Yom Kippur

The Anti-Prophet, Jonah
Yom Kippur is like no other day of the year.  The book of Yonah, read on Yom Kippur is like no other book in Tanach. Yonah is told to give a prophetic message to a group of Non-Jews, the people of Ninveh. 

A striking difference between Yonah and the prophets in Tanach is that Yonah is the only prophet to run away from delivering G-d's message. He is the Anti-prophet. Others question G-d's call to prophecy and disagree with G-d, but no one runs away. 

This is in direct juxtaposition to the the beginning of Avraham's origin story. G-d tells Avraham to leave his homeland and Avraham listens. Yonah runs the opposite direction as Avraham, away from God.  Read More

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The Devil is in the Details
The ARI"zl says that Yom Kippur is Yom KiPurim, literally translated as the day of atonement   is like Purim. The story of purim revolves around a tiny seemingly insignificant plot point. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews overhears two workers plotting to kill the king. This small moment of silent attention sets into motion a chain of events that will eventually save the entire Jewish people. 

A major theme of Purim is reversal. The evil decree against the Jews was reversed.  The same is true of Yom Kippur, we reverse our bad habits and evil decrees against us are overturned.  Yom Kippur and Purim are the inverse of each other. On Yom Kippur we feast then fast, on Purim we fast then feast. Read More