FB 2022 YOM KIPPUR QUESTION: WHAT KIND OF SHOES SHOULD RABBIS WEAR ON THEIR HOLIEST DAY?
Answer: The shoes Adam wore when he was RUN out of the garden of eden - running shoes! (would he use 'sneakers' to sneak back in?)
Of all things, why do we not wear regular shoes on Yom Kippur!? And what's with the refraining from deodorants and cosmetics and so on? Surprisingly, these and the other aspect correlate exactly to the new situation of humanity after leaving Eden.
Here we offer the following novel explanation: Yom Kippur is a day of re-attachment to the purity of our time in Eden and symbolically we refrain from that which arose as a need only when we were exiled from Eden.....
For example, the Eden account tells us that God said "thorns and thistles will grow in your way...the snake will try to bite you and you will hit it with your heel" and so it became necessary to wear good shoes in the new post-Eden existence. God says that as opposed to the automatic food and drink in Eden, it will be necessary to work hard for it "by the sweat of your brow" and so we do not eat or drink and do not try to remove the sweat from our body etc with cosmetics. The same for the other forbidden actions specific to Yom Kippur.
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Full explanation
The key is the parallels between the conditions after the expulsion and the forbidden activities of Yom Kippur, the 5 “inuyim” (and ordinary work; Also: the focus on repentance and praying for continued life).
The post-Edenic reality:
“by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread”--> the existential need for eating & drinking as opposed to in Eden where it was just for pleasure.
“by the sweat of your brow”: the new post-Eden need for lotions (and washing in general) etc.
“you will give birth in pain...he will rule over you--> 'marital relations', and the often fraught situation between man and woman.
“thorns will be in your path"..snakes will "snakes will raise their heads against you, and you will need to stamp them with your heel" --> the post-Eden need for shoes.
God made for them "leather clothing" --> special status of leather.
On Yom Kippur one returns to a pre-Edenic state of purity by refraining from the above.
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More DETAILED EXPLANATION
The Biblical path to a return to purity
Parallel between the traditionally-forbidden activities of Yom Kippur and the post-Edenic human condition (as described in the Biblical account)
[The Wikipedia article on Yom Kipper references this version. The original is in Hebrew; also here.]
. Synopsis: The traditionally-forbidden activities on Yom Kippur (such as the prohibition on wearing leather shoes) seem odd, but make much more sense when seen as paralleling the Biblically-described conditions of the new reality facing humanity after being ejected from the garden.
Reason for the parallel: Yom Kippur (and the concept of 'repentance') can be seen as having been established to atone for the transgression of Eden, or more-so to enable a path of return-to-purity, and so on that day one attempts to transcend the physical and to symbolically resemble Adam and Eve prior to the transgression/expulsion. This is accomplished by refraining from the aspects of the post-Eden reality mentioned in the Eden account. Instead one seeks an inner change ('repentance'), to return to a pristine state, and seeks life in the face of the death that has been humanity's fate ever since the expulsion.
According to that account, free choice between good and evil was initiated then, and hard work and death became part of human destiny. On Yom Kippur, the annual day of return to a state of pre-transgression, there is also a Symbolic (kabbalistically affecting the spiritual via the physical) return to the Garden, to a place and time before work and death was decreed, before humanity made a free choice to transgress, and thus a day of refraining from specific activities and conditions mentioned in the Eden account.
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Rabbis in sneakers on a holy-day:
Those who observe Yom Kippur in the Traditional manner walk about on their holy day wearing tennis shoes ('sneakers'), slippers and the like - including white-bearded rabbis, who are otherwise wearing their holiday finery. Why? The Torah (Jewish Bible) states that on that high holy day "ve-initem et nafsho'techem", loosely translated as "you should afflict your spirit", with no further elaboration in the text as to what it entails. So why sneakers?
The traditional perspective on the relationship between the oral and written Torah: According to Jewish tradition, Biblical commandments were received in the Sinai desert soon after the exodus from Egypt, and the Jewish people observed them (those not specified as being relevant only in the land of Israel) at that time, being taught by Moses the appropriate means of observance decades prior to the actual giving of the complete written Torah around the time of Moses' death almost 40 years later. Indeed, Tradition states that the written Torah, rather than being the source of the commands and of the description of the relevant observance, is more of a mnemonic for the detailed commands and accounts which were given orally piece-wise years earlier, and then formally given years later in their totality orally along with the full written text.
