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Daily Chizuk #1691
Holidays / Yamim Tovim
Managing the List: Facing Awe and Trembling Before Yom Kippur
As we get closer to Yom Kippur, the feelings of awe and trembling intensify. We are trying harder and harder to be better, to make teshuvah, but the list of averot is long—many we don't even remember we did. Bittul Torah, Lashon Hara, Onat Devarim—and the list goes on. We are afraid to be judged for our actions, just as we say in Tehillim:
אִם־עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר־קהּ ה' מִי יַעֲמֹד
"Hashem, if You will take all of our sins into account, who will be able to stand before You?"
During the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah we say: המלך המשפט. The Mareh Yechezkel asks seemingly, it would be better for us to say the usual: מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט. Why would we switch now and only speak about Hashem being the King of mishpat, which is strict justice? The rabbi answered: all year long, we say that Hashem loves both tzedakah and mishpat. He loves giving us tzedakah, but He also loves justice being carried out, and we don't know which one He loves more. Now, during these days, we declare המלך המשפט—Hashem is the King over mishpat. He is the only ruler and decider about how the rules of mishpat will be carried out, and we are hoping that He will override the regular rules and use His power as King to pardon us. But that will depend on whether we give Him, so to speak, the ability to do so. And He told us how: we must overlook and forgive those who wronged us.
The power of overlooking and forgiving is wondrous.
אִם־עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר־קהּ ה' מִי יַעֲמֹד
"Hashem, if You will take all of our sins into account, who will be able to stand before You?"
During the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah we say: המלך המשפט. The Mareh Yechezkel asks seemingly, it would be better for us to say the usual: מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט. Why would we switch now and only speak about Hashem being the King of mishpat, which is strict justice? The rabbi answered: all year long, we say that Hashem loves both tzedakah and mishpat. He loves giving us tzedakah, but He also loves justice being carried out, and we don't know which one He loves more. Now, during these days, we declare המלך המשפט—Hashem is the King over mishpat. He is the only ruler and decider about how the rules of mishpat will be carried out, and we are hoping that He will override the regular rules and use His power as King to pardon us. But that will depend on whether we give Him, so to speak, the ability to do so. And He told us how: we must overlook and forgive those who wronged us.
The power of overlooking and forgiving is wondrous.
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