The Kapparot Controversy

The Kapparot Controversy:

Heresy, Atonement and the Pursuit of Imperfection

Shabbat Shuvah 5776 The Jewish Center Rabbi Yosie Levine

Background On September 24 th , 2001 – just days after 9/11, a plane was spotted flying at an exceptionally low altitude over the city of Eilat. There was no record of the plane’s flight plan and the pilot failed to respond to radio calls from air traffic control. Police and anti-terrorist forces immediately sprang into action and Eilat’s airspace was summarily closed. The plane was so low that security forces on the ground even tried using a bullhorn to attract its attention, but all to no avail. Military personnel on the scene were preparing to shoot the plane out of the air, but much to their relief, the plane landed without incident.

As the anti-terrorist commandos took their positions, t wo men emerged from the plane. Neither appeared armed. But the Israeli commandos noticed that the second man, who had a long beard, was holding something under his arm.

For the purposes of this talk I’ve taken the liberty of deleting the expletives. The ranking Israeli commando said something to the effect of: “What the heck were you doing?”

“Kapparot,” the man said. “There are many sinful people in Eilat.” He pointed to two chickens he was holding in a cage. “We circled the city with the chickens to atone for their sins.”

“What if we had shot you down?” the commando asked.

The man thought for a moment. “Well,” he said, “We had already circled three times so it still would have counted.”

So the next time you’re in Israel, stay safe. And stay far away from Eilat on Erev Yom Kippur.

There are a lot of minhagim that we observe around this time of the year to help us through the teshuva process. We do tashlich and we eat apples and honey. Some people visit their relatives in the cemetery. We give extra tzeddakah. But among these many beautiful practices, there is surely nothing more bizarre than swinging a chicken overhead – except maybe flying a chicken overhead. How do we explain it? Judaism isn’t big on shortcuts. What’s the meaning of this most unusual practice?

What I’d like to do with you this morning is look anew at a controversy that dates back hundreds of years in the hope that we can identify – at least on a symbolic level – why it is that Jews have clung so tenaciously to this minhag over the course of the generations.

Let’s start with a 14 th century source called the Orchot Chayyim by R. Aharon ben R. Yaakov ha - Cohen of Narbonne. As we’ll see, there are much earlier sources than this, but he provides a good description.

1 אורחות חיים הל ' ערב יום הכיפורים All Jews have the practice of performing נהגו כל ישראל ערב י"ה לעשות כפרה על זה הסדר . לוקחין Kapparah on Erev Yom Kippur in this תרנגול שנקרא גבר ומביאין אותו לזקן או חסיד ובעל כוונה manner: They take a chicken which is called ויקיפנו סביב ראש המתכפר פעמים ויאמר זה תחת זה זה a gever and they give it to a sage or pious תמורת זה זה חלוף זה יצא תרנגול זה למיתה ונכנס פלוני בן man and he waves it around the head of the

פלוני זה לחי ים ולא למות . ויאמר פסוקים אלו ג ' פעמים . .person seeking atonement a number of times אוילים מדרך פשעם ומעונותיהם יתענו כל אוכל תתעב -And he says, “This one is instead of so-and נפשם ויגיעו עד שערי מות ויצעקו אל ה ' בצר להם so… this one goes to its death. And may this ממצוקותיהם יושיעם ישלח דברו וירפאם וימלט משחיתותם one enter into life rather than death.” And he יודו לה ' חסדו ונפלאותיו לבני אדם ושוחט את התרנגולת :recites the following verses three times ומקיפו על ראש המתכפר ג' פעמים ואומר זה תחת זה זה Crazed because of the way of their חילוף זה זה תחתיו זה תמורתו זה חילופו יצא תרנגול זה transgression, and afflicted because of their למיתה ויכנס פלוני זה לחיים ולא למות ובכל פעם ופעם iniquities … (Ps. 107)…. They subsequently שיקיף התרנגול על ראש המתכפר יאמר אם יש עליו מלאך give the chicken to someone who does not מליץ אחד מני אלף להגיד לאדם ישרו ויחננו ויאמר פדעהו have one in order to give charity in the spirit מרדת שחת מצאתי כופר ואח"כ מ שלחין את התרנגול למי of charity saves one from death. Ramban שאין נכון לו כדי לעשות צדקה על דרך וצדקה תציל banned this practice because it smacked of ממו' והרמב"ן ז"ל אוסר מנהג זה משום דרכי האמורי . .paganism

everybody is doing Kapparot – נהגו כל ישראל So right away we see the tension. On the one hand on Erev Yom Kippur and yet the Ramban is saying it’s absolutely forbidden.

And this gets echoed in a first-hand account of the Rashba, Shlomo ben Aderet, the leader of Spanish Jewry in the 13 th century.

2 תשובות הרשב"א א: שצה It appears to me that this מונטפשליר . לחכם רבי יעקב בר מכיר . כתב מר כי ראית מה שהשבתי אני practice is a kind of paganism בענין הכפרה שעושין לנערי' בערבי יום הכפורי ' ושאסרתי אני . והנאך ואתה .and I opposed it vigorously מוסיף עוד לומר שקרוב לומר שהשחיטה פסולה שזה כמו שוחט לשם חטאתו . Thanks to God’s kindness, my אני מצאתי מנהג זה פשוט בעירנו עם שאר דברים שהיו נוהגין כיוצא בזה . words were heeded and here שהיו שוחטין תרנגול זקן לכפרה על הנער היולד וחותכים ראשו ותולים הראש in our city there is no remnant בנוצתו בפתח הבית עם שומים . והבלי ' הרבה שנראו בעיני כדרכי האמורי of this practice]. I have] ודחקתי על זה הרבה . ובחסד עליון נשמעו דברי ולא נשאר מכל זה nonetheless heard from very ומכיוצא באלו בעירנו מאומה. אע"פ ששמעתי מפי אנ שים הגונים מאד upstanding Ashkenazim who מאשכנז היושבים עמנו בבית המדרש שכל רבני ארצם עושין כן ערבי יום sit with us in the Beit Midrash הכפורים ושוחטין לכפרה אווזין ותרנגולין . גם שמעתי כי נשאל לרבינו האיי that all the rabbis in their גאון ז"ל ואמר שכן נהגו . ועם כל זה מנעתי המנהג הזה מעירנו. ומכל lands take a chicken or a duck מקום אינו רואה לפסול השחיטה מפני שלא פסלו אלא השוחט לשם דבר הנדר and slaughter it as an והנדב . ודוקא תמימים אבל בעלי מומין לא . לפי שכל הרואה יודע שאין atonement on Erev Yom זה לשם עולה ולשם שלמים דוקא אלא דברי הבאי בעלמא. ולפיכך Kippur. Recognizing all of כתבתי אני בספרי ספר תורת הבית שהשוחט תרנגולין אווזין לשם אחד מכל this I have eliminated this אלו ששחיטתן כשרה . לפי שהכל יודעין שאין אחד מאלו עולין לקרבן . .…practice from our city

