Swords of Iron Day 1080: The Powerful Truth of Yom Kippur
As the sun sets and Yom Kippur begins, Israel stops. Not slows down. Stops. Transportation ceases, the streets empty, buses and cars disappear, and millions of people fast, pray, repent and reflect. Yom Kippur in Israel is unlike anything else on earth, and I have never gotten used to it.
The Question Everyone Asks Before Sundown
All over the country people turn to each other and ask the same thing. If I have done anything to you, knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously, please forgive me.
Then we turn to God and say it again. Elohim, God of Israel, I repent. Forgive me. Show me what needs to change in my life.
There is no performance in that question. You cannot fake it to a neighbor who watched you all year.
That is why this day works. It puts the repair before the ritual, and it makes you say the words out loud to a face rather than to a ceiling.
Yom Kippur in Israel Stops, the IDF Does Not
While the nation halts, the army does not get the day off.
We remember what happened years ago, when Israel was attacked on Yom Kippur while people were fasting and the phones were off. The enemy believed that was their moment for victory.
So today our soldiers stay vigilant across multiple fronts, from Iran and Yemen to southern Lebanon and Gaza. Our guys are sitting on the yellow line as well, and I am thinking about every one of them right now.
Praying for My Soldiers on Yom Kippur in Israel
As a sergeant major, I enter this holy day praying for each of my soldiers by name.
And I think about you too. The people who have prayed, stood in the gap, worshiped the God of Israel, given generously and stood with this country when it cost you something socially. Thank you. I mean that.
Many of you have taken real social cost for standing with this country over the past two years. Lost friendships, awkward workplaces, family dinners that got quiet. I know, and so do the soldiers.
Strength That Does Not Come From Weapons
Yom Kippur reminds us that our strength does not come only from weapons or armies. It is a solemn day built around three questions.
What needs to be cleansed? What needs to be forgiven? What needs to change?
An army can win a war and still lose a nation. That is why this day exists.
We can field the best equipment in the region and still drift somewhere we should not go. Yom Kippur in Israel is the annual correction, and the country takes it seriously even when individuals do not.
What Yom Kippur in Israel Actually Involves
Leviticus 16 and 23 call this a Shabbat Shabbaton, a Sabbath of complete rest, when Israel is commanded to humble ourselves.
For roughly twenty five hours we fast and set aside ordinary pleasures. We wear white as a symbol of purity and repentance. We confess through the traditional prayers, the Vidui, the Ashamnu and the Al Chet. And we remember the High Priest entering the Holy Place once a year on behalf of the whole nation.
When the shofar sounds at the close of Yom Kippur, I believe with everything in me that one day the Temple will stand again.
Something Very Simple Underneath the Tradition
Beneath all of it sits something deeply simple. God is watching over us, and we recognize how often we have gone our own way. We want to draw near to Him again.
I love watching secular and religious Israelis, people from every walk of life and every political camp, pray the same sentence. God, have mercy on us. Have mercy on our soldiers, our civilians and this Land.
That renewed movement of prayer across the country is phenomenal, and it is the part of Yom Kippur in Israel that I wish the world could see.
Gmar Chatima Tova
May we be sealed for good in the Book of Life. To everyone fasting, may your fast be easy and still do its work in you.
Thank you for standing with Israel. If this helped you understand the day, please share it.
Watch the full update here: Swords of Iron Day 1080, Yom Kippur
