Ushavtem (5727)

The Alef Kabbala group (18 Sept. 07) explored a discourse delivered on Shabbat in Succot 5727 (1966). (First published last year as a pamphlet). This starts on the theme of Succot but then says in order to understand the joy of Succot, one must understand the special quality of Yom Kippur. What is special about the Repentance a person might achieve on Yom Kippur? Surely, every day of one's life one should repent? The discourse explains that every day there is a lower form of Repentance, which transforms a deliberate sin into an accidental one. Yom Kippur has the power to inspire a higher form of Repentance through which deliberate sins are transformed into positive good deeds! Even if a person is sitting in the lowest recess of a pit, on Yom Kippur G-d reaches down to the person and lifts him or her out to freedom.