It’s clear that the Ashkenazim are all in favor; the Sephardim seem very opposed. But where did this all come from in the first place?

There’s no source in all of the Talmud for this practice. If you look through the Bavli, Yerushalmi, you won’t find it. But it dates back at least to the period of the Geonim. We have a responsum from the 9 th century – noting again that everyone does Kapparot and the questioners in this case were wondering why we use – of all things – a chicken.

3 תשובת הגאונים , שערי תשובה רצ"ט Rav Sheshna Gaon was asked about those who מר רב ששנא גאון ז"ל וששאלתם האי שאנו רגילים לשחוט ערב יוה"כ have the practice to slaughter chickens on Erev תרנגולים ואין אנו יודעים מנהג זה למה אי משום תמורה מ"ש תרנגול Yom Kippur. And we don’t understand why this מבהמה וחיה הא ודאי קושיא היא . וי"ל שיש בה שני טעמים אחד שתרנגול should be. If it’s about substitution [ie, substituting מצוי בביתו של אדם מבהמה וחיה ועוד יש במ קומנו עשירים שעושים תמורה an animal], why should a chicken be different from אילים ועיקר מבעלי קרנים דמות אילו של יצחק אבינו לפי ' לא דבר קבוע any other animal. This is certainly a question. One הוא . ועוד שמענו מחכמים ראשונים שאעפ"י שיש מי שעושה תמורה בבהמה could suggest two rationales: One is that chickens שדמיה יקרים . תרנגול מובחר לפי ששמו גבר כדאמרי ' מאי קריאת הגבר . are more commonplace than other animals. And אמר רב קרא גברא דבי רב שילא אמרי קרא תר נגולא . ותניא כותיה דר ' there are in fact some wealthy people who use שילא היוצא קודם קריאת הגבר דמו בראשו . וכיון ששמו גבר תמורת גבר .horned animals to remind us of the ram of Isaac בלבד ואפי מהני ומעלי Another possibility is that chickens are preferred וכך צריך אוחז שליח תרנגול ומניח ידו על ראש התרנגול ונוטלו מניחו על because they are called gever [which is a word ראש מתכפר ואומר זה תחת זה וזה חילוף זה זה מחול על זה ומחזירו עליו sometimes used for people]… So an agent takes פעם אחרת ואומרי' יושבי חשך וצלמות כו ' ויוציאה מחשך וצלמות כו ' his hand and places it on the head of the chicken אוילים מדרך פשעם כו ' כל אוכל תתעב נפשם וגו ' ויצעקו אל ה ' בצר להם and then places it on the head of the person seeking וגו ' ישלח דברו וירפאם יודו לה ' חסדו וגו ' ויחננו ויאמר פדעהו וגו ' נפש תחת atonement and says, “this one is in place of that נפש . ועושה כסדר הזה ז ' פעמים ואח"כ מניח ידו על ראש תרנגול ואומר זה one; this one is a substitute for that one; this one יצא ל מיתה תחת זה ומניח ידו על ראש מתכפר ואומר תכנס אתה פלוני בן פ ' should be forgiven for that one.” Then he goes לחיים ולא תמות ועושה כסדר הזה ג ' פעמים ומניח מתכפר ידו על ראש back and says, Those who dwell in darkness… He תרנגול תבנית סמיכה וסומך ידו עליו ושוחטו לאלתר . תבנית תכף לסמיכה does this seven times. Then he places his hand on שחיטה: ”…the head of the chicken and says

You know – it occurred to me that in a Shabbat Shuva about Kapparot, I would have to tell at least one chicken story:

A fellow named John is driving his pickup down a country lane when suddenly a chicken darts out into the road in front of him. He's just about to slam on his brakes to avoid the chicken when he realizes that the chicken has sped on ahead doing about 30 miles per hour. Amazed, he speeds up to follow, but the chicken takes off faster and faster. Finally the chicken screeches into a turn and goes into a small farm. As he turns to follow, John notices that the chicken has three legs. He pulls to a stop in front of the farmhouse, and looking around, notices that ALL the chickens have three legs. He says to the farmer, "Three-legged chickens? That's astounding!" The farmer says, "Yep, I bred 'em that way -- I love drumsticks." John: "Well, tell me, how does a three-legged chicken taste?" "I don’t know, the farmer says, “I haven't been able to catch one yet."

And actually if you look at the next source, you’ll see that not everyone used a chicken.

4 מרדכי יומא ס ' תשכ"ג And that we slaughter chickens on Erev Yom Kippur is ושאנו שוחטין תרנגולין עיו"כ בכוונה טובה אנו done for good cause. It is the practice among all the עושין וכן נמי מנהג בכל חכמי ישראל ובעלי sages of Israel. Householders on Erev Yom Kippur take בתים לוקחין תרנגולין עיו"כ זכרים ונקבות up hens and roosters and swing them around the heads ומחזירין אותן בחייהן סביב ראש כל א ' וא ' of each person in their home. And they say, “this one is שבבית וכן אומר זה תחת פלוני וזה חלוף פלוני instead of so-and-so… this one lives while this one זה נכנס לחיים וזה נכנס למיתה ושוחטין goes to its death.” And we slaughter them and ומחלקין בין עניים ויתומים ואלמנות כדי שיהא distribute them among the poor, the orphans and the כפרה על נפשנו ויש חכמים ובעלי בתים שגם .widows in order to effect atonement for our souls בר"ה עושין כן ויש עשירים גדולים There are also sages and householders who do this in

ששוחטין בענין זה אילים וכבשים וגדיים advance of Rosh Hashana. And the wealthy use rams ומחלקין לעניים. .and sheep and goats and distribute them to the poor

Now swinging a chicken over your head is one thing; swinging a goat is quite another. Obviously the Jews of 13 th century France we’re doing their exercise…

So we have a debate which breaks down fairly neatly. The Sephardim – the Ramban and the Rashba – think it’s a heathen superstition. And the Ashkenazim – the Rosh and the Tur and the Mordechai – all say it’s a fine idea.

