LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Why do so many Jews Fast on Yom Kippur?

By Rabbi Samuel Ross

DDid you know that 93% of Israelis attend a Seder? Next up is Yom Kippur, with over 60% of Israelis fasting on this most holy of days in the Jewish calendar. It has often been discussed and debated why these particular days are taken so seriously, even by the most secular and unaffiliated of Jews. There are some tasty explanations as to why Seder night is such a big deal - just think of how many matza balls are consumed! But why do so many Jews push themselves to fulfil the (arguably more physically challenging) mitzvah of not eating or drinking for 25 hours on Yom Kippur? Yom Kippur is also the one day of the year when Israel shuts down completely. All businesses close, including all restaurants and places of leisure. Ben Gurion airport stops functioning, as does all public transport. As sundown approaches, all local radio and television broadcasts gradually fall silent. In the words of one Israeli I spoke to when preparing this article: "I can’t tell you why Israelis choose Yom Kippur to be their day to be involved above the other festivals, but I think it's because they still believe in Hashem, even when they don’t keep other mitzvot. Maybe it's a way of saying “We know we are not doing the right thing, but we have a day to acknowledge that we didn’t do what we were supposed to do and to make up for it.” Maybe that’s the driving factor.” Looking outside of Israel - in 1965, Sandy Koufax refused to pitch in Game One of the Baseball World Series in Minnesota because it was Yom Kippur. This was a big story at the time, and Koufax summed up his thoughts as follows: “A man is entitled to his belief, and I believe I should not work on Yom Kippur. It’s as simple as that, and I have never had any trouble on that account since I’ve been in baseball.” In more recent times, striker Tomer Hemed was brought on towards the end of English team Queens Park Rangers’ 2-0 victory, after gobbling down bananas and pasta at close of Yom Kippur. “As an Israeli, he follows the Jewish religion meticulously, and today is Yom Kippur, which is the Day of Atonement,” Queens Park Rangers manager Steve McClaren told reporters before the game, when asked why Hemed was missing from the starting line-up. Many other sportsmen - and indeed professionals from all sectors - will “opt out” on Yom Kippur; that seems to be their red line. So what is it that's so “prohibitive” about Yom Kippur that prevents so many from working, playing, eating and drinking? In the infamous story in the Torah, Korach challenges Moshe’s leadership of the Jewish people and questions the priesthood being given to his brother Aharon. When people began to buy into Korach's arguments, Moshe tried advocating for them to G-d and said "You are the G-d of souls, Who knows that the Jewish people remain faithful deep down inside, in the depths of their soul.” There is an amazing blessing that we say each morning - ‘Elokai Neshama’ - the blessing for the soul. It says: "My G-d, the soul you have given me is pure - You created it, formed it and blew it into me and You safeguard it within me. Eventually You will take it from me and return it to me in the world to come." Essentially what we are saying is an extension of ‘Modeh Ani’ - thank you Hashem for giving me my soul for another day. My unique Jewish soul comes from G-d and is the source of my inherent goodness. My soul makes me part of the Jewish people, which has been chosen from all the other people for a special G-dly mission. Perhaps it is not necessarily the sense of “prohibition” which drives so many people to fast, sit out the first half of a football match or choose not to work on Yom Kippur. Within each Jewish person there is a holy soul that wants a G-dly connection, wants more, knows there is more and perceives that Hashem is out there and wants us to connect to Him. And somehow, for millions of Jewish people, it is the holy day of Yom Kippur that re-ignites that deep-seated desire for “soul connection”.

Rabbi Yisroel Miller gives two beautiful explanations: 1) Yom Kippur is the day when every Jew, whoever they are, can make a whole new beginning. Our greatgrandparents knew it in their hearts, our grandparents at least knew it in their minds, and even today we retain an echo of a communal memory inside our souls.

2) The Avodah – the original Yom Kippur service in the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) – had to be done by one person to atone for all of the Jewish people, even if that person was very far from being a tzaddik (righteous person). Our souls remember this too, that one person - a person like us - if he or she fulls their special mission in life, can still make all the dierence in the world.

Rabbi Samuel Ross is the director of the Seed Manchester schools programme. Rabbi Ross brings his passionate and dynamic style to his signature learning groups – Monday nights for men, Shabbos Treasures and Power Prayer – all of which are well-attended and full of energy.

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