| Parsha Ki Tetzei is full of many provocative subjects including laws governing war, prisoners of war, slaves, encampment, military encampment, adultery and licentiousness. Each one of these topics would no doubt make for a very interesting, if not controversial sermon. I have, in light up the upcoming High Holidays, chosen to focus on the lesser known and not oft discussed topic of making vows. Of the four chapters in this portion there is literally one paragraph pertaining to this subject, and yet it necessitated, as I will discuss later, an entire discussion in the Mishna about the making of vows. When I was a kid I remember using the phrase "I swear to God' to express my passion for something and my friend Jason would always correct me saying "don't swear to God, promise to God." Now part of the issue my friend had was taking God's name in vain, but the other came from a internal sense that we, as Jews, ought not to make to serious of a promise to God. In the small paragraph from Ki Teitze discussing vows, here is what we find out. "When you make a vow to the Lord you God, do not put off fulfilling it, for the Lord you God will require it of you and you will have incurred guilt; whereas you incur no guilt if you refrain from vowing. You must fulfill what has crossed your lips and perform what you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord you God, having made the promise with your own mouth." This is astonishing. There is no instruction whatsoever that we should be in the business of making vows, or that somehow fulfilling a vow brings one closer to holiness or righteousness. There seems to be little merit in even undertaking this bargain with God. In the fact the Torah mentions no reward for fulfilling a vow, only the punishment for not doing so. The implication may be that if one bargains with God saying "God, if I get this job I will pray each day" God may grant that request but be angry later if the deal is not completed. You may be wondering, what does any of this have to do with the High Holidays? The subject of vows happens to have a very important place in our High Holiday liturgy, in the form of Kol Nidre. Kol Nidre, meaning all vows, is a legal formula for those who did not fulfill vows or who have no intention of doing so. There are many inherent problems with this type of formula. First, there is no connection between the annulling of vows and Yom Kippur. Actually there is no other time in the HH liturgy that breaking vows is mentioned as a form of sin. It is also problematic because, according to the Mishna, one cannot personally annul one's own vows, one must sit before a Beit Din of three men to annul a vow. In addition one cannot nullify vows not made yet as they are not specified. Because of all the difficulty surrounding the making of vows, the Rabbis essentially end the discussion of vows with a directive to "just not do it" Needless to say, the Rabbis severely disliked this text and tried very hard to prevent from becoming an established part of the liturgy. As in many cases throughout history, though, they were overrun by the popular opinion of people who treasured this text. Why were our ancestors so attached to this ancient prayer? According to some scholars, the Kol Nidre was originally an incantation that the ancients would recite up entering the synagogue on Yom Kippur to ward of hexes and curses put on them during the past year. For them Kol Nidre acted on a magical and spiritual level simultaneously. So why do we say it today? The process of annulling vows is a larger metaphor for expressing human vulnerability and fallibility, both of which align with the mood of Yom Kippur. Our need to nullify vows not yet taken, shows that our fallibility as humans is such that we are not confident enough in ourselves to promise improvement. Our imperfection allows us to come before God with rare humility and plead for forgiveness and life. As we hear the tones of the Kol Nidre this year, let us promise ourselves that we will try harder to overcome our shortcomings, but we will not swear by it. The only thing we will swear by is our covenant with our creator which helps us to improve ourselves to our limit and accept human shortcomings.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Asa | 
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