Application to the biblical commands regarding Yom Kippur: In consonance with this perspective, the Written Torah's enigmatic phrase re Yom Kippur ("ve-initem et nafshotechem") refers to an observance of Yom Kippur well-known during the years prior to receiving the written Torah somewhere at the end of the 40-year sojourn in the desert. Namely, it involved a prohibition from engaging in five specific activities: wearing (leather) shoes, using cosmetics and lotions etc, washing, eating/drinking, and sexual relations. The Talmud and other sources indicate how one could also 'derive' this list of forbidden activities, for example from the usage of the work "inuy" (root of 'initem') elsewhere in the Torah.
We will however indicate here a novel 'derivation' - in that the five proscribed activities can be seen as arising from the Biblically-described parameters of post-Edenic existence; we also indicate why there would be such a parallel.
Parallel between the traditionally-forbidden activities of Yom Kippur and the post-Edenic human condition
The parallels: Adam and Eve were in different physical and spiritual states prior to and after the transgression/expulsion - the change in the state is indicated by the terms of God’s expulsion edict[1].
· “by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread”; before transgression there was no need to make food, it was all readily available, nor was it necessary to eat in order to be sustained and so hunger for food was a symbol of humanity's new condition, and of course the transgression involved eating (from the Tree of Knowledge); so on Yom Kippur, to atone and also to symbolically revert to the pre-transgression state, one refrains from food and drink; also, one refrains from normal weekday work, which we engage in to put food on the table, food which was available without work in Eden.
· “by the sweat of your brow”: The implication understood traditionally is that in Eden, before transgression, there was no sweat[2]. Sweating, body odors etc are all symbols of humanity's new condition: therefore to atone, and also to symbolically revert to the pre-transgression state when these did not exist, one refrains from washing or the use of cosmetics and lotions designed to help us smell or look better;
· “you will give birth in pain (labor)" [3]; "your man will desire you", and "he will rule over you”. Humanity was intended to be immortal, and marital relations - if present in Eden - were not necessary to maintain the species. Procreation, a necessity in ensuring the survival of newly-mortal humanity, became a symbol of this new mortality, and so in atonement and to symbolically mimic the pre-transgression level, sexual relations are refrained from on Yom Kippur.
· To humanity: “thorns will be in your path": to the snake: "they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel" (that is, humans will attempt to crush the sake's head, and the snake will try to bite their heel): in Eden there was no need for shoes as protection against thorns, for protection of one's heel from snakes etc; the need for them today is a symbol of humanity’s post-Edenic state. On Yom Kippur therefore, shoes are not worn. (specifically leather shoes: Immediately after their transgression, the Bible recounts that God made leather garments for Adam and Eve, and so 'garments' in this connection are understood to mean leather ones, and so the Traditional prohibition on shoes is understood as being limited to leather ones).
In addition: According to some commentators the essential transgression may have been Adam’s blaming his wife, and we can utilize this insight to explain why Yom Kippur is meant not merely for humanity to seek forgiveness from God but to ask each other for forgiveness.
Summary: The Traditional understanding of the Biblical path to achieving atonement for transgression(sin): As was the case before the construction of the mishkan in the desert and the Temple in Jerusalem, atonement can be achieved for transgression by refraining from eating, drinking, ashing/'anointing', wearing protective leather shoes, and marital relations; by refraining from the weekday effort to 'make a living'; and by these together with seeking rapprochement with one's fellow human beings (and with God), one can approach symbolically humanity's pre-transgression level.
May we be blessed to feel the meaning of these ‘inuyim’ this Yom Kippur, to benefit from their spiritual effect, and emerge ‘cleansed’ and ready to live a purified year.
May we all find the ability to reconnect to our inner essence and return thus to Eden!
Wikipedia: "A parallel has been drawn between these activities and the human condition according to the Biblical account of the expulsion from the garden of Eden.[6] Refraining from these symbolically represents a return to a pristine state, which is the theme of the day." From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur [For Bible-lovers: The Wiki entry quotes my article (reference 6) which provides the detailed explanation & source texts: it can be seen here: https://sites.google.com/.../yom-kippur-which-shoes-did...].
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הקבלה בין העינויים ביום הכיפורים לבין תנאי החיים שנתחדשו לאדם וחוה עקב גירושם מגן עדן
בגלל "קוץ ודרדר תצמיח לך", ו"הוא ישופך ראש ואתה תשופנו עקב" אדם צריך לנעול נעליים, כדי להגן על עצמו מפני צמחים חדים, ומבעלי חיים עוקצים. ביום הכיפורים, כדי לחזור למצב שלפני החטא, אחד העינויים הוא הימנעות מנעילת הסנדל.
הקב"ה עשה לאדם וחוה 'כתנות עור' להלבישם, ועקב כך אנו נמנעים מנעילת מנעלי עור דווקא.
"בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם", והזיעה (ו"זוהמה") מחייב רחיצה וסיכה. ביום כיפור חוזרים אנו למצב של ניקיון כפיים, של אי-צורך ברחיצה וסיכה.