Historical Footnote Incidentally, Kapparot was also used against us historically.

Victor von Carben (1422–1515) was a German rabbi of Cologne who converted to Catholicism and later became a priest. He tried to show his zeal for his new religion by fulminating against Jewish practice.

5 Victor von Carben, Dem durchleuchtigsten hochgebornen Fursten und Herren, Cologne 1508.

However, there are still many Jews who are unable to pay for a chicken… But they too would very much like to purify themselves of their sins. After rising early in the morning they go to the street and stand and wait for the first Christian they see and secretly say, “May the Lord make you my atonement this year.”

Obviously, there’s not a shred of evidence in any other source to support such a claim. But it’s worth noticing that Kapparot wasn’t just a neutral practice. It was actually used to fuel anti- Semitic claims of the most vicious sort.

The Shulhan Arukh So returning to our controversy: How do we paskun? Do we look at Kapparot as pagan superstition or is it a legitimate Jewish practice to be defended? And of course the answer is that it’s a machlokes. The Shulhan Arukh sides with the Ramban and the Rashba and tells us not do it.

6 שלחן ערוך ס ' תר"ה Concerning the practice on Erev Yom Kippur מה שנוהגים לעשות כפרה בערב יום כיפורים לשחוט to slaughter a chicken on behalf of every תרנגול על כל בן זכר ולומר עליו פסוקים , יש למנוע המנהג . male child and recite Biblical verses: one should stop this practice.

And the Rema, defending the practice which was so prevalent in Ashkenaz says you should absolutely do it.

7 רמ"א ס' תר"ה There are among the Geonim those הגה: ויש מהגאונים שכתבו מנהג זה, וכן כתבו אותו רבים מן that record this practice [of האחרונים, וכן נוהגין בכל מדינות אלו ואין לשנות, כי הוא מנהג Kapparot] and likewise many later ותיקין . ונוהגין ליקח תרנגול זכר לזכר, ולנקבה לוקחין תרנגולת (ב"י authorities. And such is the practice בשם תשב"ץ), ולוקחין למעוברת (ג) ב ב' תרנגולים אולי תלד זכר; in all [Ashkenazic] lands and one <ב> ובוחרין (ד) ג בתרנגולים לבנים, על דרך שנאמר: אם יהיו should not deviate [from this חטאיכם כשנים כשלג ילבינו (ישעיה א, יח) (ה) ונהגו ליתן הכפרות practice] for it is a very old לעניים, ד או לפדותן (ו) בממון שנותנים לעניים (מהרי"ל). ויש custom…. And our practice is to מקומות שנוהגין לילך (ז) ה על הקברות ולהרבות בצדקה, והכל מנהג [give the [chickens used for יפה. ויש להסמיך שחיטת הכפרות מיד ל אחר שהחזירו עליו. (ח) <ג> Kapparot to the poor, or to exchange וסמך ידיו עליו, דמות הקרבן; וזורקין ו בני מעיהם על הגגות או them for money which is distributed בחצר, מקום שהעופות יכולין לקחת משם (טור). .to the poor

Many of you surely remember the Sholom Aleichem story. The Jews in the shtetl are trying to perform Kapparot, but the chickens have gone on strike….

8 Sholem Aleichem, No More Kapores or The Sacrificial Chicken Revolt

I don’t know if Sholem Aleichem knew the debate between the Shulchan Aruch and the Rema, but he certainly had good intuition. Because he captures literarily the whole essence of the issue. The chickens are arguing that it’s arbitrary and ridiculous. And the establishment is saying,

“Look – we can’t really identify a very compelling reason for this, but it’s a very old practice and we don’t want to be the ones to end it.”

And it’s true. As we already saw, it goes back a long time. And particularly in Ashkenaz, it had many proponents, among them the Rosh and the Mordechai.

In fact, look what happens in later generations. We already pointed out the Shulchan Aruch opposed the practice. I have for you here three editions of the Shulchan Aruch. The first one is taken from the first ever published edition in 1565. The next two are from the 17 th and 18 th centuries.

9a Shul ḥan Arukh Venice, 1565

9b Shul ḥan Arukh Krakow, 1616

9c Shul ḥan Arukh Amsterdam, 1753

In the first 18 editions of the Shulchan Aruch, in the chapter heading, Kapparot is referred to as a minhag shel shtut. And then, starting in 1708, it disappears. Not only is Kapparot alive and well despite the objections of some of the major poskim, history is even rewritten to defend the practice!

Whoever was responsible for editing the Shulkhan Arukh was intent on softening Rav Yosef Karo’s opposition to Kapparot. In the sanitized edition, the most important halakhic authority on record was merely voicing an objection to the minhag – but it was no longer called ridiculous.

We certainly understand the sentiment of those who wished to do away with it. But how do we understand the impulse to perpetuate it? Yes, it’s an old custom – but surely that’s not itself a sufficient rationale for preserving the minhag.

Unconvincing Theories It’s a mystery, but some suggestions have emerged over the ages. Some have suggested, for instance, that Kapparot are a kind of stand in for the se’ir la-azazel. In the absence of a scapegoat, we symbolically place our sins on the chicken.

