Yom Kippur has been designated by the Jewish people as a Day of Atonement for the "sin of the golden calf". The sin of the golden calf is not just bowing down to an idol, it is a code name for fixation on a premise (concept). Instead of opening up to greatness that demands constant improvement. The people of Israel danced around a "golden statue," fixated around a glittering, "circular" comfort zone that can be leaned on, forgetting about Moses who ascended Mount Sinai; in our words: the (mis)conception. Each and every generation has its golden calf. In modern times, the sin of the golden calf is expressed in addiction to human power and abandonment of religion; in our postmodern era, faith in human ability has also been abandoned; the golden calf today means to wallow in despair and attempt to suppress everything that resembles greatness and meaning. Each generation has its own (mis)conception and a "Yom Kippur War" for which they must atone: in the Yom Kippur War fifty years ago, the concept was a sense of "my power and the might of my hand" and disregard for the enemy's strength. On October 7th, the concept was not necessarily national power but a progressive worldview that bows to weakness; the self-conviction that there is no chance of defeating the enemy and the era of wars has passed. The illusion pervading was that Hamas is interested in quiet, and that the main challenges facing the IDF are the purity of arms and the climate crisis. This year's Yom Kippur fasting and prayers are coming to atone for the sin of the golden calf of 2024, not of 1973. This year's Yom Kippur soul-searching must not deteriorate into a left-wing style depression and weakness: "it's been proven that the IDF is worthless and the only solution is peace" On the contrary: this year's soul-searching must recognize that we did not believe in the power hidden in the people of Israel, that we inflated the threat much more than it is, and were afraid to attack the axis of evil that is now revealed as a paper tiger. On Yom Kippur 5785 we will atone for the golden calf of our generation, for not trusting in ourselves. On this Yom Kippur of the Victory Generation, we pray to God to "atone for Your people Israel" – and then no one can overcome us!
