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26 | Harav Yaakov Glasser
Harav Ya ak o v G l a s ser
Rav, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Dean of Center
for the Jewish Future & University Life, Yeshiva
University
Living for others
ne of the most poignant moments of the Yamim Noraim liturgy is
the recitation of U’nesaneh Tokef. In describing G-d’s judgement of
O the world, the piyut evokes a solemn confrontation with mortality
— mi yichyeh u’mi yamus (who will live and who will die?), conjuring all sorts of
memories and images relating to our lives and our loved ones. The structure,
substance and musical tone is nearly fatalistic as we embrace the reality of the
moment. The tension that builds up as we recite this piyut is finally released
with the declaration “u’teshuva u’tefilah u’tzedakah maavirin es roah hagezeirah” —
repentance, prayer and charity remove the evil decree.
This refrain, whose source is from the Talmud Yerushalmi (Taanis 2:1),
provides a roadmap for us to influence the outcome of the pending judgement
of Yom Hadin. Despite the seemingly passive nature of our disposition in the
context of G-d’s providence over the world, indeed there is something we can
do to impact the outcome of this day. Reflecting upon these three elements,
teshuva emerges as an understandable response to judgement as it has the
capacity to alter the character and the deeds of the individual being judged.
Tefilah, as a direct appeal to the Divine, also has an expected impact upon the
outcome of our judgment as well. The element of the triad that seems to be
distinct from the others is tzedakah.
Charity, while extraordinarily noble and certainly a hallmark of our people’s
legacy of compassion, seems unusually specific for this very universal context.
The piyut seems to avoid presenting a broader mandate for chessed in general,
in deference to the very specific act of tzedakah. In what manner does this
mitzvah become so central to the Divine judgement of our future?
A Agudah Achas
Agudah Achasgudah Achas
Harav Yaakov Glasser | 27
Rav Soloveitchik, (Harerei Kedem Vol. I p. 76) suggests that the Torah’s
disruption of the Mishkan’s construction in Sefer Shemos with the narrative
of the cheit haeigel — the sin of the golden calf, and its resolving forgiveness, is
intended to draw attention to the role of charitable communal contributions,
as foundational to the paradigm of forgiveness. Somehow, the experience of
the Jewish people sacrificing of their own resources for the larger communal
need, provides the foundation for G-d’s ultimate forgiveness. What is the
source of charity’s powerful influence upon our ultimate judgement as
individuals and as a people?
Perhaps, it is the very nature of tzedakah’s impact upon the recipients that
shifts the entire calculus of our judgment. Tzedakah establishes a connection of
dependency between two people. It entails, at the highest level, one Jew taking
responsibility for the fate and well-being of another. Beyond an altruistic
gesture, tzedakah is the medium through which we expand the circle of impact,
and by extension, relevance of our lives. Tzedakah means that whatever occurs
to us as individuals will have a profound effect upon those we support as well. It
establishes an existential link between the fate of ourselves and that of others.
In this regard, G-d’s judgement upon us becomes an evaluation of more than
the quantitative and qualitative value of our own deeds. It entails a broader
scope of accounting for the many connections and networks of support that
we have developed and if those individuals or institutions are deserving of
a questionable fate. Tzedakah can reverse or temper the “gezeirah” because it
brings into G-d’s accounting, the broader merits of those we support.
When we live life for ourselves, we are left with the consequences of our own
actions. When we live life for others, then our fate becomes forever linked
with the compelling needs of those beyond our own world. The Yamim Noraim
inspire significant devotion to personal reflection and growth. The process
of teshuva is one that demands deep introspection, profound honesty, and
extraordinary resolve. Perhaps, through the medium of tzedakah, we can ensure
that this focus does not remain in the realm of the personal. Rather, it moves
us to recognize our capacity to make a difference in the lives of others — to
look around our community, and recognize the myriad of ways that we can
become “essential” to the world of others and to edify our community through
respect, unity, and support. Yom Tov is an exciting and vibrant time for many
people. For others, the expansion of focus on children and family, serves to