10 מחזור ויטרי : סדר של יום הכיפורים .And divvy it up among the poor ובכל פעם שיאמר אותם הפסוקים יסביב התרנגול סביב ראשו . ויאמר And it effects atonement just like the זה תחתי וזה תמורתי וחילופי . ושלום : וי שגרם לעניי העיר : ויהא .scapegoat which atones for all Israel כפרתו כמו כפרת שעיר המשתלח שהיה מכפר על כל ישר' : וכן And such is the practice in Provence נהגו בפרוונצא ונרבונא : .and Narbonne

A similar sentiment echoed by the Kabbalists.

But this is a fairly week comparison. After all, in the case of the scapegoat, there are two animals – one is slaughtered in the Beit Hamkidash; one is sent off to Azazel. Others have tried to make the case that our friendly chicken is a stand-in for a korban:

11 תשובות מהר"י וייל ס ' קצ"א On Erev Yom Kippur one performs בערב יום כפורים יעשה כפרות ויאמר חת"כ ר"ת Kapparot…. And one should imagine in his חליפתי תמורתי כפרתי זהו שם החותך חיים לכל חי . heart that he is worthy of death like this ויחשוב בלבו שהוא חייב מיתה כמו זה . והיינו טעם chicken]. And this is the reason behind] הקרבנות . .[sacrifices [more generally

The Mahari Weil (15 th century Germany) says that one should imagine himself receiving the same punishment as the chicken. It’s symbolic. The idea is not to somehow transfer one's iniquities onto the chicken, but rather, to elicit thoughts of repentance. And the Chaye Adam makes a similar argument:

12 חיי אדם ס ' קמ "'ד:ד One should not imagine that this [chicken] effects לא יחשוב שזהו כפרתו אלא יחשוב שכל atonement. Rather, one should imagine that whatever מה שעושין לעוף הזה הכל היה ראוי לבוא befalls this bird should have befallen him [the person עליו והקב"ה ברחמיו עבור התשובה performing Kapparot], but the Almighty in his compassion שעשה יהפך הגזירה ויתקיים דוגמתו בעוף because of this person’s repentance – had overturned the – הזה. .decree

But this also isn’t all that persuasive. We have obligations to bring korbanot on all the holidays. Why would we single out Yom Kippur for the performance of a mock-korban?

Some think it’s outright paganism; Some want us to be thinking about the scapegoat; Others want to us to imagine were bringing a korban

Is there a more compelling approach?

A Return to the Yosef Story

Let me first spell out a number of specific questions – each of which, of course, doubles as a clue.

• First, why only young people? Go back to the Rashba. He says that Kapparot isn’t for the young men. The – נערים performed for just anyone – it’s performed for the ?What’s the significance of this . על כל בן זכר – Shulhan Arukh says this, too • Why a shaliach? In language of Rav Sheshna Gaon, Rosh and Tur, it’s a shaliach who performs this on behalf of others.

13 רא"ש יומא ח: כג יש מקומות שנהגו לשחוט ערב יום הכפורים תרנגול לכפרה ... וכך רגילין כאן There are locales that have the אוחז שליח תרנגול ומניח ידו על ראש התרנגול ונוטלו ומניח ידו על ראש practice of slaughtering a מתכפר ואומר זה תחת זה וזה מחולל על זה ומחזירו עליו פעם אחרת ואומר .chicken on Erev Yom Kippur בני אדם יושבי חשך וצלמות וגו ' יוציאם מחשך וצלמות וגו ' אוילים מדרך .And this is what we do here פשעם וגו ' כל אוכל תתעב נפשם וגו ' ויזעקו אל ה ' בצר להם וגו ' ישלח דברו An agent holds the chicken וירפאם וגו ' יודו לה ' חסדו וגו ' נפש תחת נפש . ועושה כסדר הזה שלש פעמים and places his hand on its ואחר כך מניח ידו על ראש התרנגול תבנית סמיכה וסומך עליו ושוחטו לאלתר …head תכף לסמיכה שחיטה . ורגילים ליתן לעניים כדי שיהא כפרה לנפשו .

• We haven’t looked at them closely yet, but what’s the meaning of the pesukim about salvation from death and release from prison that one says while performing this ritual?

14 סדר כפרות בני אדם יֹשְׁבֵי, חֹשׁ1ֶ וְצַלְמָוֶת; אֲסִירֵ י עֳנִי וּבַרְ זֶל יוֹצִיאֵם, מֵחֹשׁ1ֶ וְצַלְמָוֶת; וּמוֹסְרוֹתֵיהֶם יְנַתֵּק אֱוִלִים, מִדֶּרֶ 1 פִּשְׁעָם; וּמֵעֲו ֹ נֹתֵיהֶם , יִתְעַנּוּ . . כָּל - אֹכֶל, תְּתַעֵב נַפְשָׁם; וַיַּגִּיעוּ, עַד - שַׁעֲרֵ י מָוֶת . . וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל-ה’ , בַּצַּר לָהֶם; מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם . . יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ, וְיִרְ פָּאֵם; וִימַלֵּט, מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָם . . יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ; וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, לִבְנֵי אָדָם . .

Children of man that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron… He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their ban ds in sunder… Crazed because of the way of their transgression, and afflicted because of their iniquities -- Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near unto the gates of death -- They cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses; He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their graves. Let them give thanks unto the LORD for His mercy, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

These verses, as you can see if you look at the following source, are excerpted from Tehillim 107. What’s special about this Mizmor? It’s the source for those who bring a korban Todah. (See Brachot 54b). There are four people who in Temple times would be bring a Thanksgiving offering. Nowadays, it’s these four people who bench gomel. Who are they? • Someone who crosses a desert; • Someone who crosses a sea; • Someone who’s released from prison; • And someone who recovers from illness – someone who was saved from a life- threatening situation.

On close inspection, the pesukim we have in Kapparot are the pesukim about salvation from death and release from prison.

