Learn Jewish Songs of Yom Kippur with midifiles, mp3 samples, lyrics and translations

Here Are Songs of Yom Kippur:

Yom Kippur Dvar Torah: Temporary Piety?

On Yom Kippur we are better than we are. Or are we? What am I talking about?

I'm talking about the way we approach sin and forgiveness. Yom Kippur is the day of atonement. It is the day when we confess our sins and resolve to behave better in the future. It is a day of great inspiration, and in that mood of inspiration we may promise God things that we deep down know that we will fail to keep. We talk as if we are better than we truly are. Or at least it may seem that way.

One of the strangest customs we have is the custom to be very strict in ritual law during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Pious Jews accept upon themselves more stringent observance of the commandments during this time period, even though they know that they will take a more lenient approach after Yom Kippur has passed. Isn't this a little disingenuous? Isn't it like driving with a radar detector, slowing down when you come near a cop and then zooming back to 85 miles an hour? Is this really what God wants?

I think so. Not that he wants us to be any less righteous during the rest of the year, but He certainly wants us to be as righteous as possible during this special time. It can be compared to telephone wires. Yes, if you want to stretch a telephone wire from New York to Baltimore, putting up one pole in New York and another in Baltimore will not be sufficient. The wire will be on the ground before you know it. You have to put up telephone poles every so often to keep the wire high up. Even so, the wire sags a little bit in the middle.

So it is with us. The high holidays are the telephone pole, and the space between them is the rest of the year. If we can lift ourselves to our highest potential just once a year, even though we know we will sag somewhat during the rest of the year, nonetheless we will still be flying much higher. The inspiration from Yom Kippur echoes throughout the year, even if we don't hear it at full volume sometime in March.On Yom Kippur, we are not better than we are. We are pushing our potential upward, and gaining insight into who we truly are. What a wonderful gift it is to recognize the unlimited potential within each and every one of us.

May we all be blessed with a healthy and happy year of fulfillment.