כִּֽי־בַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה יְכַפֵּ֥ר עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם לְטַהֵ֣ר אֶתְכֶ֑ם מִכֹּל֙ חַטֹּ֣אתֵיכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֥י ידוד תִּטְהָֽרוּ
(ויקרא טז:ל)
“Because on this day, He will atone you in order to purify you, from all of your sins before Hashem you will be purified, (Vayikra 16:30).”
The last mishna in Maseches Yoma (85b) quotes the Tanna Kamma (the nameless first opinion) that Yom Kippur atones for aveiros that were done against Hashem (an aveiro bein adam laMakom), but Yom Kippur doesn’t atone for aveiros done against people (bein adam l’chaveiro) until one appeases the other person. The mishna then goes on to quote Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah who derives this halacha from the pasuk, “Meekal chattohsaaichem lifnei Hashem titharu—From all of your sins before Hashem, you will be purified.” This implies that only aveiros that were done “before Hashem”—meaning against Hashem, are atoned for by Yom Kippur. However, aveiros done against people are not atoned for by Yom Kippur.
The mishna concludes by quoting Rabbi Akiva, “Fortunate are you, Yisroel, before whom do you cleanse yourselves? And who cleanes you? Your Father in Heaven!
Zera Shimshon questions: What is Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah adding by deriving this halacha from a pasuk and not just from a sevara, like the first opinion in the mishna? Both according to the Tanna Kamma and according to Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Yom Kippur only atones for aveiros done against Hashem and not for aveiros done to people. So, what is he adding?
Furthermore, what is Rabbi Akiva adding? While his statement about the purifying power of Yom Kippur is, undoubtedly, uplifting and inspirational, it seems that he is not contributing any practical or halachic insight beyond what has already been established by the Tanna Kamma and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah. This raises the question: Is Rabbi Akiva’s statement merely for effect, or does it, indeed, serve a deeper purpose in the context of this mishna?
Lastly, why does Rabbi Akiva refer to the One that cleanses us as, “Your Father in Heaven,” and not by the more common way, “Hashem” or “Hakadosh Baruch Hu?”
Zera Shimshon answers that Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah isn’t presenting a new opinion but rather he is explaining the Tanna Kamma, preventing us from misunderstanding his position. The Tanna Kamma compares “aveiros bein adam lechaveiro” and “aveiros bein adam laMakom” and says that the only difference between them is that concerning aveiros bein adam laMakom, one doesn’t need to ask for pardon, while when sinning against a person, one does. From the fact that the Tanna Kamma lists that this is the only difference between the two types of aveiros, one could infer that although one doesn’t have to ask for forgiveness—like when sinning against a friend—one has to at least be aware that he sinned since in aveiros bein adam lechavero, he certainly knows that he sinned against his friend. If he didn’t know this, how could he ask for pardon? However, if he didn’t know that he even sinned against Hashem, I might think that there is no atonement for that act. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah is, therefore, teaching us that this is not true, and even if a person never knew or forgot that he sinned against Hashem, Yom Kippur atones for him.
According to Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah’s interpretation, the words “before Hashem” serve a dual purpose. Firstly, they define the type of sin that Yom Kippur atones for: a sin committed against Hashem—such as desecrating Shabbos or eating something not kosher—where no person is directly harmed, only Hashem. This is in contrast to a sin committed against another person, like stealing from someone or making someone feel bad. Secondly, it also means that Hashem—and only Hashem—was aware of the sin, not even the person himself knew about it! Even for such sins, where the transgression is known exclusively to Hashem and remains entirely hidden from the person who committed it, Yom Kippur has the power to atone for them.
Rabbi Akiva comes to prevent another misunderstanding. After Rabbi Elazar ben Azriyah derived from the pasuk, “before Hashem” that Yom Kippur atones for sins that a person never knew about or forgot, one might think that Yom Kippur atones only if we don’t know about the sin. But if we do know about it and don’t ask Hashem for forgiveness, then there will be no forgiveness. The difference is very clear: if we don’t know about a certain sin, there is nothing wrong with the fact of our not asking for forgiveness because we didn’t know about it! However, if we are aware that we did something wrong and don’t ask Hashem for forgiveness, that lack of requesting forgiveness is a serious zilzul (disregard or contempt) towards Hashem. Such a zilzul would make us undeserving of forgiveness from Hashem, not any less than the original aveira.
One of Zera Shimshon’s proofs that there can be no difference between a sin we forgot and a sin that we are aware of is based on the Gemara in Shabbos. The Gemara points out that the letter “reish,” which is the first letter of the word “rasha” (wicked person), faces away from the letter “kuf,” the letter before it in the alphabet, which signifies Hashem who is “kadosh” (holy). The reason for this—the Gemara explains—is because Hashem doesn’t want to look in the face of the rasha and distances Himself from him. However, there is a little crown on the “kuf” that faces the “reish,” which teaches that if the rasha does teshuva (repentance), Hashem will once again come close to him.
Therefore, Zera Shimshon contends that if a person has done some aveiros that he forgot and some that he still remembers, and he wouldn’t be forgiven for the ones that he knows about, this would cause Hashem to distance Himself and turn His head from this person. In such a case, how can there be forgiveness for the sins that he forgot if Hashem is far from him? This wouldn’t be fair. Rather, it must be that on Yom Kippur, Hashem forgives all sins—even if one knows about it and doesn’t ask for forgiveness.
Rabbi Akiva, therefore, quotes the pasuk, “Ashreichem Yisrael—Fortunate are you, Yisrael, that Hashem forgives your sins.” The reason Hashem forgives the aveiros you are not aware of is not because you are a “nebech” (unfortunate person) and Hashem has mercy on you. Rather, it is because you are fortunate and because Hashem loves you. Therefore, since it is out of love, there is no reason to differentiate between aveiros you forgot and ones that you are aware of. Out of Hashem’s love for you, Hashem always wants to forgive you when you stray from the right path.
This is also why Rabbi Akiva concludes his statement with “Your Father in Heaven,” and not simply “Hashem” or “Hakadosh Baruch Hu.” He does this to stress that the reason we are so fortunate—and even if we don’t ask for forgiveness, Hashem forgives us for the sins done against Him—is because Hashem is like a warm and loving Father who always yearns to have His children close to Him. Just as a devoted father cannot bear to be at odds with his child, and will do everything in his power to reconcile and maintain a loving relationship, so too, Hashem—our Father in Heaven—is pained by any distance between Himself and His beloved children. He eagerly awaits our return and is ready to forgive us—even if we don’t explicitly ask for forgiveness—because His love for us is unconditional and His desire for closeness is unwavering.
In summary, the Tanna Kamma’s statement that Yom Kippur atones for aveiros done exclusively against Hashem leaves room for interpretation regarding the exact types of aveiros included. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah clarifies that even someone who is unaware that he sinned can achieve atonement through Yom Kippur. Rabbi Akiva goes a step further, emphasizing that even one who knows he sinned but fails to ask for forgiveness can still attain atonement on this holy day. Thus, the three opinions progressively expand our understanding of the all-encompassing nature of Yom Kippur’s power to grant forgiveness and restore our closeness to Hashem.
(Adapted from Zera Shimshon, parshas Achrei Inyanei Teshuva, derush 1)
