YOM KIPPUR -FAST OF GADALIAH

 

YOM KIPPUR-FAST OF GADALIAH

“Kol Nidrei”

Kol Nidrei (Aramaic: כָּל נִדְרֵי) is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur.  Kol Nidrei includes an emotional expression of penitence that sets the theme for Yom Kippur.

Kol Nidrei’s name is taken from the opening words, meaning "all vows". The formula proactively annuls any personal or religious oaths or prohibitions made upon oneself to God for the next year, so as to preemptively avoid the sin of breaking vows made to God which cannot be or are not upheld.

There is also a kabbalistic or spiritual purpose to Kol Nidrei: God has vowed, in Scripture, to punish Jewry for its sins; therefore by demonstrating that we can and do cancel our own vows, we hope to induce God to cancel His own dire decrees.

 According to the holy Zohar, Kol Nidre is recited on Yom Kippur because, at times, the Heavenly judgment is handed down as an 'avowed decree' for which there can normally be no annulment. By reciting the Kol Nidre annulment of vows at this time, we are asking of God that He favor us by annuling any negative decrees of judgment that await us, even though we are undeserving of such annulment.

 This declaration has often been held up by anti-Semites as proof that Jews are untrustworthy, In fact, the reverse is true: Jews cherish this ritual because they take vows so seriously that they consider themselves bound even if they make the vows under duress or in times of stress when not thinking straight. . This ritual gave comfort to those who were forcibly converted to Christianity, yet felt unable to break their vow to follow Christianity.

The legendary Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt sings "Kol Nidre" in this 1930 recording.

He was regarded as the greatest cantor of his time.

https://youtu.be/Fha6WfKLXy4

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The Shabbat before Yom Kippur is called the “Shabbos of Return”, Shabbos Shuvah, שבת תשובה.

The haftorah portion is taken from the Book of Hosea, and starts out at 14:2:

שׁוּבָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ:  כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ, בַּעֲוֺנֶךָ

‘Return, Israel to the Lord your God, for you have been led astray by your iniquity”.

The setting for the Book of Hosea is in the Northern Kingdom where Jeroboam the 2nd is King, at around the mid-8^th century BCE.  The Kingdom is prosperous, but continues to worship Canaanite gods and to also perversely worship Hashem using golden calves as an idolatrous representation. 

Hosea’s personal life is used as a metaphor to describe the fractured relationship between God and us.    He learns that his wife (in the role of Israel) is an adulteress.  As a symbol of Israel’s estrangement from Hashem, Hosea names one of children Lo-ruchamah, which translates as "not pitied", and another as Lo-ammi, which translates as "not my people".  These children as well as the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are redeemed at 2:3.

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In 2015, Rabbi Wein said:

"We live with our past decisions, no matter whether they were fortuitous or ill advised. However, in spiritual matters regarding our soul, we are granted this great gift of a new start. And this is not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but we are given this chance for renewal on an annual basis, on this holy day of Yom Kippur".

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 "Unetanneh Tokef"

Unetanneh Tokef   (ונתנה תוקף) ("Let us speak of the awesomeness ") is a  that has been a part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy for centuries. It is chanted while the Torah ark is open and the congregants are standing.  It is a central poem of the Day of Atonement.  It is one of the most stirring compositions in the entire liturgy of the Holy Day.

"All mankind will pass before You like a flock of sheep. Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living; and You shall apportion the destinies of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict.

On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed – how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die after a long life and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by upheaval and who by plague, who by strangling and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted.

But Repentance, Prayer, and Charity annul the severity of the Decree."

https://youtu.be/_t5bK53Q0Ic

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THE FAST OF GEDALIAH

 On the day following the 2nd day of Rosh Hashannah we have a fast day, the Fast of Gedaliah.  Who was Gedaliah?

When the Kingdom of Judah fell in 586 BCE and our capital Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, we became a Babylonian province called Yehud.  The first appointed Governor was Gedaliah who oversaw the administration of the province from the city of Mitzpe, located just north of Jerusalem in lands allotted to the Tribe of Benjamin.

Using the Book of Jeremiah (40-41), the 2nd Book of Kings (25) and an on line course entitled “The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem” as guides let’s explore what Gedaliah may be about:

Gedaliah was part of the aristocracy.  Both his father and grandfather played prominent roles in the royal court of the Kingdom of Judea.  Although part of the aristocracy, Gedaliah was not a descendent of David; he was not in line to sit on the throne.  That is one the reasons that Gedaliah was chosen as Governor; descendants of David were considered to be trouble makers. Gedaliah was indeed assassinated by a member of the royal bloodline.

The Babylonians wanted stability.  And with Gedaliah at its head, Yehud began to return to stability.  Jews, not necessarily the exiles to Babylonia, but those who had fled to neighboring lands began to return.  Gedaliah ruled for about 4 to 5 years before being murdered.  It is thought by many that with his passing, the end of an Era had gone by, and that our land was completely depopulated, this being the reason for the Fast of Gedaliah. 

I do not think this is so.  While it is true that the aristocracy and those of the royal bloodline as well as the Priests had been vanquished, the farmers and those who worked the Land had remained behind. The Babylonians did not want people who had the potential to foment rebellion to remain in the Land.  But what they wanted more than anything else was the wine, oil and wheat paid as tribute from their vassal province

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There is something celebrated by our Cousins that tells of the influence of us on the world at large. In July, Shite Muslims celebrated their solemn holiday called “Ashura”. This holiday falls on the 10^th day of the 1^st month in the Muslim calendar. It is a day for fasting and introspection.

Sounds familiar? On the 10^th day of the 1^st month, Tishrei, we celebrate Yom Kippur. Ashura is just a Knockoff.

https://youtube.com/shorts/HGdIMt8aCJc?si=ENjI_s-Q0xWncKVpThis video shows Ashura being celebrated in NYC with a parade down Park Avenue.

It does not bring out any warm fuzzies and is celebrated in other USA cities where large numbers of Muslims reside.

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