Yom Kippur that Falls out on Shabbat

by: Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon

Founder and Board Chairman, JobKatif

How can this year Yom Kippur fall out on Shabbat? The Rabbaim have fixed the calendar in such a way that a fast should never fall out on Shabbat since it is truly its antithesis. Even more so in this case since the epitome of Shabbat is enjoyment and pleasure where Yom Kippur is all about fasting and torment.

A Midrash writes that Rebbi Akiva used to cry every Shabbat. His students asked him how could he transgress the Mitzvah of enjoying the Shabbat in such a way. He answered them “This is enjoyment for me.” In other words maybe what we practice on Yom Kippur does not cancel out the Mitvah of enjoyment on Shabbat.

The Gemarah in Yoma 64b says that Yom Kippur shall be a day of “anguish for your soul.” Does that therefore allow one to sit in the sun on a very hot day so that they will suffer even more? The Rabies Teach: You shall not do Malacha or work. Why is this work, he is sitting and not doing anything? The answer is he is not supposed to harm himself on Yom Kippur.

This day is not about self-deprivation or suffering. On the contrary, it is about uplifting ourselves to the level of angels who never eat or drink.

This is how the Gemarah in Yoma got to the five things that we refrain from on Yom Kippur. If fact these things are not hardships so that we will suffer they are hardships so that we can become more holy. By refraining from physical things we raise ourselves to the level of angels. The Ramban writes (on Vayikra 16:8) that the image of an angel is a being that doesn’t eat or drink, one that is barefoot and clean from sin.

We can even see that this day is not about suffering from the Halacha
 about someone who is sick on Yom Kippur. Is he aloud to drink only water or is he aloud to drink juice? Most poskim say that he is aloud to drink juice. Yom Kippur is still considered a holiday and there is no prohibition against enjoying oneself. Therefore if he already has to drink there is no reason why not juice.

The purpose of Yom Kippur is not to concentrate on the discomfort or suffering, but rather the cessation from food and drink is to bring you closer to the holiness of  the angels.

Yom Kippur is a day of rising above our nature. This is exactly the same when is comes to the purpose of Shabbat. On Shabbat we just separate from our natural state of working but on Yom Kippur we separate from the natural world completely.

Therefore having Shabbat and Yom Kippur on the same day actually
 works. Shabbat is a taste of the world to come but is still in this world. Yom Kippur goes beyond this world and actually uplifts us higher. Yom Kippur is not to exemplify our entire lives not like Shabbat that comes once a week. However this occurrence happens once a year and it can give us even greater powers, and a special kind of sanctity.

This year offers us such a unique experience.  The sanctity of Yom Kippur will be combined with the sanctity of Shabbat. We will stand as 
angels, separated completely from the physical world around us where 
we can come entirely close to G-d.

Shabbat Shalom and Gmar Chatima Tova!