15 תהילים פרק קז כב וְיִזְבְּחוּ, זִבְחֵי תוֹדָה; וִיסַפְּרוּ מַעֲשָׂיו בְּרִ נָּה . . א הֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי - טוֹב : כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ . כג יוֹרְ דֵי הַיָּם, בָּאֳנִיּוֹת; עֹשֵׂ י מְלָאכָה , בְּמַיִם רַ בִּים . . ב יֹאמְרוּ , גְּאוּלֵי ה’ -- אֲשֶׁר גְּאָלָם , מִיַּד- צָר . כד הֵמָּה רָ אוּ , מַעֲשֵׂי ה’ ; וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, בִּמְצוּלָה . . ג וּמֵאֲרָ צוֹת , קִבְּצָם: מִמִּזְרָ ח וּמִמַּעֲרָ ב; מִצָּפוֹן וּמִיָּם . כה וַיֹּאמֶר -- וַיַּעֲמֵד, רוּחַ סְעָרָ ה; וַתְּרוֹמֵם גַּלָּיו . . ד תָּ עוּ בַמִּדְבָּר, בִּישִׁ ימוֹן דָּרֶ .; עִיר מוֹשָׁ ב, ,א מָצָאוּ . כו יַעֲלוּ שָׁמַיִם, יֵרְ דוּ תְהוֹמוֹת; נַפְשָׁם, בְּרָ עָה תִתְמוֹגָג . . ה רְ עֵבִים גַּם - צְמֵאִים -- נַפְשָׁם , בָּהֶם תִּתְעַטָּף . כז יָחוֹגּוּ וְיָנ וּעוּ, כַּשִּׁכּוֹר; וְכָל - חָכְמָתָם , תִּתְבַּלָּע . . ו וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל - ה’ , בַּצַּר לָהֶם; מִמְּצוּקוֹתֵיהֶם, יַ צִּילֵם . כח וַיִּצְעֲקוּ אֶל-ה’ , בַּצַּר לָהֶם; וּמִמְּצוּקֹתֵיהֶם, יוֹצִיאֵם . . ז וַיַּדְרִ יכֵם, בְּדֶרֶ 1 יְשָׁרָ ה -- לָלֶכֶת , אֶל - עִיר מוֹשָׁב . כט יָקֵם סְעָרָ ה, לִדְמָמָה; וַיֶּחֱשׁוּ, גַּלֵּיהֶם . . ח יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ; וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, לִבְנֵי אָדָם . ל וַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כִי - יִשְׁתֹּקוּ; וַיַּנְחֵם, אֶל - מְחוֹז חֶפְצָם . . ט כִּי-הִשְׂבִּיעַ, נֶפֶשׁ שֹׁקֵקָה; וְנֶפֶשׁ רְ עֵבָה, מִלֵּא - טוֹב . לא יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ; וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, לִבְנֵי אָדָם . . י יֹשְׁ בֵי, חֹשֶׁ . וְצַלְמָוֶת; אֲסִי רֵ י עֳנִי וּבַרְ זֶל . לב וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ , בִּקְהַל - עָם; וּבְמוֹשַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ . .

יא כִּי - הִמְרוּ אִמְרֵ י - אֵל; וַעֲצַת עֶלְיוֹן נָאָצוּ . לג יָשֵׂם נְהָרוֹת לְמִדְבָּר; וּמֹצָאֵי מַיִם, לְצִמָּאוֹן . . יב וַיַּכְנַע בֶּעָמָל לִבָּם; כָּשְׁלוּ, וְאֵין עֹזֵר . לד אֶרֶ ץ פְּרִ י, לִמְלֵחָה; מֵרָ עַת, יוֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ . . יג וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל-ה’ , בַּצַּר לָהֶם; מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם, יוֹשִׁיעֵם . לה יָשֵׂם מִדְבָּר , לַאֲגַם - מַיִם; וְאֶרֶ ץ צִיָּה, לְמֹצָאֵי מָיִם . . יד יוֹצִיאֵם, מֵחֹשֶׁ . וְצַלְמָוֶת; וּ מוֹסְרוֹתֵ יהֶם יְנַתֵּ ק . לו וַיּוֹשֶׁב שָׁם רְ עֵבִים; וַיְכוֹנְנוּ, עִיר מוֹשָׁב . . טו יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ; וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, לִבְנֵי אָדָם . לז וַיִּזְרְ עוּ שָׂדוֹת, וַיִּטְּעוּ כְרָ מִים; וַיַּעֲשׂוּ, פְּרִ י תְבוּאָה . . טז כִּי - שִׁבַּר, דַּלְתוֹת נְחֹשֶׁת; וּבְרִ יחֵי בַרְ זֶל גִּדֵּעַ . לח וַיְבָרְ כֵם וַיִּרְ בּוּ מְאֹד; וּ בְהֶמְתָּם, Fא יַמְעִיט . . יז אֱוִלִים, מִדֶּרֶ . פִּשְׁ עָם; וּמֵעֲו ֹ נֹתֵ יהֶם , יִתְעַנּוּ . לט וַיִּמְעֲטוּ וַיָּשֹׁחוּ -- מֵעֹצֶר רָ עָה וְיָגוֹן . . יח כָּל- אֹכֶל , תְּתַעֵב נַפְשָׁ ם; וַיַּגִּיעוּ, עַד - שַׁ עֲרֵ י מָוֶת . מ ] שֹׁפ1ֵ בּוּז, עַל - נְדִיבִים; וַיַּתְעֵם, בְּתֹהוּ Fא - דָרֶ 1 . . יט וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל - ה’ , בַּצַּר לָהֶם; מִמְּצֻקוֹתֵיהֶם יוֹשִׁיעֵם . מא וַיְשַׂגֵּב אֶבְיוֹן מֵעוֹנִי; וַיָּשֶׂם כַּצֹּאן, מִשְׁפָּחוֹת . . כ יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ, וְיִרְ פָּאֵם; וִימַלֵּט, מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָם . מב יִרְ אוּ יְשָׁרִ ים וְיִשְׂ מָחוּ; וְכָל - עַוְלָה , קָפְצָה פִּיהָ . . כא יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ; וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, לִבְנֵי אָדָם . מג מִי- חָכָם וְיִשְׁמָר - אֵלֶּה; וְיִתְבּוֹנְנוּ, חַסְדֵי ה .’ .’

So three questions: 1. Why the focus on the Naar – the young person? 2. Why the need for an agent, a shaliach? 3. Why would we reference pesukim about being saved from death and released from prison?

