Unetanneh Tokef

U’netana Tokef – lyrics of the ode

The ode begins with the announcement:

And thus unto you may the Kedushah ascend, for you our God are king!

Let us describe the great holiness of this day, for it is awesome and frightening. On this day, Your Kingship is uplifted, and Your throne is established with kindness, and You sit upon it in truth. 

True that You are judge, admonisher, knower and witness;

and You inscribe, seal, record and count, and recall all forgotten things. You open the book of records and it reads of itself; and the signature of every man is in it. 

A great shofar is sounded, and a silent, gentle voice is heard; 

and the angels are alarmed, pangs of fear and trembling seize them, 

and they declare, “behold the Day of Judgment.” The heavenly host is arraigned in judgment, for they are not guiltless in Your eyes in judgment. All mankind pass before You like young sheep. 

As a shepherd inspects his flock, making his sheep pass under his rod, so do You cause to pass, count, number, and review the soul of every living being, determining the life-span of every creature; and You record the decree of their judgment.  

The author of the ode details God’s judgment

On Rosh Hashana their decree is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed,

how many will pass away and how many will be created, 

who will live and who will die; 

who will come to his timely end, and who to an untimely end; 

who will perish by fire and who by water; 

who by the sword and who by beast; 

who by hunger and who by thirst; 

who by earthquake and who by the plague;

who by strangling and who by stoning; 

who will be at rest and who will wander about;  

who will have serenity and who will be confused; 

who will be tranquil and who will be tormented; 

who will become poor and who will become wealthy;  

who will be brought to a low state and who will be uplifted.

But repentance
and prayer
and charity
annul the evil decree
!!

The story behind the ode ‘u’Netana Tokef’

Rabbi Itzhak ben Moshe of Vienna was one of the most important adjudicators in the history of the people of Israel.

He wrote the book “Or Zarua” which constitutes the foundation for Halakha rulings today.

In the book Or Zarua, the following story is provided, and we will quote his words with minor alterations:

(the story contains shocking and harsh descriptions)

Rabbi Amnon of Mainz

This is a story about Rabbi Amon of Mainz, who was a great man, rich and handsome.

The ministers began to ask Rabbi Amnon to change his religion. Rabbi Amnon refused to listen to them, the ministers did not give up and every day they turned to him again and again, and of course he did not listen to them. For three days. Rabbi Amnon did not really deliberate on whether to change his religion, God forbid, but said yes in order to get them away from him. As he left the palace, Rabbi Amnon thought about his words, and regretted greatly that he had uttered a word of doubt that needed no advice and thought to deny God. Rabbi Amnon came to his house and did not want to eat or drink, and all his relatives and loved ones came to comfort him.

Three days later

On the third day, worrying and in pain, the king had him summoned!

He refused to go to the king, the king ordered to force him to the palace, and this was done in a hurry. The servants said, what is this Amnon, why have you not kept your promise to return after three days? And Amnon said, I will decide my own judgment, I will cut out the tongue who spoke such falsities, 

{Rabbi Amnon intended to make Kiddush Hashem, although the Lubavitcher Rebbe in one of his agoras doubts this detail in the story since there is a Halakha that a person must not injure himself}

And the king said, I will not cut off the tongue, but the legs that did not come at the promised time, I will cut off, and the rest of the body I will torture.

The tortures of Rabbi Amnon

The tyrant gave the order and the knuckles of his fingers and toes were cut off, and with each knuckle he was asked, would you like to change your religion?  And he said no! And when they were all cut off, the evil king ordered Rabbi Amnon to lie down with all his knuckles by his side and sent him home.

Rosh Hashana came

After these events, Rosh Hashana came, Rabbi Amnon asked his relatives to carry him to the synagogue, with all his severed fingers, and to lie him down near the cantor.

And so they did, and when the time came for the cantor to read out the prayer

Rabbi Amnon told the cantor “wait, I will sanctify our great Lord, and he spoke loudly:

“And thus unto you may the Kedushah ascend”, that is, I sanctified your name, your kingship and your uniqueness and then he said “Let us describe the great holiness of this day”.

And he said: “True that You are judge and admonisher” to justify his sentence.

And mentioned “and the signature of every man is in it… …and review the soul of every living being”, since this was his judgment he received on Rosh Hashana.

And when he finished speaking he disappeared from this world.

And it is clear that God had taken him.

After his passing

After his passing, Rabbi Amnon revealed himself in a dream to Rabbi Kalonymos and taught him the ode “Let us describe the great holiness of this day” and commanded him to spread it throughout the diaspora and for him to serve as witness and testimony, and the Gaon did so:

And since that day it is customary to say this prayer in the Musaf prayer on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

**

Enclosed is a link for observing the mitzvah of Kapparot via Beit Chabad.