It once happened that Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai was leaving Jerusalem
with Rabbi Joshua, and they witnessed the destruction of the Temple.
Rabbi Joshua said, “Woe to us, for the place where the sins of Israel
were atoned for has been destroyed.” Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai said, “Do
not be bitter, my son, for we have another form of atonement which is as
great, and this is gemilut hasadim; as the verse states, “for it is kindness I desire and not burnt offerings” [Hos. 6:6].
I looked up this story after hearing it on one of the Tisha B'Av shiurim, surprised that it isn't part of the standard curriculum (Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, a very confusing story that is hard to translate usually gets the glory, for some reason).
Hashem says that He wants us to be kind. That's it. To atone for our sins, all we gotta do is be nice.
Isn't that awesome?
One of the things that I do like about some of the Conservative movement siddurim is that that passage is included instead of the korbanot. I'm happy to say korbanot, but it does seem like a meaningful addition or substitution, for whichever perspective one has.
ReplyDeleteThat is true. Today's society has trouble relating to karbanos, whereas previous generations could not comprehend life without it. I too have difficulty when saying Musaf, trying to relate.
ReplyDelete