Musings on Unesaneh Tokef

Unesaneh Tokef Kedushat Hayom... "Let Us Validate And Acknowledge The Holiness Of..." begins what is probably the most powerful and moving piyut (liturgical poem) of the entire High Holy Day service. But it is the closing words of this piyut that, in my opinion, give us strength and optimism as we stand in judgment on Yom Hadin.

According to the Halachic work Or Zarua ( Light is Sown) written  by Rabbi Yitzchak ben Moshe of Vienna in the 13th century, the piyut  was composed by a Rav Amnon of Mainz, Germany, in the  eleventh century. The Bishop of that city insisted that his good friend the Rabbi convert to Christianity. Rav Amnon asked for and received three days to decide. Rav Amnon suffered from depression, despair and self-doubt for having intimated that he would entertain the idea of converting. When Rav Amnon failed to appear at the appointed time, the Bishop had him brought and had his hands and feet amputated. A few days later the dying Rav Amnon asked to be brought to the synagogue on Rosh Hashana. As the Congregation reached the Kedusha, Rav Amnon was inspired to create and chant the poignant piyut before dying. According to the legend, a few nights later Rav Amnon appeared in a dream to Rabbi Klonimos ben Rabbi Meshullam, taught him this moving hymn and asked him to communicate it to world Jewry for inclusion in the liturgy.*

The climactic phrase Utshuva, Utfila, Utzedaka Maaveren Es Roa Hagezayra is conventionally translated as follows: "But repentance, prayer and charity cancel the stern decree."**

I, for one, have been troubled by these words. Can one's Fate be reversed once it has already been decided? Can Hashem be "bought off” so readily by our promises of charity and by our promises of good behavior? I think that the meaning of these words and their profound truth can be arrived at by an analysis of the words themselves with their multitude of, and sometimes contradictory, definitions.

Teshuva, the keynote theme, means repenting/returning.We are called upon to examine our lives and our behavior;to not repeat our past unsavory behavior; and to commit ourselves to investigate and then return to our essential core of goodness. Some have suggested that the mechanism of tshuva is transformational: by our changed behavior we become new individuals and thus no longer subject to the deserved punishment of our old selves.

Tefila means prayer. It is an activity that calls upon us to reach outside ourselves; to acknowledge that we are part of a universe, rather than its center. Egocentricity, either conscious or unconscious, is a source of grandiosity and sin. The experience of reaching outside ourselves to praise, to thank, to acknowledge and to plea confirms the importance of Hashem Who "listens," Who pays attention, Who cares. It is good to be loved and cared about. Tefilah is the step in the transformational process that creates the interface between the human and the Divine.

Tzedaka is usually defined as Charity — the giving of money to the needy. However, whenever the word appears in the Torah, it never has this monetary dimension. Rather it means justice, fairness, the doing of good deeds and straightforwardness in our behavior. It is a description of how we perceive and desire Hashem's interaction with us to be and, more importantly, a formula for how we are to interact with our fellow humans. Utilizing this Biblical definition, Tzedaka becomes the definitional character trait in our communal lives. It is the final transformational step that Rav Amnon considered to be so critical.

The words Maaveren Es Roa Hagezayra are enigmatic and complicated.  Maaveeren has a multiplicity of meanings including crossing, foregoing, passing over, forgiving. Ironically, the root also relates to sin (avera). The word captures the oft-repeated image of our comparison to sheep passing in front of a shepherd. It can also mean to stroke gently.

Roa means evil, malice, wickedness. Ironically again, the root also relates to positive images of friendship and of pastoral scenes. Roa can also mean crush or break.

Hagezayra refers to the Divine decree, though it also has a variety of other meanings, including a precipice, a narrow place and to cut off.

Unesaneh Tokef Kedushat Hayom describes how humanity passes before Hashem like a flock before the shepherd; how Divine decisions on Life and Death are made; and how Divine decisions regarding the living are made: who will be at rest, who will wander, who will suffer, who will be enriched. It is following this idea about the living that Rav Amnon pronounces Utshuva, Utfila Utzedaka Maaveren Es Roa Hagezayra. Note that the text does not say that the Divine Decree itself can be changed; only that Roa Hagezayra can be influenced. My interpretation of this is that Rav Amnon wants the living to know that in addition to Life itself they are being granted the means to soften (maaver) the crushing blow (roa) of what life sometimes holds in store for us (hagezayra). The actions that can transform both us and our life experiences are Tshuva (internal change); Tfila  (internal and relationship change) and Tzedaka (relationship change to greater honesty and straightforwardness).

We pray for Life. If granted, we are given the additional opportunity to change at any time in order to live our life to the fullest. Carpe Diem! Let us seize the day!

* Scholars have discussed the authenticity and authorship of the story. Some suggest that the text antedates the time in which Rav Amnon was believed to have lived. Indeed, a number of versions of the piyut were found in the Cairo Geniza. Their language, structure and design suggest that the original source is in the Middle East, not Germany. One opinion is that this piyut was written either by an author of sacred poems named Yanai who lived in Israel during the Byzantine Era or by his student Elazar Hakalir.

**Philip Birnbaum, High Holy day Prayer Book

Rabbi H. L. Berenholz (September 2003)