22 September 2023
Question
One thing drives me crazy on Yom Kippur. Why do we open the ark so many times? It seems like every two minutes we have to stand up again for the ark opening. I'm tired and fasting and would be happy to sit. What does it all mean?
Answer
There is a powerful saying attributed to the great Chassidic master, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov:
“I’m not scared of being judged for the bad things I have done. I can always repent for my sins. I’m scared of being judged for the good deeds that I didn't do, for the opportunities I was given and I missed. How can I ever get them back?”
It’s not about what you committed, it's about what you omitted. The times you could have helped but didn’t. You could have said something nice, but held your tongue. You could have made a difference, but were too meek. You could have made a change, but didn’t believe it would work.
We fix this habit on Yom Kippur. And we do it by standing when the ark is opened.
The opening of the ark represents the opening of the gates of heaven. Each time the curtain parts and the doors open, another pathway is clearing for us, another chance is arising, another doorway is opening up. We are being invited in.
So we stand up. Unlike all those times that the gates of opportunity were open to us and we just sat there, now we reverse the pattern, by jumping up every time the ark opens.
After a full day of intermittent standing, we have created a new reflex, a new pathway in our brain. When a door opens, you get up and move. When opportunity knocks, you answer. The gates are open for you.
That’s why we end Yom Kippur with the Neilah service, the closing of the gates. During that prayer we say, “Open for us the gate, at the time of the closing of the gate. O let us enter!” We get it now. We won’t miss the next door that opens for us. We are ready to jump.