What I want to argue is that – on some level – Kapparot remind us of a particular biblical narrative: Namely, the story of Yosef and his brothers. Now – I can’t prove this theory – it’s speculative. But I think you’ll see that the evidence speaks for itself.

Why all the emphasis on the Naar? The Naar is a reference to Yosef. In what serves as the . נער introduction to the mechiras Yosef story, Yosef is called a

16a בראשית לז ,And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings 1 א וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב , בְּאֶרֶ ץ מְגוּרֵ י אָבִיו -- בְּאֶרֶ ץ , in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of כְּנָעַן . ב אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב , יוֹסֵף בֶּן - שְׁבַע- Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the עֶשְׂרֵ ה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת- אֶחָיו בַּצֹּאן, וְהוּא flock with his brethren, being still a lad even with the נַעַר אֶת - בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת - בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה , נְשֵׁי אָבִיו; sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת- דִּבָּתָם רָ עָה , אֶל- אֲבִיהֶם. wives; and Joseph brought evil report of them unto their father.

Why the need for a messenger? It takes us back to the story of Yosef’s being a messenger.

16b בראשית לז And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Do not thy brethren feed the 13 יג וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָ אֵל אֶל- יוֹסֵף, הֲלוֹא אַחֶיflock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them.' H רֹעִים בִּשְׁכֶם -- לְכָה , ו אֶשְׁ לָח9ֲ אֲלֵיהֶם; And he said to him: 'Here am I.' 14 And he said to him: 'Go וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, הִנֵּנִי. יד וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, ל1ֶ - נָא now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with רְ אֵה אֶת - שְׁלוֹם אַחֶיH וְאֶת- שְׁלוֹם הַצֹּאן , the flock; and bring me back word.' So he sent him out of the וַהֲשִׁבֵנִי, דָּבָר; ו יִּשְׁ לָחֵהוּ מֵעֵמֶק חֶבְרוֹן , .vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem וַיָּבֹא שְׁכֶמָה . .

Incidentally, one of the reasons we use a chicken is so as to avoid having the ceremony look like an actual korban. A chicken was never used in the Temple. But in the Mordechai (source 4) we see it’s a whole host of animals – including a kid – which returns us directly to the Yosef story!

And what about these pesukim that we say?

Why would we choose to focus on someone being saved from mortal danger and being released from prison? Maybe you could make a case for the first inasmuch as our lives are hanging in the balance. But released from prison is so arbitrary? Unless we’re re-imagining the Yosef story – in which case it makes perfect sense. He escaped certain death and was released from prison.

So now you’ll say that’s all very nice, but what does the Yosef story have to do with Erev Yom Kippur?

There are two parts to this answer and with this I want to start to conclude.

Yosef and Yom Kippur

First: The Yosef story figures very prominently on Yom Kippur. And in our most basic conception of this, the reason is very simple. The sin of the brothers is the paradigmatic intra- Jewish sin. What could be worse than selling your brother into slavery? So on our day of atonement, we’re still doing the work of repairing that terrible aveirah.

And that’s why we include ten martyrs on YK.

17 מדרש משלי א: יג R. Yehoshua ben Levi said: The ten martyrs are a אמר ר ' יהושע בן לוי לא נמשכו עשרה הרוגי מלכות :result of the sin of the sale of Yosef. R. Avin said אלא בחטא מכירתו של יוסף , א"ר אבין הוי אומר It is said that [punishment] is exacted for these ten נפרעו עשרה מכל דור ודור ועדיין אותו החטא קיים in every generation, but the sin itself nevertheless endures.

It’s echoed in the Midrash.

18 תרגום יונתן ויקרא ט:ג And you shall speak to the children of Israel ועם בני ישראל תמליל למימר סבו ברם אתון צפיר בר עיזי saying, “You also are to take a male goat מטול דסטנא מימתיל ביה מטול דלא ישתעי עליכון לישן offer it as a sin offering lest Satan who is תליתאי על עיסק צפיר בר עיזי דנכיסו שבטוי דיעקב ורמיו comparable to it speak with a slanderous יתיה ועיבד יתיה לחטאתא ועיגלא מטול דאשתעבדתון tongue against you over the affair of the male לעיגלא ואימר בר שתיה מטול דידכר לכון זכותא דיצחק goat which the tribes of Jacob slaughtered in דכפתיה אבוי הי כאמרא תריהון שלמין לעלתא: ”.order to deceive their father

And in the Yerushalmi, even the garments of the Kohen Gadol are still trying to make amends for the sin of the brothers.

19 ירושלמי יומא ז:ה R. Simon said: Just as sacrifices atone, so do אמר רבי סימון כשם שהקרבנות מכפרין כך הבגדים the garments [of the high priest]…. The ketonet מכפרין . בכתונת ומכנסיים מצנפת ואבנט כתונת היתה shirt] atones for the sin of murder as it is] מכפרת לובשי כלאים אית דבעי מימר על שופכי דמים written, (Gen. 37:31) And they dipped his כמה דאת אמר [ בראשית לז לא ] ויטבלו את הכתונת בדם . ketonet in blood

But there’s something more. It’s not just that on the Day of Atonement we return to the archetypal sin that requires atonement.

There’s a mesorah – which is explicit in the book of Jubilees – about the date on which Mechiras Yosef occurred.

