Yom Kippur/Yizkor: Who Am I?

Imagine you woke up one fine day and forgot who you are. What would your life be like? For some people forgetting who they are is the daily reality. When asked, “Who are you?” do you respond by pulling out your business card. Do you confuse what you do with who you are?

Today is Yom Kippur. And Yom Kippur never lets us forget, for Yom Kippur is a day dedicated to memory — above all, remembering your true identity.

Just look – the prayers are saturated with remembrances. From the zochreinu l’chaim prayer to the haunting description of the Ten Martyrs, aileh ezkara v’nafshi olai eshpecha, to the bulk of the Musaf service itself called the Seder Avoda, which recalls the order of the Yom Kippur service in the Holy Temple. And, of course, Yizkor, the remembrance of our loved ones who have passed away.

What is the power of memory and what secret lies in the memory of Yom Kippur?

Through a humorous Chelem anecdote, moving stories of how memory captured the deepest love and saved children after the Holocaust, the memorable words of R’ Ashi in a seemingly unrelated Talmud, Ana hu d’ramai anafshai v’adkari, “It was I who cast it upon my soul, and I remembered” – we come to realize that memory isn’t just remembering something; memory is bearing witness to our true identities. It is remembering who we really are.

And this testimony has the power to change the judgment of the world!