By Dr. Ruth Sandberg

On Yom Kippur afternoon, it has become customary to read a martyrology known as Eleh Ezkerah, in which we remember those who gave their lives for the Sanctification of God’s Name as martyrs.  One section of Eleh Ezkerah recalls the early Rabbinic martyrs of the second century CE, including Rabbi Akiba, who suffered unbearable torture by the Romans but who remained steadfast in their Jewish identity.  The unshakable faith of these ancient Rabbis in the face of such cruelty has been an inspiration to Jews for centuries.  Numerous acts of Kiddush HaShem, martyrdom, appear throughout the tapestry of Jewish history, woven into the fabric of Jewish life in many lands and in many eras.

However, the common practice of translating Kiddush HaShem exclusively as “martyrdom” is not correct.  As Rambam (Maimonides) notes in the Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yeshodei HaTorah 5:10-11, Kiddush HaShem has a much broader definition: “Anyone who refrains from committing a sin or performs a mitzvah, for no ulterior motive but for the sake of the Creator, sanctifies God’s Name… When a sage speaks pleasantly with others and honors them, even the lowly among them… and does business faithfully… and is seen studying Torah… and carries out deeds beyond the measure of the law… such a person sanctifies God’s Name.”   As the Mishneh Torah states, we perform an act of Kiddush HaShem whenever we turn from wrongdoing, or treat others with respect, or conduct our business affairs honestly.  According to Rambam, how we live our day-to-day lives has the potential of reaching the same level of sanctity as an act of martyrdom.

Kiddush HaShem is an important theme on Yom Kippur. We should never forget the Jewish martyrs of our past and our present.  Yet we also have the opportunity at this season to perform acts of Kiddush HaShem as part of our daily lives, transforming the ordinary and everyday into acts of sanctity and holiness.