The Power of Unity and friendship is a main principle in our Religion, here we are again, on Yom Kippur, about to recite the Vidduy prayers during musaf, while we will be banging our chests saying our confessions to the Almighty, just as we do year in year out on this great day, The Mishna of the Tractate Ta'anit declares that "there were no more joyous days for Israel than Yom Kippur and the Fifteenth Day of Av. Why is this? Because Yom Kippur actually gives us the chance to erase our transgressions which we may have made against G-d and against our fellow man. As we start the Mussaf prayer we will actually encounter a most beautiful prayer, the prayer of (ןבכן תן פחדך) 'Uvchen Ten Pachdecha' the message of the prayer is encourage us, the Jewish people to bundle into a single society and strive for unity through out the year, working together using our different skills and qualities.

You may have heard the story that was told that once there was an elderly man who was very ill and lay dying in his bed. He had four sons, who were always fighting with each other. He always worried about them and wanted to teach them a lesson and asked his sons to come to him. When they came, the elderly man gave them a bundle of sticks and said, “Can you break these sticks?”
The first son tried to break the bundle but nothing happened. He tried very hard and finally gave up. Then it was the turn of the second son to try his luck. He thought it would be an easy task and picked up the sticks. He tried his best to break the bundle but nothing happened. Then, the third son tried to break the bundle of sticks, but he couldn’t do so either.
Meanwhile, the youngest son jeered at his brothers and thought they were very incompetent. He thought he was very clever and took one stick at a time and easily broke all of them.
The old father then smiled at his sons and said, “Children, do you understand what happened? It is always easy to break the sticks one by one. But when they are bundled together, none of you could break them. In the same way. You four brothers should always be together. No one will be able to hurt you then.” The four brothers realised what their father was trying to teach them and forgot all their enmity and learnt that unity is strength.
From that day onwards, they never fought with each other and lived together in peace and harmony.

It is the greatest desire of Hashem that we live together in peace and friendship, helping each other and following the mitzvoth in the Torah. The Torah separated the Jews from the other nations and today these laws are now enshrined in the laws of most if not all countries.  So many of these Torah laws are not to do with religious ritual.  Many are focused on social justice, following a just path in whatever we do, abiding by the laws that enable us to lead our lives in harmony with each other.  When we concentrate a little less on self and a little more on Chesed, Kindness, we bring G-dliness down to earth.

It was during these solemn, holy days that the story was told, in the book of Kings, that Elisha the prophet used to make a circuit of the towns and villages of Israel, teaching the people Torah and guiding them spiritually, reminiscent of the prophet Samuel. In the course of his travels, he came to Shunem and stayed at the house of a woman who had vast wealth and great prestige. -  She always provided him with food and drink. She was very hospitable to him providing lodging and all he would need, all given freely of her own accord! She also built him a small room below the roof of her house. However this woman was childless - yearning for children - it was on these days, the Yamim Norayim - that Elisha called on this great lady and asked what he could do for her. She knew the prophet was capable of so much - he asked - can I speak directly to G-d on your behalf on the High Holidays. The prophet was an important man - the prophet of the generation - it was her chance possibly to have her request granted for children.  She answered that 'she sits among her people,' she knew it was best that all her prayers should be united along with the rest of the nation rather than being singled out - since she knew every person in her congregation would have different merits which would be greatly acknowledged by Hashem. This great lady recognized the importance of togetherness and how much great it can do. He prayed to Hashem and she did later on give birth to a child who, our tradition tells us, was the great prophet Habakkuk.

There was no one busier on Yom Kippur than the Kohen Gadol, we are reading today what services he performed in the Temple during the Yom Kippur service, the original Kohen Gadol was none other than Aharon Hakohen. Biblical literiture teaches us that Aharon was the ultimate man of unity, Aharon was the “meurav b’daat im ha-b’riyot,” the one “bound with his fellow creatures in love,” Aharon was a peacemaker who was beloved by everyone. Aharon would greet wicked people with a smile. He said "Good Morning." The response of the wicked, often was, "How can I continue to sin, it will distress Aharon?" The Medrash declares that in this way "he caused many people to repent from doing bad." He caused them to repent, not through anger or disgust, but with a friendly face. they thought, how can I look at Aharon in the eye tomorrow when he greets me, if I do this sin?
Furthermore, whenever married couples got into an argument, Aharon helped the couple make peace, and the commentaries say he was very successful, according to a Midrash, many children born in the wilderness were named ‘Aharon,’ as the women that gave birth to the child, named the child after Aharon in attribution to his peaceful uniting character. The 'clouds of glory,' which were that accompanied the Jews in the wilderness, where they were all living harmoniously with each other for 40 years was in the merit of Aharon according to the Talmud.

While analyizing the story on the four brothers - we can see that, even in families, there is sometimes strife between siblings.  How much more difficult is it to bring warm relations between those whose beliefs and actions do not agree with our own.  There are difficulties to be overcome between, for instance, the educated and the uneducated, the rich and poor, between nations and different religions.  Shalom Bayit is a good place to start.  Genuine love between husband and wife, where self is less important than giving to the other is so important.  This is not just for the couple, but for the children to see and learn from.  How we are seen to behave, is how they will behave towards their own wives, children and others.  Children imitate the parents and the goodness they see in their own home will surely radiate outwards towards others and also be a blessing for the parents.
We live in a day and age when all around us there is the need for friendship and neighborliness.
G-D looks to us to do his work, to be good to each other and to raise up those less well off than ourselves and create here on earth a spark of heaven that helps unify us.
We set these days as a blueprint for the rest of the year to come and form more united, trustworthy relationships and work together in helping G-d shower bounty among all of us in this world! Hope you are all having a meaningful fast! Shana Tova.