Jewish Musings, Tuesday Oct 11/Yom Kippur

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Angelika
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

[louise]

So tonight is Kol Nidrei. For those of you that are not familiar with it, it is a very dramatic and plaintiff prayer in Aramaic that is repeated by the cantor three times, getting louder each time. The ark is open and all of the torahs are taken out. When it is over, Yom Kippur has begun. This is a Day of Judgment and Kol Nidrei reads like a court proceeding but there is something very odd about it, at least to today’s sensibility:


"All vows, renunciations, bans, oaths, formulas of obligation, pledges, and promises that we vow or promise to ourselves and to God from this Yom Kippur to the next – may it approach us for good – we hereby retract. May they all be undone, repealed, cancelled, voided, annulled, and regarded as neither valid nor binding. Our vows shall not be considered vows; our renunciations shall not be considered renunciations; and our promises shall not be considered promises."

What’s up with that? It feels like there should be something conditional there – like “If I cannot keep my promises may I be absolved.” No it just says straight out your vows don’t mean anything. This is both dangerous and familiar to many of us. It’s like New Year’s resolutions that will be forgotten by March. WE were discussing this at shul this past Shabbat and one friend said that maybe it would be arrogant to think we can accomplish everything we hope to. Another offered that maybe it’s phrased like that so we are not afraid to aspire to something for fear of not being able to attain it.

Historically our enemies have at times used this against us saying a Jew’s vow doesn’t mean anything. The thing is that this annulment of vows only applies to vows to ourselves or to God, not those concerning other people. More irony for us!

I will be leaving work early and going to shul. I will stop in again later if can. Otherwise, G'mar Chatima Tova (May you be inscribed for good in the Book of Life).

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well today. It is sunny and cold here in VA; only 45 degrees right now, although it's supposed to be in the mid-60's later. There are still flowers blooming, so I hope there won't be a frost soon.

Re today's topic: Maybe it means that whatever promises and vows we make to ourselves and God need to revised every year, to see where we really are in terms of our personal and spiritual growth. A lot of changes can happen in a year, so that some goals/dreams were accomplished while others weren't. I think that the HHD open up possibilities for change in a realistic increment of a year. It's a good time for looking inward and seeing what is there.

I'll be back later. Have a peaceful day, Lee

[hollygail]

During the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were given three choices: convert to Christianity, die, or get out of Spain. Some Jews chose an "outward" conversion, secretly keeping Judaism in private. So the wording in Kol Nidre basically said, "in case I have to renounce Judaism and accept Christianity in order to remain alive, please don't believe the vow I'll be forced to take in front of official Christians (priests, or a Christian court of law, or whatever the then current situation was), because it's the only way I'll be able to remain alive..."

I too will be leaving shortly and may not have time to come back to the boards today. If so, may I add my wishes to Louise's that each of us and all our loved ones be sealed for a good and sweet year.

[lee058]

Holly, my mom's side of the family lived in the Black Sea area, with some people of the same name in Turkey. I have wondered if they came from Spain.

[savtele]

Boker Tov All! Obviously, the promises that I make to you (or anyone else) are to be kept. The promises that I make to myself - sometimes there is a caveat in my mind even as I make them: I will remain on faithful to my eating/workout plan "except on the week of my grandson's wedding!" And the "promises" we make to G-d - only G-d knows how our circumstances will change over time!

I also want to wish all of us & our loved ones to be inscribed into the Book of Life - for a good and sweet year!

[peachymom1]

First, I want to wish you well, Lee, that sounds like a lot to deal with. And Frieda, I'm going to print what you wrote and put it on my bulletin board. Brilliant!

For me personally, the Kol Nidre prayer serves to ground me a little after ten days of going over my life and repairing relationships. By Kol Nidre, I feel like I've made changes and accomplished things and am ready to face the future as hopefully a better person making better choices and doing more for others. The Kol Nidre prayer reminds me that if I get unrealistically enthusiastic or bite off more than I can chew, it'll be OK. I tend to expect more of myself than others do, and this reminds me that I don't have to do it all.

I wish everyone a sweet year of goodness and blessings, an easy fast to those who are fasting, and may we all be sealed for a good year!

[gazelle18]

You know, as a lawyer, I have always loved the kol Nidre prayer. It sounds so convoluted, but when you really read it, it makes perfect sense to me. Promises to others are not to be broken. Promises to ourselves - well, we realize we are human. And promises to God - again, if anyone knows we are human, it's God! What we are not excused from is the sincere attempt to keep our promises to God and to ourselves.

Have an easy fast, for those of you fasting, and I'll "see " you guys Thursday

[lee058]

Hi again everybody. Just checking in to say hello, and I hope everyone learns a lot and makes good spiritual connections tonight and tomorrow. You will be in my thoughts. Have a peaceful night/day, Lee

[happysavta]

gemar chatimah tova to all!