the days before statehood wrote in this passage in his book OROT HATESHUVA (15:10) (Lights of Teshuvah)
When we forget the makeup of our individual soul, when we lose focus from examining the essence of our internal existence, everything becomes confused and doubtful. The first response, which will illuminate all darkness immediately, is for a person to return to him or her self, to the root of his soul. Then that person will return to God, who is the soul of all souls.
So today we are here in this place to remind our selves of our make-up of our souls; our Jewish Souls. And Yom Kippur has come to point us in the right direction for the New Year. Yom Kippur has come to help us fill up the emptiness inside that has beaten us down and caused us to transgress and miss the mark. Yom Kippur provides us with an opportunity to correct the malaise in us that will change our perspective and ultimately change our world. On this bright Yom Kippur morning we are to make teshuvah, to turn to God and our tradition that will and can bring us forgiveness that can begin to fill the void in you and the empty places in your life. On Yom Kippur we model what we ought to be engaged in during the year being part of a Jewish community that will support the person you wish to become!
We all know this but it bears repeating on Yom Kippur morning. There are three ways in Judaism to help us bring contentment and peace to our souls in the New Year. We sing the prayer with gusto- On Rosh Hashanah it is decided and Yom Kippur it is sealed. Uteshuvah, u'tefillah utzedakah, Repentance, prayer and giving help us avert the severity of the verdict. These three acts together help us change ourselves and in turn change our world during these Days of Awe. These three acts, Uteshuvah, utefilah, utzedakah, help us take back our lives and resurrect our souls for the coming year. Teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah if really practiced can change our being and if we do this make your world a richer and more meaningful world. These three acts are not mere platitudes, but pious steps to renewal. But let us take a hard look at these three.
Teshuvah we know means repentance. But it means turning as well. Now is the time to turn our lives around. But what does this really mean? According to our great teachers of our tradition teshuvah is more than repentance. Maimonides our great teacher, the Rambam, says teshuvah is about confession of our sins but more importantly teshuvah is about reaching out to those who were harmed by our actions. Rabbi Pinchas Peli explains that teshuvah doesn't mean just remorse but it is a complete break from our old environment and our old self. We have the power to create a whole new personality on this day. We can spiritually become a totally new person. By confessing our shortcomings and making a sincere, deeply heartfelt commitment to raise our expectations of our self to fulfill those commitments, we have the opportunity to overcome our deficits. Teshuvah, repentance helps us make amends to our self, to God and to others. Teshuvah means we can start over again and seek a new way of being in the world. Our sincere Repentance on this Yom Kippur morning can help direct us to the paradise of contentment with our selves and our place in the world. Our sincere repentance can direct us to a new perspective on our world and our lives. But we don't do this alone. We do it together in the context of this sacred community, a kehilla kedosha.
The second part of the formula for creating a renewed soul within you on this Yom Kippur Day comes from Tefilah or prayer. And on Yom Kippur we certainly have prayed together. That is the beauty of being together as a Jewish community. Our prayers, our words support one another. What is the nature of prayer and how does it affect our souls? First and foremost even as we pray to God to hear our prayer and grant us atonement, we need to understand something very profound about Jewish prayer. The word tefilah comes from the Hebrew root p.l.l. l'hitpalel, which means to judge one's self. Our prayers today are not said for God to judge us but for each one of us to articulate our hopes and dreams, fears and problems, errors, sins and transgression. We judge our own words and actions and deeds and aspire to greater purpose and meaning through Jewish prayer and Jewish meditation. This helps to fill up the holes in our soul when we confront honestly that which we have done that eats away at the fabric of our spirit and moral being. Our sincere prayer this Yom Kippur morning can help direct us toward Paradise and help us direct our intentions and perspective on our selves, our people and our world.
Finally the formula for this day calls upon us to engage in tzedakah. Yes I know you think you understand that it simply means opening up your check book and giving. Indeed that is one part of it. But tzedakah is not charity. We don't just give because we are moved to do so. We give because it is our obligation. In fact almost every time the torah mentions the word Tzedek -the root of tzedkah it comes together with the word Mishpat-Justice. Righteousness and Justice. Tzedakah isn't only about giving money but it is creating the environment so that no one will go hungry and no one without a home. Tzedakah is about teaching people the skills they need to survive in the world. Maimonides taught us that there are various degrees of tzedakah and that includes the lowest form -giving money when we are asked to the highest form, giving anonymously to train people to earn their own living.
We give tzedakah on Yom Kippur because we believe not only it is our responsibility but that giving tzedakah actually heals the tears in the fabric of our Universe! Giving tzedakah changes the energy of our spirits and changes the Divine energy flow in the recipient thus it changes the energy of the world by bringing down from Heaven the attributes of Divine Justice and Righteousness. It is as the Prophet Amos taught-let Justice roll down like waters righteousness like a mighty stream. Tzedek u'mishpat, Righteousness and Justice water the earth and water our arid souls.
According to our tradition the power of giving tzedakah is so great that with each gift we can become One with God!
