In our davening on Yom Kippur, during Neilah we ask Hashem to forgive us for all of our aveiros and we continue, “l'ma'an nech'dal mei'o'shek ya'dei'nu,” which means that, “we may cease to engage in robbery.” This is a striking tefillah. Why here, in Neilah, when we are discussing sins in general, do we focus on stealing, on robbery? What about other types of sins? Why is this one mentioned specifically?

Rav Soloveitchik zt”l explains as follows[i]. The Rav explained that really all sinning involves robbery. How so? Hashem created us and therefore Hashem owns us. He is The Owner of the world. The Rav describes this as the significance of the sheim adnus of Hashem which reflects Hashem as the Owner of the world. Hashem owns us, our bodies and our limbs as well.

Hashem only gives us the right to use our limbs and to use our physical abilities to serve Him. If we engage in wrongful deeds, then we are in a sense misusing what Hashem owns. “We may use these gifts conditionally for the period of our life time, only with His concurrence and in accordance with His stipulations.”

Once we are involved in sin then we are in a sense saying that that which is really His. we are viewing as and calling ours. Every sin involves thievery from HaKadosh Boruch Hu. Therefore, when we daven at Neilah that Hashem should help us, that we should be forgiven for our aveiros, and we should stop being involved in robbery. we are really saying that we should stop sinning in general.

Life is a gift and a privilege to be used only for holy ends. When we surrender our rights of uninhibited indulgence we in effect acknowledge a Higher Power who is Master over all.

The Rav explains that this is the basic rationale behind brochos; to recognize that Hashem is The Master and The Owner of the entire world. This is a basic message to take with us as we enter Yom Kippur: To constantly recognize Hashem being The Master and Owner of the world, be humbled before Hashem, and in that way do teshuva for any aveirah.

[i] This is mentioned several places in the name of the Rav. One is in 'Reflections of the Rav,' Volume One, pages 19-20.