With clenched fists, we beat our chests in confession on Yom Kippur—but what are we still holding in our hands? The prophets decry those who defraud the poor, hoard ill-gotten gains, and then lift their hands in prayer. Ne’ilah, the closing prayer of Yom Kippur, echoes their warning: repentance is not complete until we return what we have wrongfully held to its rightful owner. Yom Kippur may end before restitution is complete, but repentance does not.
Prof. Rabbi
Reuven Kimelman
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The Torah and Bavli vs. the Prophets and Yerushalmi
Prof.
Jonathan Ben-Dov
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