Sandy Koufax, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Yom Kippur

October 1965

October 6, 1965, the first game of the '65 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Minnesota Twins. It's Yom Kippur night at Metropolitan Stadium, 47,797 in attendance. Sandy Koufax, lead pitcher of the LA Dodgers, refuses to play.

Koufax's refusal to pitch on Yom Kippur gained him the respect and admiration of many Jews. His courage gave many Jews the strength to not be ashamed of their Judaism.

Two weeks later, at a Simchat Torah gathering, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, spoke about the Jewish pitcher who refused to play on Yom Kippur (the following is a free translation from the Yiddish). "The first condition in influencing a child," said the Rebbe, "is that the child must see a living example by his parents. If the child sees the parent studying Torah at a time when the parent would otherwise be involved in business dealings, thereby surrendering a few dollars of profit, and perhaps causing that he won't be written up as one of the top dealers — this is an example of self-sacrifice for the child".

October 2003

In 2003, Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, fell on October 6. That year, October 6 was also the first Monday in October. By federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court term commences on the first Monday in October of each year. Since 1975, the Court has opened each term with oral argument presentations. Not in 2003 though. That year, in deference to the Jewish holiday and in no small part due to the efforts of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the U.S. Supreme Court officially deferred oral arguments until Tuesday October 7, 2003. We know that it happened, but how did it happen?

During a dinner program in the U.S. Supreme Court sponsored by the American Friends of Hebrew University, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shared more details behind the story: ”Several years ago,” she began, “Yom Kippur fell on the first Monday in October. Justice Breyer and I went to the Chief Justice [Justice Rehnquist] and pointed that out. We said that the Court should delay the opening in deference to the Holiday. The Chief was not persuaded. He said ‘Why should we delay? We always hold our Friday conferences on Friday, even if it is Good Friday.’ So I replied to him ‘So move that conference to Thursday; that would be fine for us.’ The Chief was still not persuaded. Do you know what persuaded him? I explained to him that lawyers wait their entire career to appear before the Supreme Court. For many of them, it is a once in a lifetime chance to argue in the Supreme Court. What if a Jewish lawyer wanted to appear in court? We should not make that lawyer choose between observing his or her faith and appearing before the Court. That persuaded him and we changed the calendar.”

Sandy Koufax and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are just two examples of Jewish people throughout history, from all segments of society and levels of observance, who have prioritized their connection to G-d and their faith over personal achievements and careers even if it required a level of self sacrifice.

What compelled them to make those choices and what lessons can we apply in our own daily lives?

In the Tanya, one of the seminal works of Kabbalah and Chassidic thought, the author, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1813), expounds on the idea that every Jew possesses a G-dly soul which is literally “A part of G‑d above” (Iyov 31:2). The soul may seem dormant at times but will always remain an integral and essential part of what defines us. At certain times of the year or during various stages in our lives we may become more aware of its presence and it may have a greater influence on our decisions.

Yom Kippur is universally known as the day of Teshuva and atonement. As it is written, “For on this day He shall effect atonement for you to cleanse you. Before the Lord, you shall be cleansed from all your sins.”- Leviticus 16:29-30. Maimonides, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (1135-1204), explains further, “Yom Kippur is the time of Teshuvah for all, both individuals and the community at large. It is the apex of forgiveness and pardon for Israel. Accordingly, everyone is obligated to repent and confess on Yom Kippur”.

In English, Teshuva is usually translated as repentance. However, "repentance" in Hebrew is not Teshuvah but Charatah. Not only are these two terms not synonymous, they are opposites. Charatah implies remorse or a feeling of guilt about the past and an intention to behave in a completely new way in the future. The person decides to become "a new man." But Teshuvah means "returning" to the old, to one's original nature. Underlying the concept of Teshuvah is the fact that the Jew is, in essence, good. Desires or temptations may deflect him temporarily from being himself, being true to his essence. But the bad that he does is not part of, nor does it affect, his real nature. Teshuvah is a return to the self. While repentance involves dismissing the past and starting anew, Teshuvah means going back to one's roots in G‑d and exposing them as one's true character.

On Yom Kippur, we reconnect with our true selves and shed the foreign negative habits or behaviors that we may have developed over the past year.

Although Yom Kippur occurs only once a year, we can develop and express this connection during the rest of the year as well. Every Mitzvah that we perform and each moment that we set aside for Torah study provides fuel and nourishment for the G-dly spark inside of us.

When the Rebbe first launched the famous Mitzvah campaigns in the early 1950s encouraging Jewish men and women around the globe from all levels of observance to increase in doing Mitzvot like donning Tefillin, lighting Shabbat candles, affixing a Mezuzah on our doorposts, studying Torah etc..., many people wondered about the significance of it. They questioned the value and impact of doing one isolated Mitzvah if it devoid of a full time commitment, consistency, or an intellectual and emotional appreciation.

The truth is, however, that every Mitzvah that we do ignites the spark of G-d that we already possess and develops an infinite bond with our creator. The bond which is produced as a result of the Mitzvah transcends time and space and remains effective for eternity.

Our generation is considered to be the final generation of exile and the first generation of redemption. It has not come to us due to our merits, accomplishments or skills, for we pale before the deeds of past eras. Rather, as "dwarfs standing upon the shoulders of giants," our final deeds piled upon the accumulative pyramid of all generations past have reached the defining point. By adding in one more Mitzvah, we will tip the scale and usher in the final redemption.