It is written in the book of Psalms (17:15), "I shall see Your face, God, with tzedek, with charity," The Bal Shem Tov taught, "When a person gives a coin to charity she unifies God's name of four letters -Yod, hey, Vav, hey. The money itself is the letter yud. The five fingers of the giver's hand is like the hey, since the numerical value of hey is five. The outstretched arm of the giver is the Vav which has the shape of an arm. When the coin is placed into the five fingers of the poor man's hand this complete the Divine Name. The final hey is the poor person's hand." (Rabbi Yesacher Baer of Zlatchov-MaVaser Tzedek, Re'eh as quoted in "The Light Beyond by Aryeh Kaplan").
On Yom Kippur by giving tzedakah as one of the three paths to the paradise of a new and replenished soul, we are able to unify God's holy name and cleave to the Holy Divine One. This act of righteousness and justice will surely change the direction of our lives and our world and help to fill up the holes in our Soul.
There once was a man who gave up on life. He found no joy in his work, his family his community. His soul had so many holes in it and was so filled with sadness that he prayed to God to let him leave this world. "Show me the way to paradise then I will be content!"
God asked, "Are you sure that is what you want?"
The man replied, "I am sure with all my heart. Because my soul is torn and I have no contentment or peace of mind."
"Very well," replied God and showed him the way to paradise and contentment.
It turns out it wasn't very far. Just a few days' journey from his village. So late one afternoon, he set out on his way. He walked until nightfall, and then decided to rest beneath a green, leafy tree. But just before he fell asleep, it occurred to him that in the morning, he might become confused and forget which the way toward Paradise was. So he left his shoes by the roadside, pointing on the way toward Paradise and contentment. So in the morning, all he had to do was to jump in the shoes and continue.
Sometimes, unexpected things can happen to us in life. Shoes get turned around. Was it an imp? Was it an angel? Was it just a squirrel? Who knows? But the shoes got turned around. In the morning he rose rested from his sleep, ate from the tree and set about to continue his journey. He went to the roadway, stepped into his shoes, and continued his journey unaware that he was in fact returning homeward.
By noon, he saw a village on the next hillside, and his heart leapt, "I've arrived, it's paradise!" And he ran down the valley and up the hill until he arrived at the gates of the town.
"What a beautiful place is Paradise!" he thought. "My town was always so crowded, so noisy. This is different, so filled with life and joy!" He sat and he witnessed the town's life. He heard the song of children at school, and the sounds of adults at work and in the market. He felt the vitality, the energy, the love that filled the village. He felt the sense of community there. And he started to feel the holes in his soul shrink. He sat there, in the square all day. In evening he heard the joyful sounds of families reunited at home, and smelled the meals enjoyed by each family. And he began to feel hungry.
He thought, "Since Paradise looks so much like my town, I wonder if there is a street in Paradise like my street." And so he went to look. Just where he thought it might be there's where he found it.
Then he thought, "I wonder if there is a house in Paradise like my house." And just where he thought it might be, there it was! Just as he was wondering at this marvelous coincidence, a woman came out of the door-a woman who bore a striking resemblance to his wife-called his name and told him to come in for dinner.
His heart jumped, "They know me in Paradise! There is a place set for me here in Paradise!"
I don't know what's in Paradise," the woman responded, "but your soup is getting cold. Come inside!"
He entered the house. This house in Paradise was nothing like his house back in the village. That house was always crowded, congested, filled with commotion. This place, this was cozy and homey and filled with life. He sat and ate the best meal he'd ever eaten. He complimented the woman on the heavenly soup. And afterwards, he went up to the deepest most restful sleep he had ever known.
In the morning, the woman who looked like his wife handed him his tools and sent him to work.
Work? But of course, even in Paradise there are tasks to be done. Bu this work was different than before. Not dull or tedious, this work was filled with a sense of purpose and service. And that night, he returned to that warm and loving home, that kind woman and more wonderful soup. He could feel the changes deep inside him -in his soul, in his spirit. Contentment filled his being and he knew God had heard his prayers.
Do you know that no once could convince that old fool that he hadn't really made it to Paradise. Every one of his days was filled with more wonder, more purpose, more joy, more peace and more life than the day before. And those magical shoes-helped him fill up his soul by guiding him on the path to Paradise and Contentment. All he needed was pointed in the right direction
Now we don't have magical shoes-but we do have on this Yom Kippur day the three fold formula of teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah that points us in the right direction to contentment and wholeness. Teshuvah, tefillah and tzedekah help us to fill up our lives with meaning and purpose, and change ourselves and the world. Teshuvah, tefillah and tzedkah help us reconnect our Jewish souls to our Jewish way of being and attack with fervor the malaise that has settled over us and the world. Teshuvah, Tefillah and tzedakah can point us to that place of contentment and connection if we actualize them not only on this day but every day. And we have something else. We have community with one another. Here all year long. That is yours for the taking.
So on this bright Yom Kippur morning point yourself to paradise, to contentment. Help yourself fill up the holes in your soul. And return. Return to your temple. Return to your people, your tribe. Return to God and Return to yourself.
Ken Yehi Ratzon. So may it be God's will