יא ) ובשנה השביעית לשבוע ההוא Book of Jubilees Ch. 34 20 שלח את יוסף לראות את שלום אחיו And in the seventh year of this week he sent Joseph to learn מביתו שכמה . ( יב ) וימצאם בארץ about the welfare of his brothers from his house to the land of דותן , ויארבו לו ויתנכלו אותו להמיתו . Shechem, and he found them in the land of Dothan. And they ( יג ) ויהי בהנחמם על מחשבתם dealt treacherously with him, and formed a plot against him to וימכרוהו לאורחות ישמעאלים . ( יד ) slay him, but changing their minds, they sold him to Ishmaelite ויורידו אותו מצרימה וימכרוהו merchants, and they brought him down into Egypt, and they לפוטיפר סריס פרעה שר הטבחים כהן sold him to Potiphar, the eunuch of Pharaoh, the chief of the און . ( טו ) וישחטו בני יעקב שעיר cooks, priest of the city of 'Elew. And the sons of Jacob עזים ויטבלו את כותנת יוסף בדמו , slaughtered a kid, and dipped the coat of Joseph in the וישלחו אותה אל יעקב בעשירי blood, and sent (it) to Jacob their father on the tenth of the לחודש השביעי. ( טז ) ויביאו אותה seventh month . And he mourned all that night, for they had אליו , ויאחזהו השבץ בהתאבלו על brought it to him in the evening, and he became feverish with מותו , ויאמר חיה רעה אכלה את יוסף . mourning for his death, and he said: 'An evil beast hath ( יז ) וכל אנשי ביתו היו איתו ביום devoured Joseph'; and all the members of his house [mourned ההוא , ותתפעם רוחם ויתאבלו עימו כל with him that day, and they] were grieving and mourning with היום . ( יח ) ויק ומו בניו וביתו לנחמו , him all that day. And his sons and his daughter rose up to וימאן להתנחם על בנו . .comfort him, but he refused to be comforted for his son

According to this tradition, Yom Kippur is the anniversary of the Yosef story. So on some level it’s the perfect time to be thinking about how to repair what went wrong between Yosef and his brothers so many generations ago.

So what I’d like to suggest is that – at least in part – we’ve retained this very unusual ritual of Kapparot because we’re itching in some way to do a kind of national tikkun for the sale of Yosef. Yes we need to cleanse ourselves of our personal sins, but we also feel the need to go through a communal exercise that somehow speaks to a larger communal sense of responsibility. There’s personal teshuva; but there’s also a kind of communal teshuva. So in a way, we recreate the scene by proxy and then we symbolically repair the damage.

So whereas the brothers spilled the innocent blood of the goat, we cover it up. When you use a .covering the spilled blood – כסוי הדם chicken, there’s special mitzvah of

And how beautiful: From the sale of Yosef which earned the brothers 20 silver pieces (and a pair of shoes), we make amends by giving, rather than taking - distributing the money to the poor. And that’s why we have the beautiful practice of giving charity. Rather than profiting – as the brothers did – we give away the money to those in need.

So our questions are answered. The Naar, the Shaliach and the pesukim about salvation and prison all return us to the Yosef story.

Why Yosef?

Historically, those who originated the practice of Kapparot may or may not have intended to capture or re-create in some way the Yosef story. I can’t prove it. But the parallels are unmistakable. Consciously or otherwise the practice of Kapparot inescapably returns us to Yosef and his brothers. And Yosef is so much a part of the zeitgeist of the day, it’s really not surprising at all to find yet another layer of connection to this narrative.

But there’s one final point I want to share and with it conclude.

It’s not just that we’re working to repair old ruptures. We go back to the Yosef story because, in the end, that’s our story, too. We’re not only interested in the fracture; we’re also interested in the end of the story: the moment of reconciliation.

It’s fascinating to notice that the story of Yosef and his brothers also serves as the basis for Mechila and Teshuva in Chazal.

We all know the famous halacha that you have to ask forgiveness three times. What’s the source of that halacha?

21a יומא פז. R. Yose bar Hanina said: Whoever requests א"ר יוסי בר חנינא כל המבקש מטו חבירו אל יבקש ממנו forgiveness from his friend should not do so יותר משלש פעמים שנ ' אנא , שא נא , ועתה שא נא. ,more than three times as it is written: Please please forgive… and now please forgive.

The source is Yosef!

21b בראשית נ: יז So shall you say to Joseph: Please, please forgive the כֹּה - תֹאמְרוּ לְיוֹסֵף, אָנָּא שָׂא נָא פֶּשַׁע אַחֶיtransgression of your brethren, and their sin, for the H וְחַטָּאתָם כִּי- רָ עָה גְמָלוּH, וְעַתָּה שָׂא נָא, לְפֶשַׁע evil they did to you. And now, please forgive the עַבְדֵי אFֱהֵי אָבִיtransgression of the servants of the God of thy father. H

And similarly the language of the Avodah that the Kohen Gadol used on Yom Kippur and we include in our davening on Yom Kippur – that comes from Yosef, too.

21c מדרש תנ"י שמות ב. R. Avin said: The Almighty said, “You [the אמר ר ' אבין אמר הקב"ה אתם אמרתם בלשון הזה אנא , brothers of Joseph] used the word Ana עתיד כהן גדול ליכנס לבית קדש הקדשים ומלמד סנגוריא please]. In the future, the High Priest will] על בניכם בלשון הזה אנה השם. enter the holy of holies and defend your children [ie, your descendants] with the same word, Ana Hashem .”

The question is: Why use the Yosef story as the model for Teshuvah?

It’s not a good story.

It takes the brothers forty years to ask for forgiveness – and even then – they do it indirectly and for exactly the wrong reasons! They think now that Yaakov is gone Yosef might finally visit his vengeance upon them.

