Eve of Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur - the message for everyone today
Highlights from this week's learning and events; An eternal message from the Torah about how G-d Al-mighty wants the Torah message of His Divine Wisdom to reach every single man, woman and child.
Did you know that the Torah has an eternal Divine Message that applies to every single human being? Authentic Torah learning grounds us in reality, both what we can observe and what is beyond our observation, grasp and even understanding, and leads to practical positive action. Positive for us and positive for those around us. Torah reveals our Divine Innate Spiritual Compass and brings our Spiritual Backbone to the forefront of life.
If you have adopted some or all of Enlightenment thinking, learning Torah will challenge everything you believe and hold dear.
In each Week’s Roundup, you will find a special topic, links to this week’s learning, the Torah perspective on current events, upcoming learning and action suggestions. This week we embrace enthusiastically returning to G-d Al-mighty. Learn, take hope and take action, and share.
Everyone has heard of Yom Kippur, but few non-Jews and even many Jews don’t know what it means, other than ‘Day of Atonement.’
We have already learned in the last two weeks that Rosh Hashana is the New Year of every man, woman and child on this planet, celebrating the Divine Creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, by G-d Al-mighty, 5784 years ago. It’s the day to remember that each of us is Created then and now, in G-d Al-mighty’s Divine Image. When we recognize that and recognize that the Loving Divine Guidance G-d Al-mighty provides us through the Torah is meant for our own good and the good of civilization, we can make good choices in every time and every place.
In Torah we don’t just pay lip service to this idea that G-d Al-mighty is our King. We spend 30 days before Rosh Hashana examining the prior year for ways in which we defected from G-d Al-mighty to our own personal agenda, our own fears, and anxiety, worry, resentment, self-seeking and selfishness. All the ways in which we sought to get something that didn't belong to us or to get something for nothing.
And Rosh Hashana is just the beginning of 10 days of even more intense introspection and making amends with the people we have harmed. Every human being has 10 days to really see the truth about our priorities and choices and to resolve to do differently. In effect, the process of Rosh Hashana is continued for 10 days.
It all culminates with Yom Kippur, when G-d Al-mighty states definitively, enough with the past, now it’s time to put your new and renewed commitments into effect for the coming year. The past is completely wiped away in the merit of our willingness to change.
Much of the Torah service of Yom Kippur, highlights the service of the High Priest in the Holy Temple, in the Holy Temple, in the Holy Land, may it speedily be rebuilt. The Holy Temple, the Beis HaMikdash, is what G-d Al-mighty refers to as “My Home, the Home of Prayer for all the Nations.” The Holy Service that happens in the Holy Temple uplifts the entire world, giving everyone a new year.
Yet, the relationship for each of us, in the times of the Holy Temple and now, is directly with G-d Al-mighty wherever we are without any physical or spiritual intermediaries. We can all connect to G-d Al-mighty by just realizing that our mistakes between us and G-d Al-mighty and between us and those around us all arise from putting our “life of this world” (chaye haolam hazeh) ahead of our “life of the eternal” (chaye haolam habah) and we can turn that all around by putting “life of the eternal” (chaye haolam habah) first in our thoughts, speech and action.1
Many non-Jews have inquired what they can or should do on Yom Kippur. I answer that in the following video:
In addition, many have enquired what they can pray about on Yom Kippur. To meet that request, following on the Machzor for Rosh Hashana (Prayer Book for Rosh Hashana) that we notated with what must be said, should be said, could be said and what is not applicable for a non-Jew, we are just releasing a Machzor for Yom Kippur similarly notated. You can download it here with a donation for $10 for your own personal use and not for distribution:
https://www.rabbismith.org/product-page/machor-for-yom-kippur-notated-for-non-jews
If you are Jewish, you can access and download the un-annotated version by clicking here. While it is too late to order for this year, a full Machzor for Yom Kippur can be ordered for next year by clicking here.
May you and your family be sealed for a Good and Sweet New Year in all forms of revealed good with the ultimate good for all, which is the coming of Moshiach Now!
Action: Use the link above to check Yom Tov Candellighting times in your city around the world. Yom Tov and Shabbos Candlelighting time in New York City this week (9/24/23) is 6:32 pm and Shabbos ends at 7:29 pm.
Here is some of the learning we did this week:
These videos are available in the content library at RabbiSmith.org (in parentheses) and also on YouTube by clicking the name of the learning. When you watch on YouTube please like, share and subscribe so the message of hope reaches more and more people. See below at the end of this article a list of upcoming classes both in person and on Zoom.
Wednesday Learning
👉 Zecharia 8:23: Prayer is innate; Thanking G-d for your soul
Thursday Learning
🌟🌟🌟 Teshuva is always welcomed
👉 Elevate Your Joy - from the outside in!
Additional Learning
👉 Returning Righteousness to Humanity 2023-09-07
👉 Security is a tool used by Amalek to create barriers - antidote, attacks should prompt fewer walls!
👉 Maintaining faith while surrounded by negativity - Primer on how the news should be written
👉 Going from the straights to the big open spaces
🔥Hot Topic🔥- Noahide vs Chasidei Umos Haolam
🔥Hot Topic🔥Does teaching non-Jews the Torah that applies to them contradict any Jewish beliefs?
Actions:
How can you embrace the idea that your past can be completely forgiven with no intermediaries just by turning to G-d Al-mighty?
This message of Hope can and must reach even more people, with you help. Please gift generously to propel this message to more people. Time is of the essence. The mission is monumental, but with G-d Al-mighty’s help it eminently possible. May G-d Al-mighty bless you for your generosity.
Share this post and click below to gift a subscription to three other people. Thank you!
👉Dedicate a future edition of the Week’s Roundup by clicking here.
A non-Jew too has a portion in the world of the Eternal (Helek L’Olam Habah) by accepting and fulfilling G-d Al-mighty’s Divine Commandments because they were given by G-d Al-mighty through Moses our Teacher on Mount Sinai. (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 8:11.