Yom Kippur

The Mishna states אשריכם ישראל לפני מי אתם מטהרים , praiseworthy are the Jewish people before whom you are being purified. ומי מטהר אתכם אביכם שבשמים , and who purifies you? Your Father in heaven. Then the Mishna brings two pesukim to prove this: one, וזרקתי עליכם מים טהורים , and I will throw on you pure water & cleanse you from all your sins; two, מקוה ישראל ה' מושיעו , just as the mikva purifies the impure, so, too, Hashem purifies the Jews.

Several questions arise. הגר"ח פלאג'י זצ"ל asks, what's the double lashon of  מי אתם מטהרים & then ומי מטהר אתכם? The posuk should have just stated, “praiseworthy are the Jews that Hashem purifies them”. Also, why do we need two separate pesukim to prove this? Why wouldn't one have sufficed?

He brings the explanation of the Tosfos YomTov who explains the pesukim as referring to two different types of teshuva. First, the proper way for an individual to do teshuva requires that person to feel on his own, the need to purify himself & make himself holy again. Wheen he goes to do it, Hashem will help him succeed. The second refers to a person who doesn't feel the need to repent; that person, Hashem will wake up to repent. This explains why the Mishna needs to say it twice. The first one says  לפני מי אתם מטהרים & brings a posuk to support that way. Secondly, it states ומי מטהר אתכם that Hashem Himself has to force you to become pure. It then brings a separate posuk to support that way.

Rav Galinsky elaborated with a mashal of two sick people who were in the same room in the hospital. They both had the same debilitating disease, both confined to bed & both had to take medicine to get well. However, the future of both looked grim. There was one major difference between the two of them. One was able to move his hand to pick up his own medicine & take it by himself. However, the other was too weak even to move his hand; he was reliant on others to give him the medicine. If someone didn’t give it to him, his future was doomed. So, too, there are those that at least have the power to do teshuva on their own, who realize that nothing happens on its own. If you don't make it happen, it won't happen. Others have to wait for Hashem to send them the message, hopefully before it’s too late.  

Another question involves the lashon of אשריכם ישראל; what is so praiseworthy about having Hashem purify us? The Yalkut Gershuni explains, based on a Chasam Sofer who asks how it is that mikva water can purify? When the person who's going in, touches it, the water too should become impure? He answers that, since the water is attached to the ground, it cannot become impure.

This means that the water purifies because it’s connected to its root, the ground. So, too, is the purification from Hashem, because a person is connected to his root, to Hashem. He created us from His own breath & we are a part of Hashem. That's the meaning of אשריכם ישראל praised are the Jews. What purifies us? Our connection & closeness to Hashem does. If we were not connected to Hashem through our Neshama which is a part of Him, we wouldn't be able to be purified.

We must take this opportunity that we have now to connect to Hashem with the first level of teshuva. We must do it on our own with the realization that we have to make it happen ourselves & not have to be reminded by Hashem. Take this Yom Kippur & use it to connect to our source, to Hashem Himself!