All These Vows

The most memorable prayer of the Jewish New Year—what it means, why we sing it, and the secret of its magical appeal.

Through a series of lively commentaries, over thirty contributors—men and women, scholars and rabbis, artists and poets, spanning three continents and all major Jewish denominations—examine Kol Nidre's theology, usage, and deeply personal impact. They trace the actual history of the prayer and attempts through the ages to emend it, downplay it and even do away with it—all in vain. They explore why Kol Nidre remains an annual liturgical highlight that is regularly attended even by Jews who disbelieve everything the prayer says.

Prayers of Awe
An exciting new series that examines the High Holy Day liturgy to enrich the praying experience of everyone—whether experienced worshipers or guests who encounter Jewish prayer for the very first time.

The most memorable prayer of the Jewish New Year—what it means, why we sing it, and the secret of its magical appeal.

Through a series of lively commentaries, over thirty contributors—men and women, scholars and rabbis, artists and poets, spanning three continents and all major Jewish denominations—examine Kol Nidre's theology, usage, and deeply personal impact. They trace the actual history of the prayer and attempts through the ages to emend it, downplay it and even do away with it—all in vain. They explore why Kol Nidre remains an annual liturgical highlight that is regularly attended even by Jews who disbelieve everything the prayer says.

Prayers of Awe
An exciting new series that examines the High Holy Day liturgy to enrich the praying experience of everyone—whether experienced worshipers or guests who encounter Jewish prayer for the very first time.

Acknowledgments ix

PART I KOL NIDRE AND HISTORY
Morality, Meaning, and the Ritual Search for the Sacred 3
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD
The Heavenly Assembly 22
Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler
What's in a Bowl? Babylonian Magic Spells and the Origins of Kol Nidre 26
Rabbi Dalia Marx, PhD
Sermons and History: The "Marrano" Connection to Kol Nidre 31
Rabbi Marc Saperstein, PhD
The Magic of the Moment: Kol Nidre in Progressive Judaism 39
Dr. Annette M. Boeckler
The Music of Kol Nidre 67
Dr. Mark Kligman

PART II KOL NIDRE AND JEWISH LAW
Kol Nidre: A Halakhic History and Analysis 73
Dr. Eliezer Diamond
Choice, Commitment, Cancellation: Vows and Oaths in Jewish Law 80
Rabbi Daniel Landes

PART III KOL NIDRE: TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY 87
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD

PART IV KOL NIDRE AND THE TESTIMONY OF PRAYERBOOK EDITORS
Kol Nidre from Union Prayer Book to Gates of Repentance 99
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD
Memories of the Past, Guidelines for the Future 109
Rabbi Andrew Goldstein, PhD
What If Cleverness Is Foolishness and Righteousness an Illusion? 114
Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, PhD
Words of Wisdom or Legalese? 119
Rabbi Charles H. Middleburgh, PhD
Two Torah Scrolls and Kol Nidre: The Earthly Court Below 123
Rabbi David A. Teutsch, PhD

PART V KOL NIDRE AND INTERPRETATIONS FOR TODAY
At Least Credit Me with Being Compassionate 129
Rabbi Tony Bayfield, CBE, DD
Filling the Void 133
Dr. Erica Brown
Words Mean Everything, Words Mean Nothing —Both Are True 137
Rabbi Ruth Durchslag, PsyD
"Woe Is Me That I Have Sworn": The Power to Annul God's Vows 142
Rachel Farbiarz and Ruth Messinger
The Tyranny of Perfection 146
Rabbi Edward Feinstein
Disruption, Disorientation, and Restarting:
The Kol Nidre Road to Return 150
Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand
Lifting the Curtain: The Theatrical Kol Nidre 155
Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur
“It’s Rather Hard to Understand”: Approaching God through Sound, Not Translation 159
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer
The Sound and Pageantry: Willingness, Aspiration, and Discernment 163
Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar
Is Kol Nidre Typical? 168
Dr. Reuven Kimelman
All Bets Are Off 174
Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
The Room with No Back, Only Forward 178
Rabbi Noa Kushner
Imagining Nothing 182
Liz Lerman
A Vote of No Confidence 187
Catherine Madsen
Over-Promise, Under-Deliver … and Then Forgive 191
Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum
Courting Inversion: Kol Nidre as Legal Drama 194
Rabbi Aaron Panken, PhD
The Kol Nidre Mirror to Our Soul 200
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Release beyond Words: Kol Nidre Even on a Violin 205
Rabbi Jonathan P. Slater, DMin
Night Vision: A Gift of Sacred Uncertainty 209
Rabbi David Stern
Ritualizing Kol Nidre: The Power of Three 214
Dr. Ellen M. Umansky
All Vows? No! Then, Which Vows? 218
Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig, DD
How Is Kol Nidre Like a Dodgers Game? 224
Dr. Ron Wolfson
We Are the Image of God That God Leaves Behind for History to Know 228
Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel
The Oath, or My Family Story 232
Dr. Wendy Zierler

Notes 237
Glossary 255