Thought for Today: The Kittel

0:00The Kittel. Here in Israel the custom is for all married men, even though even those who do not don a Kittel on Rosh Hashanah, to wear a Kittel onyum kippur. Yusma Khmocha points out that besides the idea that white represents atonement for sins, for all sins, wearing the Kittel can remind us of the day when we are buried in our Kittel, outside of Israel the Kittel or Shrouds, or supplemented with a talus. My father used to admonish us if we were driving the family car too fast, telling us that those that drive fast and those that drive slower all arrive at the red light together. Baring Mashiach's arrival during our lifetime, we will all arrive for our day of judgment, hopefully after 120 years. On that day it is too late to perform misphos and seek atonement, but now we have the ability to obtain a clean slate and to be found righteous in God's eyes by atonement onyum kippur. Now we all have an opportunity.

1:01Take advantage of the opportunity for later on we may not have it. The Kittel is also worn by many men at the sater on the first night of Pesach. It is much harder to keep it clean on that night as all the food and drink being passed around is bound to find its way onto the pristine white Kittel. The seder of Huttner, the author of Pachad Yitzhak in the famous head of the Ashifar of Ichaim Belin, that a guest at his sater table accidentally spilled some wine on the rabbi's Kittel and bearers the guest beg forgiveness. The rabbi replied, not to worry, a Kittel without wine stains is like a yum kippur mashi without tear stains. Indeed, yum kippurs a time when we often cry with feelings of guilt and anticipation of our final judgment on this holy day. The truth be told, Rabidamma explains that we should not worry on yum kippur, rather we should spend a day in confidence that all of our transgressions are being forgiven because of our confession and the day of yum kippur itself which it tones for us.

2:03Rather than approach the day with sadness we should realize that heaven will definitely absolves of our sins and this should make us happy and confident. In Slychus we say we sin before you, have mercy on us. What is the connection between the first and second clauses in this sentence? Probably that because we confess our sins the Lord will definitely have mercy upon us. Let us not forget the opportunity that this holy day affords us. Ravemeyashapir tells this story. There was a small town in Poland where the town rabbi and his rabbits and distributed charity to the poor. The rabbits who would give one gross like a penny to whomever came to her. When a more distinguished person came begging they would usher him into the rabbi who distributed us lutty the equivalent of a hundred gross. On one occasion an undistinguished pauper pushed his way into the rabbi's room so the rabbi gave him a slutty. Ask the pauper, perhaps you could help me with another slutty. The rabbi answered him, every day you come to my rabbits and she gives you one gross and

3:06you accept that without asking for more. Now I gave you a slutty, one hundred gross and that isn't enough. You ask for more. Reply the pauper. Why don't teach me about snoring? I am an expert in snoring, you are not. For one gross it doesn't pay to ask for more. But for another slutty it certainly pays. Now is the time to ask for more from God. Not all year round but now we can ask for a hundred times more. May we all be blessed with forgiveness, blessings, health and happiness. Shabbat shalom, Qumah khasi matovah.