“Leopards break into the temple and drink all the sacrificial vessels dry; it keeps happening; in the end, it can be calculated in advance and is incorporated into the ritual.”
― Franz Kafka, The Zürau Aphorisms
Kafka’s aphorism feels strikingly similar to the Jewish approach to sin and teshuvah. No matter how hard we try, we inevitably fall short, and Yom Kippur becomes our annual response to that failure. Kafka, however, leaves us wondering whether the ritualization of failure is a positive or negative development. What does it mean for us to institutionalize sin, rather than genuinely striving to stop it?
In Kafka’s story, the priests or priestesses seem to accept their fate, integrating the uncontrollable into their practice. That makes sense in their case—the leopards are external forces beyond their control. But our actions, unlike the leopards, are within our power. While some failure—whether failing to adhere to Halacha or moral wrongdoing—is inevitable, we have the ability to learn and grow each year.
During these Yamim Noraim, I want to focus on how I can bring more mitzvot into my life in the coming year. I am committed to not repeating many of the interpersonal mistakes I’ve made this past year. Instead of accepting the inevitability of sin, let’s use the lessons of this past year to become just a little bit better.
