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Jewish Life & Celebrations

Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur

Kol Nidre: All Vows. A Service of Memory and Contemplation Through Literature and Music

© Excerpted from the Kol Nidre Service of Memory and Contemplation Through Literature and Music of The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in New York.

This service was arranged by Rabbi Peter Schweitzer with assistance from other people. Full credit for the sources is available through The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism.

Welcome


CHESHBON HANEFESH
(“Taking Stock of Oneself”)
traditional melody
lyrics by Jerry Bain and Sandi Horwitz
(c) 1983 Oraynu Congregation

Cheshbon hanefesh,
How shall we know what is right?
Searching within,
Seeking to understand.
Chesbon hanefesh.

What is our task?
How can we bridge the gap
Of thought and deed?
How can we succeed?
Finding the way, building a better world.
This is our quest - chesbon hanefesh.


A Day of Affliction

Yom Kippur is a day of many moods: of sorrow and sadness, of anxiety and guilt, of contemplation and pensiveness, of memory and loss. And also, it is a day of hope and the happiness of a life renewed.

According to the Bible, Yom Kippur is a day for affliction, as it says: "You shall afflict yourself, and shall do no work...for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you." (Leviticus 16:29f)

Affliction, we are led to believe, acts as a purging agent, but what this entails is not specifically defined. Fasting seems to have been the affliction of choice of the Psalmist, but this was not without controversy. The prophet Isaiah (58:3-10) challenged people whose fast was insincere, and who posed as humble and self- righteous. He taught that acts of self-abnegation were no substitute for deeds on behalf of others.

"Is not this the fast that I choose," he exclaimed, "to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free...? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Of course, the voice of a prophet is often a lonely one and Isaiah's plaintive cry has been largely ignored. To this day, we are, as a society, still insufficiently caring for the homeless and the hungry. The practice of fasting is also no longer universally observed. While many Jews still find meaning in this ritual, many others do not and no longer keep it.

For Humanistic Jews, the question of whether or not to continue this practice is a matter of choice, not commandment. Many see fasting as an archaic ritual that brings unnecessary discomfort. They also do not feel that it is necessary to voluntarily deprive themselves of food in order to be more compassionate towards those who suffer hunger constantly. For them, it is not our fasting that is required but our feeding of others. It is not the humbling of ourselves that is needed, but the helping of those who find themselves humbled.

Others, however, also affirm these lessons, and continue to fast. Some teach that when we control our appetites on Yom Kippur, we remember that on other days, too, we can be masters, not slaves, of our desires. Also, they do not regard fasting as a form of self- affliction, but as an annual opportunity to focus on reflection and atonement. They believe that fasting enhances introspection and contemplation without the distractions of worldly indulgences. Others simply want to link themselves to tradition and family ties. For them, fasting is a way to make a connection to their heritage.

Each one of us will choose our own way and our own explanation. There are no right or wrong answers. There are only possibilities and choices. Whichever path we follow, let us be grateful for the freedom to ponder these decisions and the luxury of having ample food and drink which we can and may choose to forego.


ASHREYNOO

Ash-rey-noo!
Ma tov chel-kay-noo!
Oo-ma na-yeem go-ra-lay-noo!
Oo-ma ya-fay y’roo-sha-tay-noo!

How greatly we are blessed! How good is our portion!
How pleasant our lot! How beautiful our heritage!


Listening to Kol Nidre
Now, tonight, we will listen to Kol Nidre.

It says: We are here again to link ourselves to our ancestors, generation to generation, who hearkened to this melody before us.

It says: We are here again this Yom Kippur to renew our vows which, humanly, we may come to break.

It says: We are here again this Yom Kippur to make vows once again, despite the fact that we are fallible and can't live up to them.

It says: We are here again this Yom Kippur to declare our right to be Jews and to honor the memory of those who died for the right to say these words.

It says: We are here again this Yom Kippur. We rejoice in our heritage and in our humanity, which have preserved our people, sustained us in life, and brought us forward to this day and this evening of Kol Nidre.


KOL NIDRE
Traditional Text

All vows and renunciations,
promises and obligations,
bonds and devotions, and oaths
that we have vowed or sworn,
or that we have promised,
or to which we have bound ourselves,
from this Yom Kippur until next Yom Kippur
let them bring goodness upon us.
All these we repent in them.
All these shall be absolved,
released, annulled,
made void and of no effect.
They shall not bind us or have power over us.
Our vows shall not be vows.
Our renunciations
shall not be renunciations.
And our oaths shall not be oaths.

For Contemplation

FOUR MODERN VERSIONS
OF KOL NIDRE

I
by Sherwin T. Wine

We must avoid making empty vows.
We must commit ourselves to deeds rather than words.
All vows, promises and resolutions we may make,
all oaths and pledges we may take between this Day of Atonement
and the Day of Atonement to come,
that are made for love and righteousness,
we affirm and accept.

II
by Daniel Radosh, based on a text in the High Holiday service
of Congregation Machar, Washington, D.C.

We will forgive those who may hurt us.
Whether deliberately or by accident.
We will pardon fully those
who may not keep their promises,
obligations or oaths
between this Day of Atonement
and the Day of Atonement to come.
When tolerance and justice light our days
We bring tolerance and justice to the world.

III
by Peter Schweitzer, based on a text in the High Holiday service
of Congregation Oreynu, Toronto

Kol Nidre - chant of ages,
Chant of Israel, chant of sorrow,
Of a people bowed in anguish
Crushed by tyrants, hearts broken
Homeless, weary, wandering everywhere.
Generations have hearkened to your plaintive notes
That bring forth tears, that stir up courage.
Out of trials come hopes and yearnings,
Memories of ancestors, dreams renewed.
Into your stirring melody, haunted and pierced
our singers have poured their hearts
And have brought us strength
and resolve renewed.

IV
by Charles Newman

Let us make vows only for good.
From this Day of Atonement to the next,
let us act on our vows not only
because we made them
and they therefore bind us,
but because we are free to continue
to pursue the good.

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