This has been discussed here before. The Kol Nidre prayer originated in medieval Spain, in the days of the Inquisition. Jews were being forced, under threat of torture and death, to renounce their faith and proclaim themseves Christian. It is these coerced vows of belief in Christ that were the original subject of the Kol Nidre, which was at first said in secret by these so-called conversos. That they even found it necessary to create such a prayer, considering the circumstances under which their Christian "vows" were made, should tell you that they actually placed a very high value on promises and vows. That is, their false vows of Christianity bothered their consciences even though made to save their lives, and this prayer was created to deal with that.

Over the centuries since, Kol Nidre has become a traditional part of the Jewish liturgy. Modern English versions generally specify that it is only vows made to God, not promises to other people, that are its subject.

For an example of just how seriously Jews take promises, consider the international diamond trade. The major trading centers in Amsterdam and New York are operated by Orthodox Jews, who make deals for millions of dollars worth of gems on the basis of handshakes alone. How many Christian businessmen would be trusted with a million dollars in diamonds on the basis of a handshake, with no written contract? Probably none. But Jews are trusted to make good on these verbal deals every day, and they consistently do so.

It was never my intention, when I signed up as an RMN Agent, to become a resident "defender of Judaism", but I find myself taking that role because of the ignorant and bigoted attitudes toward Jews that seem to be all too commonplace here. I have come to expect it from the Rogue Moth (she is surely no butterfly), and from Mark Seely. The former has the semi-excuse that she believes she was seriously mistreated as a child by one or more Jews. Since she has shown herself to be impervious to logic, I don't bother with her anymore. And Mr. Seely has publicly stated that he thinks the "natural" order is for humanity to be divided into small tribes, the memebrs of which would constantly war on each other and respect the rights of no one except members of their own tribe. So no one who doesn't care for that vision should put much stock in what he says. But I think that Hannibal is simply uninformed about the real facts behind what he posted here, which is why I am responding.

: SPOTLIGHT
: November 6,2000

: NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

: LUCKY JOE. AL Gore's running mate, Joe Lieberman, has an
: advantage over Al; in fact, over GOP candidates Bush and
: Cheney and most politicians of any party. Because of his

: faith, Lieberman can tell lies with total impunity and a
: good conscience because every year on the eve of Yom Kippur
: (which was Oct.8) he must recite the Kol Nidre three times
: in Aramaic. Here is what Joe and all observant Jews recited
: three times on Oct. 1, taken directly from page 252 of the
: 1961 edition of The book of Jewish Knowledge (Crown
: Publishing): All vows (kol nidre), obligations, oaths, and
: anathemas, whether called konam, konas, or by any other
: name, which we may vow, or swear, or pledge or whereby we
: may be found, from this Day of Atonement until the next
: (whose happy coming we await), we do repent. May they be
: deemed absolved, forgiven, annulled, and void, and made of
: no effect; they shall not bind us nor have power over us.
: The vows shall not be reckoned vows, the obligations shall
: not be obligatory, nor the oaths be oaths.
: (See also Jerusalem edition, Encyclopedia Judaica 1971 The
: Macmillan Co, pps. 1166-67.)
:
: _______________________________________________________________
: Edited by Hannibal: This certainly seems to have been written
: by an attorney!