(2004/5764) I would like to discuss that aspect of Mechilah of Yom
Kippur. We know that all year round, in order to obtain
forgiveness, you need to ask Mechilah from the person
against whom you sinned. But on Yom Kippur you need
something called Ritzuy. The question is, what’s the
difference between the year round Mechilah and Yom
Kippur’s Ritzuy? Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik gives a
beautiful answer. He says all year round we have Mehcilah,
plain forgiveness, but on Yom Kippur, a person must make an
effort to restore the original relationship with the person he
sinned against, or in some cases Hashem. Rav Soloveitchik
also adds that just like for a Mikveh, there is no such thing as
partially Tahor, so too there’s no such thing as partial
forgiveness. Hashem is like a Mikveh.
What’s the point of going to the Mikveh? What does
it accomplish? The Darchei Moshe answers that the point of
the Mikveh is Teshuvah. When you go into the Mikveh you
are reborn a new person with a clean slate. It is my hope that
we all have a spiritual and uplifting Yom Kippur and be
Zocheh to return to Yerushalayim.
-Adapted from a shiur at TABC by Rabbi Chaim Jachter.