Thursday, September 15,1988 — THE BULLETIN ~ 5
By DAVID GEFFEN
**Better it is that you should not vow than you should vow tmdnotpay," (Ecclesiastes)
The climax of the Ten Days of Penitence each year is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. At the outset of the fast day in congregations the wbrld overmen stand adorned in their7a/i/o/ (prayer shawls) and with theitLfamilies await the beginning of :the.service./■\ -r^-The final repast has been eaten. The. memorial candles for loved ones have been kindled. Individuals have approached friend aiid foe alike and asked for forgiveness:^ The atmosphere is in readiness fbir the Kol Nidrei prayer.
Memories of the Kol Nidrei service have been filtered through the prisin of many scenes and many centuries. This is a prayier like no other in our liturgy, and therefore its words and its melody have left their inipact in imuhitude
A Marrano in I5th century Spiain secretly iimde his way to a cellar to meet his compatriots and, in semi-darkness illuminated' by a small flickering candle, recited the ancient formula: Release me from all my vows. Each word was said with fervor and with_ the knowledge that at any second a soldier might break in and arrest them: Even the threat of imprisonment could not deter thei» Marranos from Aiof/jW^^
In 1945 my father Louis Geffen, a judge advocate in the United States Army, was shipped to the Phillipihesjust a few days before Yom Kippur. Since there was lio Jewish chaplain aboard the military transport, the Catholic chaplain helped my fathermake preparations so that the Jewish servicemen on board could observe this holiest of days.
My father acted as rabbi and another enlisted man was the c»nlor. Unfortunately the supply of prayerbooks was limited '—-y only about seven all together. The 20 to 25 men who came to the-service shair^ these tiny books. Yet the Kol Nidrei melody bound them tightly together as they ^davened* in a small room din the ship -T chanting that same prayer which for almost a 1,000 years had been heard in practically every locale and now on a.U.S. Navy destroyer.
The Kol Nidrei prayer — best translated as AU Vows — is
No Other prayer has impaoL of Kol Nidrei
connected with the Biblical passage in £)et//ero/iom> 23: 21-23 which states "When you make a vow to the Lord your G-d, do not put off fuUilHng it, for the Lord your G-d will require it of you, and you will have incurred guilt; whereat you incur no guilt if you refrain from vowing.*'
Each year during Kol Nidrei the individual can wipe the slate clean before G^. Through Kol Nidrei he seeks forgiveness from G-d for his unfulfilled promises. The author of Ecclesiastes i^ui vowsf in aiieven niOKt exacting perspective when hot rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before G-d --better it is that you should now/vow^ than
you should vow and nbt pay; Allow not your mouth tb bring your flesh to guih . . . but fear G-d."
Since Jews, like all peoples, could not completely restrain from making vows, there had to be a mechanism to deal with these slips of the tongue. ^
)
As Rabbi Herman Kieval has noted — "the legal authorities in the Talmudic period had tb cope with thedilemma of perserv-ing the sanctity of the pledged word in a society that continued to make ill-considered vows." Oiit of such a need Kol Nidrei was bom, reflecting a Jewish approach to the sanctity of the word when all about thiem words were meaningless.
Yethefore Kol Nidrei can be effective, each and every Jew must state a personal confession and many symbolically perform the Kapparah nXvaX. Then during the day itself the communal confession, Ashamnu, and personal confessions, .4/ Chait are repeated various times during the 25 hour period. On
Ql: WhatisSuccot?
A: Succotis the Hebrew name of the holiday of Tabernacles, of Biblical origin; during which Jews throughout the world eat and dwell in temporary huts. Succa similar to the dwellings of the ancient children of Israel when they wandered in the desert for 40 years, under the leadership of Moses after the exodus from E^rpt. It lasts for seven days, and is followed by a special two-day holiday, S'/rmm/ Atzeret which concludes the High HolyDay season. .
02.'When does Succot begin?
A: According to Biblical law; Succot is determined by the Jewish lunar calendar, and begins on the fifteenth day of the month of Tishrei (two weeks to the day following Rosh Hashona). The English date varies from year to year. This year, Succot begins Sunday evening, Sept.'25, approximately 20 minutes before sunset.
reside in the Succa, exposed to theelements, is to remind the Jew of his vulnerability to the vicissitudes of life, especially during this period just after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and just before the Heavenly Judgement is finally sealed on the last day of Succot, Hoshanah /?a^Z>a^. A popular explanation of the Lulav and Etrog is that each of the four species stands for a different type of Jew: pious, learnedi ignorant and non-observant, and the act of taking-the four species together and _ blessing them each day of Succot symbolizes the spiritual reunification of the entire Jewish people in the service of the Almighty:
Q5: Are there any exceptions to these observances: A: The obligation to eat and dwell in the Succa is suspended during inclement weather. Theobligation to take the Lulavand Etrogas wellas todwell in the Succa is optional for women and children. Both M/7zvo/ obligations are particularly strong on the first day of Succot.
