Miyom Kipurim Zeh
Kol Nidre 2007/5768
Kol Nidre 2007/5768
The story is told of a wise Rabbi who was called upon to settle disputes between the residents of his village. One day, a student from another village was visiting and observing the Rabbi as he was hearing a case. After the first villager presented his argument, the Rabbi said, “You’re right.” The second villager protested, “You haven’t heard my side of the story yet!”, and proceeded to argue his case. The Rabbi turned to the second villager and said “You’re right”. The student observer exclaimed, “Rabbi, you just told both of them that they are right, when they are in opposition to each other!” to which the Rabbi responded, “You’re right, too!”
This is an old joke, but (as with most Jewish jokes), it contains a kernel of truth. Our tradition is filled with instances like this one, where there are two sides to a question, and both are considered valid. I suppose you could call it the “two Jews, three opinions” principle.
We at HPCT-CAE are intimately familiar with this principle, because we live it every Shabbat through our system of dual minyanim. This works for us halachically because our movement embraces the idea of more than one right answer. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards usually endorses multiple rulings as consistent with halacha, leaving it to individual Rabbis to do what is right in their congregations.
The Conservative movement didn’t think this up all on its own, of course. The idea of more than one right answer dates back thousands of years, to our earliest sources.
The most famous Talmudic example of this principle is the relationship between Hillel and Shammai. Hillel and Shammai were on opposite sides of almost every issue – as a matter of fact, the Talmud records over 300 differences of opinion between them or between their disciples. And while the Rabbis usually side with the more liberal Hillel, they say that in the time of the Mashiach, we will be ready to follow the more stringent rulings of Shammai. In all cases, both opinions are held to be valid, and the adversaries remain friendly; we are taught that the daughters of Beit Hillel married the sons of Beit Shammai, and vice versa;.
The notion that there’s more than one way to do things manifests itself in many other aspects of our religious life.
The Tanach has numerous instances where there is a difference between how a word is written and how it is read. This is known as “K’tiv” versus “Kri”. The straightforward explanation of this difference is that there were errors in transcription when the text was codified. This is easy to believe, given how difficult it is to write a Torah without making a mistake.
What is curious, though, is that instead of fixing these transcription errors, sofrim are required to copy them into each Sefer that they write. I guess you could say that the Sofer is allowed to make mistakes as long as they’re the same mistakes that their predecessors made, but is not allowed to make new ones.
So why not fix the errors? The simplest reason is another favorite principle of ours: “tradition”. Since the people who finalized the contents of the Torah left these differences there, we don’t want to change them. Plus, the ktiv versus kri differences are a rich source of interpretation for us as we attempt to understand the meaning of the Torah. So they remain in place, much to the chagrin of those of us who leyn.
The Amidah is filled with differences in wording, usually related to the calendar.
In deference to the religious calendar, a number of changes are made in the Amida during the Aseret Y’mei Tshuvah. We say “HaMelech HaKadosh” instead of “HaEl HaKadosh” at the end of the Kedusha, and we say “HaMelech HaMishpat” during the weekday Amida instead of “HaMelech Ohev Tzedakah UMishpat”. These changes pick up on the themes of Rosh Hashana, in which God is referred to as our King and as a judge.
Changes to the Amidah also come from the agricultural calendar – specifically the seasons in Israel. We say “Mashiva HaRuach UMorid HaGashem” and “V’Ten Tal UMatar Livracha” during the rainy season, and “Morid Hatal” and “V’Ten Bracha” during the dry months.
And of course, there’s the “two Jews, three opinions” aspect. At Shacharit the last Bracha in the Amida is Sim Shalom, while at Minha and Ma’ariv it’s Shalom Rav. This difference is due to a debate between the collators of the Siddur over which one to include. Fittingly, they chose both.
My focus on this duality started with a look at the Kol Nidre paragraph that the Hazzan chanted for us (just a few minutes ago) (last night). Kol Nidre is not a spiritual prayer, but rather a legal formula. Briefly, its intent is to absolve us of responsibility from any vows that we have not been able to fulfill, so that we can enter into the confessionals of Yom Kippur with a clean slate. But our liturgy actually offers two versions of the formula which have distinctly different implications.
The traditional Kol Nidre includes the phrase “Miyom Kippurim Zeh, Ad Yom Kipurim HaBa Aleynu” – nullifying our vows from this Yom Kippur until next. This essentially gives us a “Get out of Jail Free” card – any vows we have not yet made are already null and void before we even make them.
The authors of the Mahzor Hadash modify the phrase to read “Miyom Kipurrim SheAvar Ad Yom Kippurim HaZeh” – from last Yom Kippur to this one. This fits better with many of our modern sensibilities; if we’re going to nullify our vows, at least let us make them first!
These two phrases in Kol Nidre took on a new significance for me as I began to think about what I would speak to you about tonight. Just as our Rabbis included both Sim Shalom and Shalom Rav in our Amida, and both the Ktiv and Kri in the Torah, it seems to me that we should think about both forms of Kol Nidre. On the Yamim Nora’im, we look back on the previous year, and at the same time we look forward to the next. In that spirit, I’d like to take a few minutes to reflect on this in the context of our shul.
Last year we had the fire and its aftermath. This year we will begin to rebuild.
Last year we completed the merger of our synagogue with Congregation Anshe Emeth. This year we will continue to integrate the former Anshe Emeth members into our congregational family.
Last year, due to the hard work of our volunteers, we cemented our synagogue’s commitment to a dual minyan system on Shabbat and Yom Tov. This year, we will offer classes and one-on-one assistance to give new people the tools and the opportunity to participate.
Last year, the American Jerusalem Academy offered us educational and cultural enrichment in spite of the challenge of operating in multiple venues. This year, with the Temple as our home base, we will expand our offerings.
Last year, our Junior Congregation committee expanded its focus from Shabbat and Yom Tov services for children to include family-oriented events. This year, the committee has renamed itself the Family Programming committee, with a goal of meeting the religious and social needs of our children and their families.
Last year, our USY and Kadima members were active in chapter, regional, and international activities. This year they will involve more children in the wonderful opportunities that are available to them.
Last year the Men’s Club and Sisterhood provided valuable support to our Temple family through their ongoing activities and fundraising efforts. This year, in addition to their individual calendars, they are branching out by planning programs with each other and with other Temple organizations.
Last year, we shared in the Simchas of our Temple family. This year, in addition to celebrating our own milestones, we will join with the entire Jewish world to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel.
Last year, we shared in the grief of our families who suffered losses. This year we pledge to continue to support our friends in their time of need.
Miyom Kipurim She’Avar ad Yom Kipurim HaZeh – from last Yom Kippur to this one we have prayed together, learned together, celebrated together, and mourned together. In short – we have shared our Jewish lives.
Miyom Kippurim Zeh ad Yom Kipurim HaBa – from this Yom Kippur to next, we will continue to invest our time, energy, efforts, and support in our shul and in our wider community.
I hope you find meaning in your personal reflections on this Yom Kippur, and I wish you good health, happiness, and success in the coming year.
Gmar Hatima Tova – May you and your families be sealed in the book of life.
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