During the year that I studied in Israel, I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the great and holy sage Rabbi Yaacov Yisroel Kanievski o.b.m. When I walked into his room in his humble apartment in Bnei Brak, I was overcome with trepidation at the sight of this holy man.
The rabbi was a bit hard of hearing and in order to communicate with him you were to write your request in Hebrew on a piece of paper and hand it to him and he would respond.
At the time, my mother o.b.m. was ill and I asked him to pray for her. After he was done, I noticed he placed my written request in a pile on his table, on which appeared to be other requests made on that day. I had heard that at the end of the day, the rabbi would gather the requests and recite a heartfelt general blessing over them.
He would tell those who were close to him that it was so heart wrenching to read about all the Tzoros – problems – people were experiencing.
I recently read excerpts of an interview with the rabbi’s grandson. When asked what his grandfather did with all the requests that accumulated, he related that, “He would bury them in a cemetery as one buries sacred writings that can no longer be used.” The rabbi would say, “When a person writes from the heart, how can I throw it in the garbage?”
Here was a human being who did not promote himself, he just sat and studied Torah day and night, yet people gravitated to him! He made himself, his prayers and his advice available to all. He had such sensitivity to people’s requests.
This brought me to think… every day, but Yom Kippur in particular, we call out to G-d with requests and pleas for all our needs which come from the essence of the pure heart of a Jew. Can we imagine G-d ever discarding a single prayer? Absolutely not! Our requests may not be answered immediately, but G-d holds on to them, and in due course, He dispenses His goodness based on the requests. Every prayer is precious and is held close.
One thing about Yom Kippur in particular is certain; when one repents sincerely, he gains atonement! This is because G-d invested the day of Yom Kippur with extraordinary atoning and cleansing powers and He waits for every one of His children, no matter how far they may have strayed, to come close to Him!
During the prayers on Rosh Hashana a line of one of the liturgical poems caught my attention, “Every creation – He created for His glory!” That’s you and I! We have been essentially created to bring out G-d’s glory – at all times – it’s our privilege and responsibility.
The verse in our Prophets tells us, “Seek out G-d when He is found.” Our sages relate to us that this special time is during the ten days spanning from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur. Repentance, prayers, charity and strengthening ourselves in Torah observance has great impact – because G-d is close and awaiting our reconnection to Him.
One may think to himself, “Who am I kidding if I act in a more religious manner during this time? Isn’t it just a show?”
Rabbi Mordechai Fine shared a stunning example in describing this auspicious time which warrants our special behavior. “Suppose there was a revered guest or dignitary visiting one’s home for an extended time. During this visit, the host family, parents and children will be on their best behavior. It is inappropriate for the petty stuff that goes on in the home during the year to go on; it will have to be on pause.”
Similarly, during this time of the year, G-d is extremely close to us. He is “The Dignified Guest” in our midst and compels us to augment our spiritual conduct during this time and activates within us the possibility to continue afterwards!