Q3: What are the special observances of Succot? A: Throughout the seven days of Succot, Jews are obligated to eat all meals in a temporary structure called a 5urra, which^ according to Jewish law, must be buiU with a semi-open roof made up of natural materials. They are also encourag^ to live and even sleep in the Succa, if possible. The other special observance (Afi/zvtf A) of Biblical origin during succot is the taking of four species (Lu/av and fVro^) of fruit and trees, including the citron; the palm branch, the willow and the myrtle.
Q4: What is the significance of these observances?
vl.' Many explanations are given for both the Succa and the
Lulav and Etrog. One interpretation of the requirement to
Q6: What is the significance of Hoshana Rabba?
A: Theseventhdayof Succot has special prayers and observances all its own. Called Hoshana Rabba, it is the Jew's last opportunity to repent from his or her misdeeds before the _Heavenly Judgements for the coming New Year are finally sealed. Each day of Succot, a special prayer beseeching help from the L-rd {Hoshana) is chanted >yhile all in the congregation march in a solemn circle (T/aAra/a/i) around the Torah school held at the centre of the synagogue, commemorating a ceremony of the priests of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. On the seventh day of Succot, called Hoshana Rabba, all of these prayers are chanted while the congregation circles the synagogue seven times^ At the end of the prayers; bundles of willows {Aravot) are customarily beaten on the floor, and the supplications for mercy and forgiveness are complete.
YISKOR
From Page 4 _
brance of the souls of loved ones, we recite the words: -
L-rd, what is man that thou regardest him? Or the son
of man, that thou takest account of him? Man is like to vanity; his days are as a shadow
that passeth away. In the morning he bloometh afresh, in the evening'
he is cut down and withereth. So teach us to number our days that we may get us a
heart of wisdom.... wzps
Q7: Are there any other customs unique to Succot?-A: The holiday of Succot is considered one of the most joyous 'of holidays, with special celebrations'comemorating the ancient rejoicing at the site of the Water-drawingrlibation of theTemple in Jerusalem. During the time of the ancient Temple, the Jews also dedicated 70 sacrificial offerings for the benefit of all the nations of the world, and the Succot holiday to this day is considered a universal time of celebration.
Yom Kippur the Jew makes a deep personal search of his orher actions. Moreover, abstaining from foodmakes it possible for the individual to dwell on the spiritual and moral aspects of life.
The story is related about a private in the Korean War who refused to eat on Yom Kippur even though he was in the heat of the battle. During the course of one surge forward by his platoon, he sustained an abdominal wound and began to bleed profusely. Rushed to the closest field hospital, the doctor operated bn him and was successful. When asked how the private had survived, the doctor replied that normally infection sets in with such a wound because of food in the stomach and intestines. In this case, the doctor commented, the soldier's stomach" wa^s empty from the Fast.
Yom Kippur in Jerusalem, however, has a meaning all its own. Even before the shades of night begin to descend Jerusalem becomes absolutely silent as all cars and traffic come to a halt. For 25 hours the streets of the city are filled only with walkers and a rare ambulance. No other day has the sanctity of Yom Kippur in Jerusalem.
With each passing year we who live in the city sense its widening impact. Indeed in Jewish communities the world over, the power of the day is also felt. In Jerusalem, as the fast draws to a close, thousands upon thousands of Israelis flow to the Wall.
As they stand together to hear the blowing of the Sbofar and the traditional call of'Next Year in Jerusalem' — it is clear that they have arrived. Jerusalem at Yom Kippur is a special place to be but Yom Kippur the world over is a day like no other day.
Begun with Kol Nidrei and concluded with the sound of the Shofar — ram's horn — Yom Kippur even leaves its mark on that individual who would but listen to the poignant message this day shares with each and every member of the Jewish people. WZPS
Dr. David Geflen, a rabbi, lives in Jerusalem.-
Lisa PiBskow/WZPS Photo
THE WORD lu/av, a shoot or a young branch of a tree, applies, according to the Mishnah, toall trees. Its use, however, is particularly coi^fined to the palm branch, pne of the four species used In Jewish ritual during the festival of Succot. These palm branchesi are growing at NeotKedumlm, the Biblical Landscape Reserve In Israel.
cot. It concludes the High Holy Day season (this year Oct. 3-4) ona noteof specialjoy and festivity in the faith that the L-rd has inscribed the Jewish people for another good year^
Q8: What is Shmini Atzeret?
A: S^mwi/l/rere/ is a Biblically ordained, two-day holiday immediately followingtheconclusion of the seven days of Suc-
A 9^ What is Simchat Torah?_
A: On the second day of Shmini Atzeret ^ theannualcycle of the public reading of the Torah scroll (containing the F/v£ jSooitso/' A/o^e'j^ is completed, and immediately begun again in the midst of much celebrating and rejoicing. All of the synagogue's Torah scrollsare removed from the ark and are carried, amidst singing and dancing,around the synagogue seven times (//aA:fl/o/). That day is called Simchat Torah (The Rejoicing of the Torah) audit signifies the Jew's constant devotion and tenewal through the
study of the Torah and its laws. (National Coundl of Young Israel