All Vows, Obligations, Oaths, and Anathemas...

 Well, Yom Kippur is just about here. Wednesday night we begin with Kol Nidre:

All vows, obligations, oaths, and anathemas, whether called 'ḳonam,' 'ḳonas,' or by any other name, which we may vow, or swear, or pledge, or whereby we may be bound, from this Day of Atonement until the next (whose happy coming we await), we do repent. 

May they be deemed absolved, forgiven, annulled, and void, and made of no effect; they shall not bind us nor have power over us. 

The vows shall not be reckoned vows; the obligations shall not be obligatory; nor the oaths be oaths.

It's generally accepted that the prayer first appeared in Spain in the 7th century, documented in use by the 8th century, and specifically addressed the problem of forced conversion to Christianity. For those of you who think persecution began in 1492 with the Inquisition, guess again. It's older than that. The words are not about the world at large; they are about promises between the individual and G-d, the ones that cannot be fulfilled in the hearts. It is highly personal and, at least for me, very intense. 

Every year at this time, I think about that prayer, recited three times in Aramaic, not Hebrew, why it's there, and why we still say it. For Jews around the world, Kol Nidre is an annual moment frozen in time. A lot of Jews who are totally secular will attend Kol Nidre at the start of Yom Kippur even if they do nothing else. It's like a silent shofar drawing us all in. It's the moment that even if you don't believe in G-d and have done nothing Jewish all year, you confront yourself. Kol Nidre is a visceral response to the challenge of living. 

Last week, Rosh HaShana services at my little shtiebl, Beth Jacob, were held outside in an open-sided tent, but you couldn't miss our armed security officers standing nearby. We, too, have installed new security measures this past year. If someone wants to get to us while we are praying, they will; we can only hope the new additions will slow them down enough for people to take cover. How grotesque is even considering that as a necessary option? But wait....it has to be. 

Last Friday, Beth-El Synagogue in St. Louis Park received a credible threat of attack. The synagogue was immediately closed, pre-school cancelled for the day, and additional security measures kicked in. That's right. Kicked in. They were already in place, ready to go. In Saint Paul, a Jewish cemetery was vandalized. 

Events like these add up on the trauma scale. You become more watchful, more suspicious, more cautious, and less trusting. Kids on the lawn now have parents casually guarding the space not because it's official, but because there are credible threats that are not delivered per se. Don't let anyone tell you antisemitism doesn't exist here. It does. 

Meanwhile, back at the CDC:

As we face another year even in partial isolation, social distancing, and masks, I have to be thankful for the progress we've made. There ARE vaccines. If you have enough brains to behave responsibly, your chances of staying healthy are vastly improved. If you behave responsibly toward others in public places, their chances are improved because you are being sensible. Not radical. Not over-the-top. Just merely sensible. Is that so much to ask?

FOX News may go down in history as the only network that actively sought to kill its own audience, but the bottom line is that they're stupid and you can't fix that. And I'm getting awfully cynical when I think, sure, don't wear a mask. Get sick. If you all die then there will be fewer GOP voters at the polls. That's a terrible thought....but I catch myself thinking that every time I watch the news about how stupid people are. And there ain't a damn thing anyone can do about it.

Al Drago/NY Times

And oh, I did want to say something about President Biden. I caught some of his vaccine mandate speech the other day. He had that disgusted parent voice going, and boy, I was impressed. He was so parental it was amazing. Not condescending or mansplaining: he was matter-of-fact and spot on. Was he overstepping Presidential authority? Maybe. I don't know. But I know that voice was really effective when I was growing up and my Dad used it. I thought this was particularly good:

Third, if you wonder how all this adds up, here’s the math. The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing. Nearly three-quarters of the eligible have gotten at least one shot. But one-quarter has not gotten any. That’s nearly 80 million Americans not vaccinated. In a country as large as ours, that’s 25 percent minority. That 25 percent can cause a lot of damage, and they are. The unvaccinated overcrowd our hospitals or overrun the emergency rooms and intensive care units, leaving no room for someone with a heart attack or pancreatitis or cancer.

I'm developing a serious like for Biden's style. He is the Anti-Orange. He speaks calmly even when he's mad. He puts out vetted information. Sure, sometimes stuff comes out wrong, but he has a better track record with facts. The more I read about the previous administration's negotiations with the Taliban, the more I think Biden did what had to be done and did it as well as could possibly be expected. Yeah, there's more to do getting people out, but that's what diplomacy is for. And now, Kim Jung-Un is playing with his missiles again...frankly, it's an AGD: Attention-Getting Device. Someone oughta figure out what he's really after. Probably a bigger winkie judging by the way he poufs himself up. If he has done nothing else, at least Biden is appointing qualified diplomats to crucial posts. I am so okay with that. There is a lot of damage to undo, and the back-biting-back-seat-driving-armchair-quarterbacks just need to sit down and shut up. There. I said it.  

And if in the course of certain events I have pissed anyone off, too bad. That's my job. I cannot/will not apologize for speaking my mind. Even I get to have an opinion. It might be wrong, or screwy, but I hope not. I really do try to be somewhat reasonable. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

An easy fast to all who do. 

May you be sealed in the Book of Life 

for a happy and healthy new year.