Tribute to Rabbi David Passow (1918-2008)

This video of Rabbi David Passow was made by his son's,  Samuel and Judah,  in 1981 as their father was ending a 25 year career as an active Rabbi in New York and was retiring to Israel.  They realised that his grandchildren, who were not yet born,  would otherwise never have the opportunity to see him as the active, thought provoking, dynamic public speaker he was.

This 50-minute video is a compilation of 10-hours of filming over the two-day period of the Yom Kippur or Day of Attonement service. The first part of the video captures the essence of the "Kol Nidre" prayer (12 minutes) and evening service at the start of the High Holiday. The final 20 minutes is the Rabbi's complete sermon on Yom Kippur Day and the final benediction end of the service.

"Kol Nidre" is an Aramaic declaration (not Hebrew) of vows to God from the medieval period of history (760 AD). As the congregation gathers in the synagogue,  the Ark is opened and two men stand with Torah scrolls on either side of the cantor and the three (symbolizing a Beth Din or rabbinical court.) recite:

"In the tribunal of Heaven and the tribunal of earth, by the permission of God — praised be He — and by the permission of this holy congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with transgressors."

The Cantor, in the traditional Eastern European Jewish tradition, then chants the passage beginning with the words Kol Nidrei with its touching melodic phrases, and, in varying intensities from pianissimo (quiet) to fortissimo (loud), repeats twice (for a total of three iterations, in case a latecomer failed to hear the earlier statements) the following words:

"All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths."

Rabbi Passow's two sermons in this video go on to explain the meaning of the Day of Attonement to us as individuals and it's central role in Jewish culture.