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You may remember that YK is
the one and only day of the year that we follow the Shema Yisroel with a roaring: Baruch Shem
Kavod… Blessed is the glory of the one ruler forever and ever.
All year long we hush and
whisper these 6 words. There are many reasons for this. Here is one; The
teaching goes that we whisper these words because we are keeping ourselves out of
sight and sound from those who might take issue with our viewpoint. Think about
it: The Baruch Shem Kavod declares
to the world: There is only one Power, and it’s not a human power either; No
ruler, governing body or agency comes close.
Through our long history,
Jews learned that defying the prevailing power openly, and announcing our
allegiance to No Ruler but God made people in control unhappy.
So all year long, we hush
this declaration, but on Yom Kippur, Yom K’Purim, a day like Purim, when we
turn everything on its head with prayer and joy and love and forgiveness, we
are truly free, we fear nothing, and we proclaim our faith in God with full
throated song:
Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuto l’Olam va-ed. There is
only one power and that is the power of God, and that power pours through us as
forgiveness, faith and love.
Nowadays, thank God, we
are living in relative freedom. We have freedom to sit here in shul and
worship, and we have freedom to express ourselves…
Nowadays, the enemy of
our freedom and joy and love, is more often inside ourselves, than outside, ruling
us from within.
YK is a day when we take
on all the inner enemies that would stop us from our aliveness and our joy and
our faith. So let me tell you a story about taking on our enemies:
This actually took place in
Poland on Purim night, in the synagogue of Reb Dovid of Dinov. The Rebbe was
surrounded by his Hasidim. Their celebration had begun in the late afternoon
and continued with full strength into the evening. They were all enjoying the
food and drinking schnapps, as is the custom. The musicians were playing full
bore, and the Hasidim were singing and dancing, and joy reigned supreme.
It was as if there was no more evil in the world, as if everything was holy,
everything was good.
But in the background, there
was one little problem that was on the Rebbe’s minds. It was a rumour in the air
that some of the gentiles in town were planning a pogrom, a terrorist raid
planned to destroy the Jewish community of Dinov. In fact, Reb Dovid had heard
that the band of antisemites were planning their evil deeds right then, that
very night, in a tavern on the Gentile side of town.
At midnight Reb Dovid said to his Hasidim:
“My holy friends, we have done well tonight, we have transcended the world
with our joy, but you know what? there is still more work to do…Rabotai, do you
want to finish the job? Do you want to erase the hatred once and for all?
The Hasidim called back: Yes
Rebbe! We are ready!
“If your answer is really
yes, then come, sing and dance with me now, like never before!!”
The Rebbe then led the
Hasidim in even more ecstatic singing and they danced with abandon. They sang
their nigun over and over again until each Hasid had entered fully into the supernal
realm of joy.
In the midst of this
exuberant and elated singing and dancing, the Rebbe called out: The time has
come! Let’s go! He then led the
Hasidim and the musicians out into the street! They all piled into wagons and
started riding through the streets, the musicians still playing loudly and the
Hasidim still singing their niggun with all their might into the night air. They
drove right into the Gentile neighborhood.
Now Dinov was a tiny
town, they reached the Gentile neighborhood in just a few minutes. Reb Dovid had
them drive right up to the tavern where the anti Semites were doing their plotting.
The Hasidim climbed down from their wagons and followed the Rebbe into the
tavern, still singing and dancing in joyous abandon.
The peasants in the
tavern were by this time a little drunk and had begun to curse the Jews, and
get rowdy, but just then the doors opened and Rebbe Dovid walked through, joyously
singing and shining like an angel of God. He walked right up to the
leader of the thugs, took him by the hands, stood him on his feet, and started to dance with him. Then in
turn, one by one, each Hasid took the hand of an antisemite, and began to dance
in great joy. The whole room rocked with joy and soon became filled with such holiness,
such sweetness.
After an hour or more of this
singing and dancing, they all sat down to rest together, exhausted, and all the
peasants and the Hasidim crowded around Reb Dovid. Turning to the peasants, he
said: “My dearest brothers, there’s something I must ask you. I am so
happy to be with you tonight, so glad I came. But I have to tell you: I
heard that you hate Jews! Tell me, is there somebody here who hates us?
The leader of the anti
semites looked down. He shook his head rapidly in denial and said with embarrassesment
and feigned shock: What?! that’s not true! All the peasants looked around one to the other, and each one
said: Not me! You? Not you? Who then? ? Maybe someone else? But
Not me!
You see, said Reb Dovid,
I heard an unbelievable rumour, though I’m sure it’s not true, that you were
planning a pogrom against us.”
“What? Not us!” said the
leader looking around evasively and blushing with shame at his fellow plotters.
“Well then, said Reb
Dovid with a big sigh, then why shouldn’t we be best of friends?”
And the peasants were so
moved by the rabbi’s holiness and love, that they all shouted back, Yes, yes,
Be our best friend, Yes, Rebbe,! Count on us!
Then, the story goes, the real dancing began.
On this Yom Kippurim, a
day like Purim, we turn the world upside down with our open hearted prayer, we let
ourselves
go places with our singing, with our dancing and our
prayers that are unlike other times of year. In this way, our fear is transformed into faith, defying
logic or rational sense.
On Yom K’purim, a Day LIKE Purim, WE do not hold
back, we let lose of our inhibitions. We also let lose of our grudges and our
judgments, we let go of our shame and our blame, and face ourselves with love, and
we face each other with love. We make peace with ourselves. We make peace with our
enemies.
Friends, this Yom Kippurim, may we pray like Reb
Dovid andhis Hasidim, with such abandon and such light, that all the lines
dividing us from ourselves and from others get erased for good. This Yom K’purim
let us not duck or whisper or be afraid, but declare with full throated faith:
Baruch shem Kavod….there is no
enemy! There is no fear! There is only one power. And may that power pour
through us as love.
Rabbi
Tirzah Firestone
www.tirzahfirestone.com
Please reprint with permission of the author.
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