Steve's Corner
Having entered the month of Elul, we begin our preparations for the Yamim Noraim, the days of awe. There are so many connections to our chevra kadisha work at this time of year. I love the idea that the High Priest (back when we had a temple) wore simple white garments as a sign of humility on Yom Kippur when entering the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of the Temple, to commune with Hashem, and pray for himself, his family and the Jewish people. We’ve adopted these simple white garments (“tachrichim”) as our traditional burial shrouds, because just as the holiest person (the priest), at the holiest place (the Temple), at the holiest time (Yom Kippur) goes before Hashem, so do each of us (hopefully) when our soul leaves us after death.
Here are a few other connections.
Wearing white clothing
One interpretation holds that we wear white on Yom Kippur as an approximation of the white garments in which we will be buried. Some wear a kittel, a simple white cotton robe, worn at sacred times and also at burial. Jews are usually buried in a simple white shroud, the same for everyone, rich and poor as a reminder of our equality in the eyes of .Hashem.
Why do some Jews avoid wearing leather on Yom Kippur?
There is a custom on this day of avoiding wearing anything made of leather, because leather requires the death of a living creature. On this day when we make our most fervent teshuvah, we don’t want to be garbed in something which required another being’s death.
Why do we wear a tallit at night for Kol Nidre?
Kol Nidre evening is one of the very few times in the Jewish year when a tallit is worn at night. For some, a tallit is worn as a sign of transcendent consciousness; for others the tallit can be a stark reminder of death and the transient nature of physical existence, as the dead are often buried in their tallit.
May your journey through the High Holy Days this year be meaningful and sweet, and may the holiday help get you to where you need to be. Sending blessings your way,
Steve