Plan B Forum

This afternoon (23 Sept 23.) I have been listening to a music program from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) FM radio featuring music connected to the Jewish high holidays. At one point the host described the Kol Nidrei as the beginning of the Yom Kippur observance and unlike all the other liturgy, it is sung not in Hebrew," but Aramaic, the language of the people."

I find in Wikipedia "Kol Nidrei is written in a mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew." I also note that Wiki goes on to elucidate that, like almost all other points of liturgy and theology, there is controversy. It is not a general agreement that this is even a prayer.

My question: are there Jewish communities where this prayer or statement is pronounced/sung in the current local language, ordinary English for example?

snailgate

Burning Petard wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 24, 2023 9:10 pm

My question: are there Jewish communities where this prayer or statement is pronounced/sung in the current local language, ordinary English for example?

snailgate

Yes. Traditionally, the Kol Nidrei is recited three times. In my (Reform) congregation, it is first sung by the cantor (Aramaic), then the melody is played on an English horn, then it is sung by the choir (again, Aramaic), and finally it is recited collectively by the congregation in English. In the (Conservative) congregation in which I grew up, it was sung three times by the cantor with the choir, and then recited by the congregation in English.

As for the language of the original, it is all in Aramaic except for one phrase ("from this Day of Atonement until the next Day of Atonement, should it come to us for good"), which is in Hebrew, for what I can only imagine are reasons.

I guess I would say Kol Nidrei is a prayer in that it preemptively asks forgiveness for making rash and ill-considered vows to God, but I think of it more as a meditation on how to comport oneself for the year to come, by not treating casually the responsibilities one may take on in doing the work of tikkun olam (repair of the world).

.גמר חתימה טובה

Thank you. snailgate

Oh, and Kol Nidrei (only ever recited at the beginning of Yom Kippur) is not the only part of the Jewish liturgy in Aramaic. One of the central "prayers" of literally all services on all days and holidays is the Kaddish, usually in several versions/lengths, which is in Aramaic. Nobody ever does it in English translation though.

marijuanica?

wesw wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 24, 2023 8:00 pm

marijuanica?

WTF is wrong with you?

It's wesw's idea of a pun.

A Jewish "high" holiday might be called mari-hwanukkah

Click on this and play the 15 second clip - "https://www.youtube.com/embed/qUCNAnp2Q ... P-ODRiXhA4"

Joe Guy wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:06 pm

Click on this and play the 15 second clip - "https://www.youtube.com/embed/qUCNAnp2Q ... P-ODRiXhA4"

Oh fount of all knowledge!

All that information is out there to find if you really wantikkah.

How is it that I'm now dumber for having seen that clip?

Sue U wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:02 pm

How is it that I'm now dumber for having seen that clip?

Isn’t that true of the entire Sandler canon?

Sue U wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:02 pm

How is it that I'm now dumber for having seen that clip?

Are you being ironikkah?

meade is correct again

and , as usual, joe , ie me, gets it completely.

meade, as is usual, is preternaturally perceptive.

this is , indeed, my idea of a pun.

i find puns to be the lowest form of humour.

there fore, to be funny, a pun must be so understated as to actually not be a true pun.

everyone does not love a pun

puns are humour for the witless

Apparently ugly Hannukkah sweaters are a thing.