Ohev Shalom Voice
Tishrei - October, 5769
Rabbi’s Message
On Rosh Hashanah they are inscribed and on Yom Kippur they are sealed.
(Holiday Prayrer)
Nesane Tokef is a prayer that describes in eloquence the consequences of the Divine Judgment that is rendered these days:
Let us proclaim the mighty holiness of this day; for it is awe-inspiring and fearsome… You are the judge, the one who presents the evidence, the knower and the witness, who records and seals, who counts and reckons. You remember all things that are forgotten… The angels tremble, fear and dread seizes them and they exclaim: “the Day of Judgment is here!”
Who shall live and who shall die; who shall be at rest and who shall wander; who shall be tranquil and who shall be harassed; who shall enjoy well-being and who shall suffer tribulation; who shall be poor and who shall be rich; who shall be humbled and who shall be exalted. But Repentance, Prayer and Charity remove the evil of the decree.
The beginning of Nesana Tokef gives us an initial feeling of fear and dread. Its conclusion give us a feeling of hope and security. An honest appraisal of the past year might assume liabilities on our part from sins of commission and sins of omission. For this we are apprehensive. But we realize that we have in our hands the ability to change evil into good and negative into positive.
The natural course of sin is evil. This is in effect when we allow our own human nature to take its course. We can and must generate the strength of the good within us and overcome and conquer the evil within us. Repentance, Prayer and Charity removes the evil within us. Measure for measure, the evil is removed from the decree of our judgment.
Pardon us, Forgive, Atone for us (Holiday Prayrer)
Best Wishes For A Happy, Healthy,
Prosperous, Peaceful, Blessed New Year
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