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Pinny Arnon

Yom Kippur: The Profound Difference Between Forgiveness And Atonement

Yom Kippur is a day of forgiveness, but it is not “The Day of Forgiveness.” The word “forgiveness” in Hebrew is “סְלִיחָה/selicha” or “מְחִילָה/mechila.” The holiday is not known as Yom Selicha or Yom Mechila, but Yom Kippur. “כִּפּוּר/Kippur” is from the term “כַּפָּרָה/kapara,” which means “atonement,” and thus Yom Kippur is “the day of atonement.” What is “atonement,” and how does it differ from “forgiveness”?

In English, we conceive of “atonement” as the process through which we gain “forgiveness.” We “atone” for our sins, and we are subsequently pardoned. This, however, is not the authentic understanding of the Hebrew “kapara,” nor is it, for that matter, the original connotation of the English term “atonement.” Though “atonement” has indeed become virtually synonymous with “repentance” in English, the word itself reveals its original definition. Etymologically, “atonement” is a compound word deriving from “at onement.” It is the state of being ‘at one,’ and not the process by which one arrives at that state. Similarly, “kapara” is not synonymous with “teshuvah.” “Teshuvah” is the act of return or repentance, while “kapara” is the state of absolution or reunification that is achieved after “teshuvah” has been performed.

Contrary to popular opinion, therefore, Yom Kippur is not primarily the time that one is to engage in repentance. If it were, it would have been called “Yom Teshuvah/the day of repentance.” In fact, there are “ten days of teshuvah” from Rosh Hashana until Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the tenth of these days, and as such there is certainly an element of repentance in the prayers and service of the day. However, there is an additional element on this day that distinguishes it from the other nine days of “teshuvah.” That is that on this day, subsequent to the “teshuvah” we have performed, we attain the level of “kapara/atonement.”

To understand all this, we must dig deeper in order to distinguish more clearly between forgiveness, “selicha/mechila” in Hebrew, and “atonement/kapara.” Both of these concepts connote a state of rapprochement and reunion that follows a former fracture and separation. Yet there is a question of degree which differentiates between the two terms. One can be forgiven, yet there can still be a certain distance that remains. “At one-ment,” however, indicates that any division and individuation has been eliminated completely. In its root, “כּפּר/kapar” denotes “cleansing” or “scouring.” “Kapara” in its ultimate sense means that one has not only been excused for her/his past actions, but s/he has been cleansed of them completely so that no remnant or blemish of them continues to exist.

The difference can be explained with the allegory of a king and one of his trusted ministers. The minister has broken a law of the kingdom, and therefore he has incurred the king’s wrath. Fearful of punishment, the minister begs the king’s forgiveness, and successfully convinces the king that his remorse is genuine and his transgression will not be repeated. The king forgives him and restores him to his post. However, the next time there is an important job to be done, the king hesitates to assign it to this minister, cognizant of his past failing. In such a case, forgiveness has been granted, and the minister is subject to no punishment or retribution. Nevertheless, the relationship with the king has been blemished, and there remains a certain subtle distance between them. This is “selicha/mechila” or forgiveness.

With “kapara,” on the other hand, there is no memory whatsoever of the minister’s error. It is not simply that the king mercifully forgives him. Rather it is as if either time has been reversed so that the event never happened, or the memory banks have been wiped and though the incident may have occurred, no one is conscious of it in any way at this point. The relationship between the king and his minister is completely untarnished, and when the next opportunity to serve the king arises, the minister is afforded the honor without any hesitation. This is what “kapara” ultimately means – the past has been scoured and cleared entirely, and no guilt or blame remains.

This “kapara,” or complete cleansing, is what occurs on Yom Kippur. Each of us is restored on this day to a level of absolute purity and innocence. It is not simply that we are forgiven for our past misdeeds, but it is as though we never transgressed at all. We are not innocent because our guilt has been excused or pardoned, but because there is no guilt that needs to be expunged. It is not merely that we are given another chance, but it is as if we are an altogether new or different being that never failed or erred initially.

How is this rewriting of history accomplished? And why does it happen specifically on Yom Kippur? On this day, and this day alone, Hashem enables us to access the fifth and highest level of our soul, which is called Yechida. “Yechida” means “singular” or “unique,” and it represents a level that is completely unified with God’s ultimate unity. The rest of the year, our oneness with God is concealed so that we can continue to function as independent entities in a realm of multiplicity. Yet on Yom Kippur it is revealed that we are truly beyond the world. The very nature of the universe is transformed when its essence and core is exposed. In that experience of primordial revelation, everything superficial and extraneous fades away. It is as if the creation has come in contact with a light so hot and so bright that it instantly incinerates whatever is not essential and infinite itself.

On Yom Kippur, when the source of all light is able to radiate freely into the creation, every “kelipah/shell” is burned away and only the light remains. This is how our histories are rewritten. It is not merely that our soiled garments and misdeeds are overlooked or even cast aside. Rather, they are consumed. Or perhaps more accurately, they are subsumed. What we discover on Yom Kippur is that even the blemishes themselves are Godly, and therefore they are not blemishes at all. If there is nothing that is not Godliness, then there can be no soiled garments. There can be nothing that ultimately conceals God because even the veils themselves are only layers of Godliness with which He has temporarily disguised Himself. With this awareness, all otherness vanishes and only God remains. This is true “at onement,” and this is the “kapara/atonement” that Yom Kippur accomplishes.

— Excerpted from Pnei Hashem, an introduction to the deepest depths of the human experience based on the esoteric teachings of Torah.  www.pneihashem.com

About the Author
Pinny Arnon is an award-winning writer in the secular world who was introduced to the wellsprings of Torah as a young adult. After decades of study and frequent interaction with some of the most renowned Rabbis of the generation, Arnon has been encouraged to focus his clear and incisive writing style on the explication of the inner depths of Torah.
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