It is said that Nobel Prize-winning author Shmuel Yoseph Agnon was challenged by a relative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to disclose whether Judaism had any rituals that rose to the level of the great drama of the Easter service in Anglican tradition. In answer, S.Y. Agnon wrote his literary masterpiece: “The Days of Awe,” published in 1948. He plumbed the vastness of Jewish texts and traditions and extracted his own literary exploration of the High Holy Day rituals. In anticipation of Rosh Hashanah (which begins this Sunday evening), this week’s kavanot draw from the wealth of Agnon’s marvelous work. Full poetic license has been exercised to reflect modern sensibilities and egalitarianism. Passages inspired by “The Days of Awe” are italicized, other content is the author’s.
The Kol Nidrei (All Our Vows) prayer is traditionally chanted three times. With each repetition the cantor’s voice grows louder. We begin with reticence; we end with determination. Though the prayer seems to seek forgiveness for all our vows made over the past year, that is not its intent. It only applies to vows forgotten. If and when we are reminded of a promise we made, even after reciting Kol Nidrei, we must fulfill our commitment.
Our memories are fallible and our promises are often given glibly without a true commitment to fulfilling our word. This is, of course, the very reason that we sign contracts; when our spoken words are forgotten, our signatures to written words holds us accountable.
What if we truly held ourselves to both our written and spoken words? What if we fulfilled the ideal that our word is truly our bond? This would apply not just in business, but also in our relationships with others. What if, once reminded of forgotten commitments, we sought to fulfill them?
Kol Nidrei reminds us that we are human. We do forget, we move on, circumstances change. But it also reminds us that our word should be our bond. That is the meaning of a vow—it is a spoken promise.
How might you conduct yourself in the year ahead if you take the Kol Nidrei formula seriously? What must you do to ensure that when you make a promise, you will fulfill your own words? When reminded by another of your promise, rather than saying: “I never said that!” what if you said, “You are right, I’ll make good on my words”? Beyond its powerful melody, our most ancient prayer on Yom Kippur eve compels us to be honorable in our dealings with others.
—Rabbi Ron Stern