1) Sandy Koufax was a star baseball pitcher for the Dodgers in the 1960s who famously refused to play in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. 2) On Yom Kippur, Jews' deepest connection to God is revealed as it is the one day that the highest level of the soul, the yechidah, is awakened. 3) By prioritizing his Jewish faith and sitting out the World Series game, even though it went against his team's wishes, Koufax demonstrated that his connection to God through Judaism was stronger on Yom Kippur than other times

1. A lesson of one
Jews connections
to Hashem on
Yom Kippur
A LETTER
TO SANDY
KOUFAX
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2. Class Activities Number One:
1. In partners, create a Google Doc and share it with your working partner so that you
can work on it simultaneously.
2. In the Google Doc, write a letter to Sandy Koufax explaining why you believe his
connection with Hashem was more revealed on Yom Kippur than during the rest of the
year.
3. In your letter, you must make sure to include the answers to each of the questions
on the following slides:
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3. Class Activities Number Two:
• As you write the letter, remember that you are writing it to Sandy Koufax, so make sure
you are directing him throughout the letter.
• This letter must be written in your own words! You will receive a zero if it is not written in
your own words.
• Every group must submit their letter using the link provided on the “assignments” tab on
talltorah.blogspot.com.
Use the following information on the next set of slides to assist you completing the Unit
assignment.
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4. Class Activities Number Three:
1. A brief description about yourselves (Who are you? Where do you live? What school do
you attend?)
2. Why do you feel connected with Sandy Koufax? Why are you writing to him?
4. What did Sandy Koufax do that shows you that his connection with Hashem was more
revealed on Yom Kippur? (Study Slide 5)
5. How is his relationship with Hashem similar to that of a child with a parent? (Study Slide 6)
6. What are the five levels of the soul? (Study Slide 7)
7. What part of Sandy Koufax’s soul was revealed that Yom Kippur? (Study Slide 6)
8. How has Sandy Koufax strengthened your connection with Hashem?
Note: I will choose one letter from the entire 8th grade to send to Sandy Koufax’s publicist!
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5. Use the following information to assist you in answering the questions above:
About Sandy Koufax:
Sandy Koufax was a superstar major league baseball
pitcher. His team, the Dodgers, saw him as one of
their most valuable players.
When a game of the 1965 World Series was
scheduled on the 6th of October, the Dodgers
naturally wanted their star pitcher to be there. That
day happened to be Yom Kippur, and Sandy proudly
declared that he would not play on his Jewish Holy
Day. This was covered in the news, making a great '
- Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of Hashem’s
name).
Information about Sandy Koufax:
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6. About a Jew’s connection to
Hashem on Yom Kippur:
A child who goes against everything his
parents say and makes his parents very
angry with him can’t change the fact that
he is their child! The parents and child
may be very far from each other, but
when something extreme happens in the
family, like a - simchah (happy
occasion) or a tragedy - chas
veshalom (G-d forbid), they will still feel
connected. At special times, the deep
connection of a parent to their child is
awakened, even if just for a short while.
There are 2 parts of a person: the -
Guf (body, the physical part of a person)
and the Neshama (soul, the
spiritual part of a person).
The Neshama has 5 levels. The diagram
below illustrates the levels of the
– Neshama (soul) according to
Kabbalah:
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7. About Yom Kippur, the Torah says, “ “– achat bashanah (one time a year). This doesn’t only
mean that it happens once a year, but that it is a unique day in which the – yechidah (the
highest level of the – neshama (soul)) is revealed. On Yom Kippur we reach a higher level than
we are normally on throughout the year. Our deepest connection to Hashem is revealed and all of our
– aveirot (sins) cannot damage that connection.
Many Jews who do not keep Torah and Mitzvot still come to shul (synagogue) on Yom Kippur. This is
because, as we said before, the highest levels of our - Neshamot (souls) are aroused on Yom
Kippur, and on this day, every Jew feels a connection to Hashem.
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