תשמיש המיטה . ביום הכיפורים אנו מתעלים על היצר, כדי לחזור למצב כפי שהיה בגן עדן, לפני שנקבע: "הרבה ארבה עצבונך והירונך בעצב תלדי בנים ואל אישך תשוקתך והוא ימשול בך".
"בזעת אפך תאכל לחם". עקב כך נמנעים אנחנו מלאכול ולשתות ביום הכיפורים, כדי לחזור למצב של קודם החטא.
YK and teshuva were invented after either egel hazahav or chet adam/chava. it makes sense that RH is re creation, and YK is re expulsion from eden.
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why would a day of forgiveness be filled with inuyim! suffering seems more appropriate for a day of mourning like T b'av, which is ironic since we learn the observance of TB from that of YK!
And why these specific inuyim?
One might have thought that for a day of "kippurim" therre would be mandated - as indeed there is - fasting and prayer and asking other for fogiveness, but why inuyim, and why specifically the shoes and ointment and even martial realtions it is not clear that they should be forbidden on a day of seeking forgiveness.
So we look for consistency in the source of YK, ie in the chumash itself, so we look for h beginning of sinning, it is in eden, so we look there for a hint, and we can indeed find it quite straightforwardly as in my vort.
Also: we look at the story as told there to see what Adam//Eve did not do - the psukim make it very clear that:
they did not admit their transgression,
they did not say they were sorry,
they did not understand the concept of forgiveness (or it was invented by God then for that purpose)
and they blamed the other (or Adam did), and thy fell prey to pride and temptation and lack of trust in God/obedience etc
and so 1-3 are what we make sure to do, and to avoid 4.
Also, see below, to refrain from the new post eden conditions.
Returning to the purity of Eden: the Yom Kippur transformation
Whats the deeper meaning of not not wearing regular shoes, and not using cosmetics, etc on Yom Kippur ?
Pardon the humor before the seriousness: Question: What kind of shoes should Rabbis wear on their holiest day (yom Kippur)?Answer: The shoes Adam wore when he was RUN outof the garden of eden -running shoes! (would he use 'sneakers' to sneak back in?)
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Summary:The post-Edenic reality and therefore what we refrain from to return to Edenic purity:
“by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread”--> eating & drinking.“
by the sweat of your brow”:--> need for lotions etc.
“you will give birth in pain...he will rule over you--> 'marital relations'.
.“thorns will be in your path"..snakes will "bite their heel" --> the need for shoes.
God made for them "leather clothing" --> special status of leather.
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On Yom Kippur one returns to a pre-Edenic state of purity by refraining from the above.....
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For more details see
God knows our innermost thoughts, what a blessing: The greatest feeling is when somehome really 'gets' you and knows the full context of what happened that didn't look good on the outside, and knows how you struggled and felt sorry - only God is privy to all that, to others you have to explain and feel uncomfortably defensive and self-justifying and feeling that no-one believes you, and you might seem to them (or worry that you do) fake-humble and not sincere, etc. So having Yom Kippur, when God shares your innermost feelings when you are most trying to be the best you can, and are truly feeling sorry for what was lacking, and knowing that God knows all this perfectly - this is a great gift.
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why adam/eve had children in the new post-eden reality: We say 'avinu malkenu' 'our father, our king'. But Adam & Eve didn't have parents, they couldn;t understand wha thtis meant. After they ate of the Tree and realized what they had done (according to some readings the creation didn't yet even have the concept of children & 'parents'.) there was no way for them to know that God is like 'avinu' and not just 'malkenu' and that they could be forgiven. They needed to be introduced to the notion of teshuva (return/repentance), and since the post-eden existence would involve many instances of stumbling, and the need for the belief in the possibility of 'return' and forgiveness, it was necessary for them to have children, and then for all humanity afterwards to have parents who they know love them unconditionally and no matter what they do, and to have children, so that they have confidence that since God is their father that he will inevitably accept their teshuva.
Joy on YK: The purpose of the period of teshuva from ROsh Hashanah to Yom Kippur is 'reconnecting', and 'kaparah' (forgiveness by God) is guaranteed, not like in the human relam where people judge based on results & achievement not effort, so if one makes the internal effort of 'return', whatever the end-result is (ie during the year one backslides again) nevertheless kaparah from God is guaranteed, hence the day is called Yom Kippur, day of forgiveness and so it is a day of joy, and after this day of joy a few days later we are ready for the holiday of joy, succot.
