![]() We are judged on Rosh HaShanah before the Heavenly Court as to whether we will live or die, or have a life of ease or trouble, and we have 10 days until Yom Kippur to appeal our sentence. One of the central prayers of the Ashkenazi liturgy for Days of Awe is Unetaneh Tokef, which asks us to imagine a drama that there is a Book of Life in a celestial dimension. “On Rosh HaShanah this is written on the Fast of Yom Kippur this is sealed how many will pass from this world how many will be born into it who will live and who will die who will reach the ripeness of age, who will be taken before their time… who by earthquake and who by plague who will be tranquil and who will be troubled…īut through return to the right path, through prayer and righteous giving, we can transcend the harshness of the decree.” ( Mishkan HaNefesh, pg. So does He review the flock of humanity one by one, determining each individual’s fate for the coming year.īut the individual human being is not just a helpless sheep! Rather, he or she can contribute to their verdict by altering their behavior towards G-d and Man, specifically in the areas of sincere Repentance, Prayer from the heart and Charity given with a cheerful spirit.Editor’s Note: Trigger warning for anyone who has experienced trauma, particularly in the last year. The prayer portrays G-d as a Shepherd over His flock, counting and examining each sheep one by one as it passes under His rod. Rabbi Amnon asked that it be sent to all Jewry and that it be inserted in the prayers of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur for all time. Three days later Rabbi Amnon appeared in a dream to Rabbi Kalonymous ben Meshullam, a scholar and poet, and taught him the exact text of the prayer. He wished to say the Kedushah to sanctify G-d’s Name and publicly declare his faith in G-d’s Kingship.With his dying breath, he uttered the words that we now know of as the U’Netaneh Tokef. The Rabbi responded, “I should have my tongue cut out for not having refused immediately.” The Bishop angrily had Rabbi Amnon’s hands and feet cut off and then sent him home.Ī few days later was Rosh HaShanah, and Rabbi Amnon, dying from his wounds, asked to be carried to shul. Finally, the Bishop had him forcibly brought to him and demanded a response. When the deadline for decision arrived, the Bishop sent messenger after messenger to bring Rabbi Amnon, but he refused to go. For three days he could not eat or sleep and he prayed to G-d for forgiveness. ![]() One day, however, Rabbi Amnon asked the Bishop for three days to consider his offer.Īs soon as Rabbi Amnon returned home, he was distraught at the terrible mistake he had made of even appearing to consider the Bishop’s offer and the betrayal of G-d. Of course, Rabbi Amnon continued to refuse. The Bishop insisted and continued to press Rabbi Amnon to accept his offer. The Bishop of Mainz summoned Rabbi Amnon, a great Torah scholar, to his court and offered him a ministerial post on the condition that Rabbi Amnon would convert to Christianity. The story behind this piyut, a prayer-poem, is sad and poignant, and may shed light on the prayer itself. The prayer entitled “ U’Netaneh Tokef” is attributed to a Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, Germany, who lived about one thousand years ago. ![]() ![]() “ Let Us Tell How Utterly Holy This Day Is“ ![]()
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