Shalom friends,

Once again it’s that time of the year when the Jews are being judged. Guilty or innocent? Judaism insists that we face the question and tremble in doubt waiting for the answer. The indictment is read at least once a year on Rosh Hashanah and the question of guilt or innocence is raised all the time but it’s not done to describe a real situation as many people erroneously and rather stupidly, think.

God doesn’t really accuse the Jews of those crimes listed in the indictment (see below) the Jew recites them so that he gets the feeling as if he’s being accused of committing those crimes. A real criminal reciting the indictment, in any case would feel awe and the object of reciting them is to make us feel awe. The recitation of the indictment isn’t meant for real criminals but for good people who, in their goodness might neglect to be in awe.

The Jew goes to synagogue on Rosh Hashanah as an accused would go to a regular courtroom only in a regular courtroom the prosecutor reads out the indictment; while in the synagogue it’s sung by the cantor, slowly, somberly, one word at a time and the congregation repeats each word. (You’ll find some of the text and a link to the singing at the end of this talk).

The emotional effect of this, both in the synagogue and the court room is electrifying and the accused is filled with awe considering his “dangerous” predicament and worst of all the guy judging him is the judge of all judges, God Himself. Hey man that’s scary.

This is the effect that Judaism wants to achieve with Rosh Hashanah (and in fact every day). It’s the whole object of the service which is like a charade and the worshippers are the actors. Judaism wants the individual to be in awe constantly, not to take the world for granted. Being in awe makes people look at one another and examine their relationship to the things and people around them and question whether they have done good or bad to others or good or bad to the world. Awe makes them like that.

Unfortunately enemies of the Jews have taken the Rosh Hashanah indictment literally and justify their persecution of the Jews by saying “what do you expect of us when the Jews themselves declare that they have sinned and stolen, murdered and slandered”. They don’t understand or they don’t want to understand that this is all an act which the Jews carry out every year; some Jews do it every day, it’s a sort of mental exercise to bring on the feeling of awe. Hardly any Jew has even dreamed of doing the terrible things that appear in the indictment of Rosh Hashanah, yet our enemies use this as a cudgel against us.

This is why Jewish indictments against themselves are the most common statements found in the Bible, for example the prophet Isaiah (ch1v4) “Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity”, Jeremiah(Ch2v13)” My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me…”, Ezr (ch9v13) "What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt…”,Jer (ch13v2) And if you ask yourself, "Why has this happened to me?"— It is because of your many sins that your skirts have been torn off and your body mistreated and there are many more verses like these.

The Bible’s purpose in spelling out the crimes of the Jewish People is not to describe a real situation of the Jews being a nation of sinners and of God being wrathful and cruel, as most people, especially our enemies, think. The Bible’s purpose here is to give the Jews something to recite that will make them feel guilty, as if they have committed those crimes and as if God is full of wrath and so engender an atmosphere of awe. There are too many other examples pointing to the Jews as a humane, kind and generous nation and God as a God of love for us to accept that God is really wrathful.

The whole purpose of the Bible would be defeated if Jews didn’t live in a state of awe all the time. There’s also a very strong suggestion that all nations should be in awe.

A Jew, even if he keeps all the commandments and prays every day is not a Jew if he doesn’t live in a state of awe.

Wishing you a good day and a very good Year.

Yours truly

Leon Gork

Ashamnu Prayer

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20169374/Ashamnu-Prayer

Youtube woman cantor singing Ashamnu

http://youtu.be/0v2zU9XUqVU

Some of the text of Ashamu:

We have become guilty = אשמנו Ashamnu

We have betrayed = בגדנו Bagadnu

We have robbed = גזלנו Gazalnu

We have spoken slander= דברנו דופי Dibarnu Dofi

We have caused perversion = העוינו He’vinu

We have caused wickedness = והרשענו Ve’hirshanu

We have sinned willfully = זדנו = Zadnu

We have extorted = חמסנו  Hamasnu

We have accused falsely טפלנו שקר Tifalnu Sheker

We have given evil counsel = יעצנו רע Ya’atsnu ra

We have been deceitful = כזבנו Kizavnu

we have scorned = לצנו Latsnu

we have rebelled = מרדנו Maradnu

 we have provoked = נאצנו Na’atsnu

we have turned away = סררהט Sararnu

we have been perverse = עוינו Avinu

We have acted wantonly = פשענו Pashanu