Yom Kippur is day to Think About the Ultimate System

NASHVILLE, TN — Today is the day of Yom Kippur. It is the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar — the day on which we are closest to G-d and to the quintessence of our own souls. It is the Day of Atonement.

Systems exist all around us. The way we live; the way we do business. Each element of our lives from the mundane to the sublime — they always come down to some sort of system. We may not think of most of what takes place in our world as a “system” at work, but everything in our universe can be traced to the functions of one system or another.

We begin learning about systems the moment we arrive here on Earth. As soon as an infant gets hungry, the child receives its first lesson of a “system.” As we grow up, we’re constantly gaining additional insights into how it all works — from the strict behavior of gravity to the basic necessities of survival. And maturity is what we achieve as we become more aware of our system and more adept at navigating it. Hopefully, we continue to learn new aspects and apply new skills throughout our lives.

In the world of systems, there are essentially two different types. There are pre-existing systems of nature (e.g., fire burns, water makes plants grow, etc.), and then there are the attempts by man to discover more about the workings of the system and make refinements. For example, for many years the system of advanced travel relied on horses, and the system of cooking relied on the use of wood or coal.

The core difference between the systems of nature and the man-made systems is that the systems present at the creation are absolute and immutable, while those made by man constantly change. The great inventors and entrepreneurs of history are those individuals who find the imperfections of man-made systems and construct more efficient, “user-friendly” systems.

The Kabbalah, which contains the esoteric teachings of Judaism, tells us that the Torah (also known as the Old Testament) and its lessons are simply enlightening us about the ultimate system that operates in the background of all created systems. Viewed through the Kabbalah, the Torah is no longer a book of laws but rather a manual of “how it all works.”
When we say a kind word to another human being — and that person’s day changes as a result — it’s just because that’s how the system works. When we take a moment to meditate, to give thanks and show our gratitude for what we have in our lives, we’re keeping the system in balance and thus allowing ourselves to be the most we can be — in our system.

Just as a car cannot run without gas, and a body cannot survive without food, the system of the human soul has its own rules and requirements. Unless these needs are met, the spirit within us becomes static and lacks the great beauty that is available only to the human species.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the soul’s system, the rules of cause and effect are concealed from naked human perception. We are not automatically aware of the power of our words; we don’t naturally recognize all of the benefits a giver receives when we give charity, or the systemic breakdown that occurs when we act selfishly.

Yom Kippur, which marks the day that the G-d forgives us humans for our past transgressions, came to be and is seen from the Kabalistic perspective as a day set aside for “system override.” Although we may not have fulfilled our great potential, or we may have misused the soul’s energy given to us for a higher purpose, Yom Kippur presents a time when we can renew our soul from its source. On this special day, we’re given the opportunity to go back — back to a prior time and space — so that we can make another attempt at being all that we can possibly be in the coming year.

To prepare for this special day, we make amends to those we may have hurt or offended. And with the help of the simple Shofar that we heard on Rosh Hashanah, and the sincere prayer and deep yearning of our soul on Yom Kippur, we ask our creator to bestow upon us and our loved ones a new energy. We seek to better know the beauty of his system so that we can make the coming year one filled with peace and light.