Yom Kippur: Sound of Silence

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Let me begin by reading to you a heartbreaking note from a young adult about Yom Kippur: Rabbi, I must tell you that I have absolutely no interest in coming to Synagogue this Yom Kippur. I will do so simply for the sake of my parents and grandparents. But the service doesn’t speak to me and to so many of my friends. No personal offense; I just felt that you should know that.

What does one say? Is he right? Can we do anything about it?

Despite the fact that we live in a communications age – with a revolution transforming the way and speed we connect with each other – it seems that we are also undergoing a crisis in personal communication and connectedness. Are we able today to hear the pain of another? Are spouses and friends able to reach each others hearts and souls? How many of us – and of our children – are crying out right now to deaf ears?

We know how to hear the words of others. But do we know how to hear their silence?

We live in a world of sounds and sights. A sensory universe in which our senses are constantly being stimulated, even hyper-stimulated. But how much of our lives are we missing in the process? How much is being drowned out by the loud noise and rush hours of our lives?

Silence is the story of Yom Kippur, the holiest of holy days, which can teach us how to hear the rich sub-text beneath the surface and how to transform our lives in the process.

Discover the power of silence. How you can learn more about a person – about yourself – from their silence than from their words. On this one day be silent. Then all the sounds all year round will have another meaning.