22 בראשית פרק נ And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was 15 טו וַיִּרְ אוּ אֲחֵי - יוֹסֵף , כִּי- מֵת אֲבִיהֶם , dead, they said: 'It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will וַיֹּאמְרוּ, לוּ יִשְׂטְמֵנוּ יוֹסֵף; וְהָשֵׁב יָשִׁיב, fully requite us all the evil which we did unto him.' 16 And לָנוּ , אֵת כָּל- הָרָ עָה , אֲשֶׁר גָּמַלְנוּ אֹתוֹ . טז they sent a message unto Joseph, saying: 'Thy father did וַיְצַוּוּ , אֶל- יוֹסֵף לֵאמֹר: אָבִיH צִוָּה, לִפְנֵי command before he died, saying: 17 So shall ye say unto מוֹתוֹ לֵאמֹר . יז כֹּה- תֹאמְרוּ לְיוֹסֵף , אָנָּא Joseph: Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of thy שָׂא נָא פֶּשַׁע אַחֶיH וְחַטָּאתָם כִּי- רָ עָה brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil. And גְמָלוּH, וְעַתָּה שָׂא נָא, לְפֶשַׁע עַבְדֵי אFֱהֵי now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants אָבִיH; וַיֵּבְךְּ יוֹסֵף, בְּדַבְּרָ ם אֵלָיו. יח of the God of thy father.' And Joseph wept when they spoke וַיֵּ לְכוּ , גַּם- אֶחָיו, וַיִּפְּלוּ, לְפָנָיו; וַיֹּאמְרוּ, unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before הִנֶּנּוּ לHְ לַעֲבָדִים. יט וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יוֹסֵף, his face; and they said: 'Behold, we are thy אַל - תִּירָ אוּ: כִּי הֲתַחַת אFֱהִים, אָנִי. כ bondmen.' 19 And Joseph said unto them: 'Fear not; for am I וְאַתֶּם, חֲשַׁבְתֶּם עָלַי רָ עָה; אFֱהִים, חֲשָׁבָהּ in the place of God? 20 And as for you, ye meant evil against לְטֹבָה , לְמַעַן עֲשֹׂה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה , לְהַחֲיֹת עַם- me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this רָ ב . כא וְעַתָּה , אַל- תִּירָ אוּ -- אָנֹכִי אֲכַלְכֵּל ;day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not אֶתְכֶם , וְאֶת- טַפְּכֶם; וַיְנַחֵם אוֹתָם, וַיְדַבֵּר I will sustain you, and your little ones.' And he comforted עַל- לִבָּם. .them, and spoke kindly unto them

They never apologize. They never confess. They’re never contrite. They never really take responsibility for their wrongdoing. There’s no acknowledgment of their jealousy or their bad acts. There’s no commitment to do better in the future. Years and years have passed – and only the pall of a vengeful viceroy hanging over them finally inspires them to repent. If ever Teshuvah was motivated by an ulterior motive, this is the case! If we were grading them on the basis of Hilchos Teshuva in the Rambam, they’d get a zero. So why hold up this narrative as any kind of model at all?

My message to you this morning is that this is exactly the point. It doesn’t matter. It’s such a great model for us precisely because it’s so imperfect – precisely because it so closely approximates that sticky, muddled, often unsatisfying Teshuvah we know all too well. We don’t get to wrap up our fractured relationships in neat little bows. They’re messy and flawed and profoundly imperfect.

We’ve probably waited too long. And our motives are probably something less than 100% sincere. And we don’t really think it’s our fault. And we’re not really willing to take responsibility.

But that’s OK! We’re not after perfection. It’s precisely our imperfection that generated the need for our Teshuvah in the first place!

The point is that imperfect Teshuvah is Teshuvah, too.

Let me tell you a story: Well before the establishment of the state of Israel, Zev Jabotinsky and David Ben Gurion bore mutual enmity toward one another as bitter political rivals. For years, they didn’t just disagree, they genuinely disrespected one another. As the leaders of Zionist Labor and Zionist Revisionism, they could see eye to eye on virtually nothing.

In the early 1930’s , at Jabotinsky's urging, the two finally met face to face and began in a small way to work past their differences.

And I want to share with you just one exchange between the two:

23 Hillel Halkin, Jabotinsky 194-195 My Dear Jabotinksy:

I love this exchange for two reasons.

I find Jabotinsky's response so moving: How the utterance of just a few words can go so far. It’s so beautiful and so touching. Sometimes just a small gesture can be transformative.

But more than this: It’s the story of profoundly imperfect Teshuva. It took them decades to sit down with one another. Their coming together was motivated by political exigency. And after this exchange, they remained bitter rivals who never saw eye to eye. There was no fairy tale ending.

This Teshuva season: Be moved. Be inspired. Be hopeful about the notion that Teshuva is possible.

Sometimes, as Voltaire reminded us, perfection can be the enemy of the good.

We can still be outstanding people and outstanding Jews even if our Teshuva is imperfect. Not every problem has a neat solution. In the full embrace of our inadequacy, we are invited to start down the path of returning to Hashem and His mitzvot.

There’s so much fracture in our lives. Between parents and children; among siblings, between friends. And so often we sit with these unresolved feeling and we fail to act because we invent a whole series of excuses.

I have no partner for peace; I’ve already tried everything; I’m out of energy; It’s out of my hands; Too much time has gone by. The ball’s in her court.

Maybe. Or maybe works of fiction and Hollywood endings have created in our minds the wrong expectation about what teshuva looks like.

:in Neilah we say שמונה עשרה At the end of our

אתה הבדלת אנוש מראש You separated man from the beginning and you considered him ותכירהו לעמוד לפניך .worthy to stand before you

24 ספר אבודרהם סדר תפלת יום הכפורים .You separated man from the beginning אתה הבדלת אנוש מראש . בעבור שחטא אדה"ר נטרד מגן עדן. Because Adam sinned, he was expelled שנאמר ( ברא ', כג ) וישלחהו ה ' אלהים מגן עדן . ואמר הבדלת על from the Garden of Eden… And you שם ( דברים כט , כ ) והבדילו ה ' לרעה ואמר אנוש בעבור שחטא על considered him worthy to stand before שם ( תה ' י , יח ) לערוץ אנוש מן הארץ . וכתיב ( תה ' ט , כא ) ידעו you : Because he regretted what he had גוים אנוש המה סלה . ו תכירהו לעמוד לפ ניך בעבור שנתחרט done, he wasn’t expelled entirely; he אדם הראשון לא גרשו מכל וכל אלא השכינו מקדם לגן עדן .was rather placed east of Eden לעמוד לפניו

The Abudraham says this refers specifically to Adam after his sin – at the moment God removed him from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Chava were expelled from Gan Eden because they violated God's command. But then we say: ותכירהו לעמוד לפניך Hashem nonetheless considered man worthy to stand before Him. He was placed – just east of Eden. Adam wasn’t able to reclaim what he had lost. What’s done was done and he could never go back to the Garden. But the fact that he could never live in Paradise, didn’t mean he couldn’t live near Paradise.

We may not be able to rewrite the past; but we can redeem the past.

Let’s not allow the pipe dream of perfect penitence to stand in the way of perfectly good enough Teshuvah.

Someone on the other side is just waiting – waiting to be called a comrade and a friend – waiting to know that our hearts are still open.

I wish each and every one of you a shana tova u’metukah .