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Why we fast: When we fast and get weak and pray for assistance as supplicants in that state, because this state is conducive to our placing all our eggs in the God basket, and the dependence on God is a form of trust, and closeness, and this is what God desires , our closeness, and to feel our trust that he will indeed forgive us, and it isn;t about forgiveness, it is about re-establishing the connection, that is the purpose, there is no need for forgiveness, God is beyond needing us to ask for forgiveness, but god DOES want the closeness (and that is ultimately what WE want as well) and that comes when we open up and ask for forgiveness and resolve to do better the coming year..
Just as when we are children and ask our parents for help without feeling resentful that we need to ask, or fearful that there will be a price, the same re God, God wants to give without asking for something in return, and we need not feel guilty or embarassed at asking, and it often helps to be in a vulnerable situation to feel this..
May we all be able to re-connect! And may we all be blessed this coming year!
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Jonah: On Yom Kippur we read about Jonah, the most successful prophet because what he predicted did NOT happen. That was his success
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YK, re-connecting, haster ester
Vayelech: ANAn IS GREATEST LEVEL OF REVELATION OF h, THAT;S WHEN h SAYS VIA mr RE HASTER AsTIR, IE AT GREATEST PEAK OF REVELATION, h PREPARES FOR THE OPPOSITE, WRIT EHTIS SHIRA, TO READ WHEN ESTRANGED = 'haazinu'.
So it is good for YK, to remember from Vayelech that when feel that H is not with us, it is bec we left H, and the second we return, H is there, lkie it says in Nitzavim that H does teshuva, ie when we return also H H is ;shav', wice says ths (after revii)
so when estranged we need to read the love poem )haazinu) which H wrote for that purpose.
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s (and the parsha[vayaech] mentions succos and annan.
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YK and teshuva were invented after either egel hazahav or chet adam/chava. it makes sense that RH
is re creation, and YK is re expulsion from eden.
Sh: to machlis.spoke at v end. kaparah is guaranteed People liked it.[ Afterwards, the (religiojs) guy who is very straight asked me to repeat outside where no noiseand then he criticized every phrase so I gave up and walked away]
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YK parallel to G Eden & sukkos joy after YK reconnection,
NEW (collected on Feb 2017 from nyu emails), MESH THESE BELOW
teshuva-related: purpose of torah is to get us back to same as gan eden, we left but have etz hachayim;
Mayim kodmu, tune vs words, have to liberate the real essence, the tune, from the inpure song, so
too:inside ourselves not to throw out the bad only the bad part of it; and the matsav, our quest is to eventually
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vayar vayera,Torah written without vowels, Vayera can be fear/awe or 'see': letters same.
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To machlis, spoke, (he gave me a long build up that I can speak in a way that is interesting for people at didff levels and etc)
spoke on parsha & YK.
Torah written without vowels, Vayera can be fear/awe or 'see': letters same.
Says lo tirah twice re war, bec God is with us so don’t fear, then fear god twice, which enforces the voweled reading of the letters as in 'awe, fear' not 'to see'. But in middle is re succos, yovel, hakhel says "layro’os panai", which can be both, and again re anan "vayera". So it has segued from one meaning to the other. This ties it into same theme, when see god’s presence (vayera) it induces awe (yirah).
How does one get to see Gods presence?
MR was anav, gave over in public the reins to Yehoshua, and this lowered ego state brought the shchinah, anan manifested, and this is lir’os panai which induces yirah, and in that state we need not be afraid of anything bec God is with us.
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Sh: to machlis. spoke at v end. YK parallel to G Eden
and then also re:
Yom Kippur: purpose is re-connecting, and kaparah is guaranteed, not like in world where people judge based on results achievement not effort, so if make the internal effort kaparah is guaranteed, hence it is called YK and is a day of joy.
then leading to succos, joy after YK reconnection (and the parsha[vayalech] mentions succos and annan)
People liked it.[ Afterwards, the (religiojs) guy who is very straight asked me to repeat outside where no noise and then he criticized every phrase so I gave up and walked away]
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To Machlis, spoke, mayim kodmu, tune vs w words, have to liberat the real essence, the tune, from the inpure song, so too:inside ourselves not to throw out the bad only the bad part of it; and the matsav, our quest is to eventually have yishmealand us both be what we shouldbr/.
Sh
Seudah shlishis at Brodt, he had told me there was a j for j couple and that maybe I should say something if they did, so I crafted a dvar torah designed for them and motioned to shulem and he invited me to speak (though they hadn’t), it was good, people didn’t realize it was designed to be anti misionay chrisitan:
humanity god-forbid not cursed, out of garden bec not eat from etz hachayim not bec we ate form etz hada’at, God wanted us to eat from it; torah is etz hadaat, kruvim on tree and on luchos in ark, ramchal conneciotn via torah then afterwards is dveykut, joy.