I found newfound appreciation for my job after reading an article describing the struggle facing musicians across the globe. As a Rabbi delivering sermons, I have my work cut out for me to keep an audience’s attention, but with my speeches mostly occurring on Shabbat and Yom Tov, I fortunately do not compete with people’s cell phones.
Performing artists do not have it so easy. At a recent concert, well-known singer Adele singled out a excited woman in the audience. Throughout the show, this woman did not make eye contact with Adele, but instead stood excitedly glued to her phone which focused on Adele’s performance. Of course, a nearby phone caught Adele’s comments on video:
“Can you stop filming me with a video camera, because I’m really here in real life?” Adele said to the woman. “You can enjoy my show in real life, rather than through your camera.”
Adele is not alone; artists have become increasingly bothered by the reality that instead of looking out into a crowd of eyes, they are staring at a wave of phones and flashes. Their frustrations have led to the arrival of Yondr, a start-up company which provides technology that locks phones, facilitating concentration at concerts. Performers including Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Bruno Mars have experimented with Yondr at their shows, literally forcing attendees to keep their phones away during the performance.
In 2018, perhaps more than any other time in history, we find ourselves struggling with being present. I recall when my daughter reached the milestone of taking her first steps; I instinctively run far my phone to film these small steps as if they were large steps for mankind rather than appreciating and soaking in the moment. If you have ever had such an experience, you may not be surprised to hear that Yondr has been well received not just by the performers, but by the concert attendees. People actually appreciate having their phones locked so they can appreciate the show, truly happy that they can feel present.
Some people live in the past, some in the future, but we understand that happiness is found most by those who can live in the present.
We do not seem to spend much time on Yom Kippur living in the present. The present today seems rather unexciting, sitting in shul all day removed from worldly pleasure. During Yom Kippur, in fact, during the entire Yomim Noraim period, we live in the other two tenses. Much of the day is focused on the past: we regret things we may have done, we reflect on the previous year- ashamnu bagadn gazalnu. At the same time, an important theme of Yom Kippur is future oriented: an integral part of the teshuva process is focused on what we will do differently next year and we pray for health, livelihood, and more for the coming year.
Surprisingly, while our happiest moments in life occur during the present moments notably absent on Yom Kippur, the Talmud describes Yom Kippur as one of the happiest days of the year. Where is the happiness on a presentless day focused on the past and future?
On Rosh Hashana, we read the story of a young Yishmael, with the clear message that G-d judges a person as he judged Yishmael- basher hu sham- as he was there at that moment. Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not consider Yishamel’s future- the sins he and his descendants would commit- but judged him basher hu sham, as he stood at that moment in time.
The Sfat Emet points out the oddity of stressing this concept: We read throughout the day of G-d’s attributes of mercy, but basher hu sham is not one of them. Basher hu sham is nothing special; in fact, every court of law judges a person where he stands presently. Are we surprised that G-d judges us basher hu sham? Is there any reason to think G-d would not judge based on where we presently stand?
The Sfat Emet suggests that the novelty of basher hu sham is not only that we aren’t punished for the future, but that we aren’t punished for the past. We are living in the present, and G-d only cares about where we stand right now, putting aside our past and future iniquities.
A fascinating idea, but if so, why are we spending the day klapping al cheit?? G-d doesn’t care about the past and only judges us on the present, why is the focus of the day so much on our past deeds?
The Sfat Emet explains that our past actions affect where we presently stand. We aren’t judged on the past, but our prior actions leave an impression on who we are today. We hopefully stand today with the intent of serving G-d, and for that we hope to be sealed in the book of life. But even if we stand here as angels, our prior deeds have left an impression, even if we don’t notice it, on who we are. Only by doing a true teshuva can we wipe out those impressions and purify ourselves.
Yom Kippur isn’t a day of focusing on the past or worrying about the future. Yom Kippur is a day of living in the present, fixing who we are today, and we are who we are today as a function of our past.
We do teshuva to erase those negative impressions, but perhaps another theme of Yom Kippur is to reflect on the positive impressions that remain with us. We are just moments from reciting yizkor. Yizkor, as the name implies, may be about remembering, but it is not merely about the past. We take the time not just to remember those in our past and sigh over a future without theme, but like Yom Kippur itself, to focus on the present: to appreciate the impact they’ve had on our lives and on forming us into who we are today.
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