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The Essence of Kol Nidra || d [mp3 download]

by Rabbi Sholom Tendler

An Oral Essay on Kol Nidra.

10:02 The most solemn part of Yom Kippur, this is how we enter Yom Kippur ... that there is nothing more important to us than the integrity of what we say

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The Essence of Kol Nidra by Rabbi Sholom Tendler

Main Points

00:05 Story. Bill Handel with calling show having people call in why they hate Jews.

01:12 One caller ... doesn't like Jews because he can't trust them ... On their holiest day of the year, on Yom Kippur the first thing they do is the service of Kol Nidra, they annul their vows.

02:00 A little bit of knowledge is very dangerous. We know that our enemies the Nazis ... were quite educated about superficial things in Judaism and used it as their ammunition

02:41 Besides the fact ... (that) it (Kol Nidra - annulment of vows) has nothing to do ... with Halachic and legal commitments ... between two individuals ... talking about vows between man and G-d.

03:13 What is this Kol Nidra that we do when we come into Yom Kippur?

04:53 I think that it is the appropriate intro to Yom Kippur

05:09 The passuk in Bereshit (ch.2, v.7) by the creation of Adam ... "that man became ... a living soul" Targum Unkelos (a commentary) says ... to a talking spirit, meaning that the very essence of the human neshama (soul) is connected to the ability to talk

06:01 Yiddishkeit (Judaism) teaches us ... that ... the true Tzelem Elokim (G-dliness) is dependent on how we utilize the power of speech ... when you take a sin of breaking one vows ... realize that this is a sin ... directly connected to the very essence of a neshama (soul) and you also combine it with the essential role of emes (truth)

07:32 Emes (honesty) is all-encompassing

07:51 For a beis din (Jewish court) to say "Are you, plaintiff or defendant, are you prepared to come with us to shul and take a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) ... and hold it in your hand and make a shvua (vow) this the Gemara says, is the ultimate threat for a Jew ... There is no way that a Jew is going to hold a Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) (for that)

08:21 And that's why even when we're called upon, the minhag (custom) ... is we don't to swear

09:01 We don't swear, we're terrified of it ... when we come to Yom Kippur ... we realize that there is one sin that if we have we can't even begin to talk to Him (G-d) about it ... has to do with the truth of our dibur (speech)

10:02 The most solemn part of Yom Kippur, this is how we enter Yom Kippur ... that there is nothing more important to us than the integrity of what we say

11:03 So when this Anti-Semite calls Ben Handel (refer to beginning of tape) and says that "You know what Jews do when they come on Yom Kippur?" You know what they do ? They make a statement to their Creator that there is nothing more important to them than the truth of what they say.

11:41 How do you react when someone says "I'll do this Bli Neder, without a vow" that he won't do it? It means that here is somebody who takes a vow so seriously

13:33 (New topic) Very famous mamar (idea) on the very concept of Yom Kippur and tshuva that everything is two-sided ... of Rav Yitzchak Volozher ... (Gemara story of Rav and a rude butcher who dies in an unusual manner).

17:26 What does this mean that Rav was going to appease this guy, meets his student Rav Huna who says "Oy , my Rebbe is going to kill commit murder, and the guy actually dies?

20:17 What was Rav's basis to pasken the Halacha (decide the Jewish law)?

21:38 What was Rav's source? ... No brainer. That's the essence of Yom Kippur G-d does it to us too. G-d comes to us once a year and says to us, "I gave you all year to be good ... if you're not going to me, I'm coming to you" ... What happens if we don't respond?

22:49 The Rambam says ... those who can't be classified as a tzadik or a rasha (a righteous or an evil person) ... wait until Yom Kippur to see if they do tshuva (repentance) ... Why is it dependant on tshuva (repentance)? .

23:28 Rav Yitzchak Volozher explains ... "Nothing else can compare, everything pales in comparison to Tshuva (repentance) Hakadosh Baruch Hu (G-d) comes on Yom Kippur and says "Just do tshuva (repentance). Just feel something ... pain ... regret ... committment to change"

24:37 The mussar (moral) to us is ... this wonderful llifeline that Hakadosh Baruch Hu (G-d) throws us this life-preserver ... this opportunity to come and to genuinely introspect.

25:07 The minhag of Yisrael (Jewish custom) is to specify your sins

26:16 The good news and the bad news of Yom Kippur. The good news the incredible hesed (kindness) on the part of Hakadosh Baruch Hu ... the tremendous love and affection of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. (G-d)

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