Posted on 10/10/24
Jerusalem, Israel - Oct. 10, 2024 - Before Yom Kippur, it has become a tradition for the Israeli President to open the Beit Hanasi Synagogue located in the back garden of the President's Residence in Yerushalayim for a musical program in honor of Selichos.
This year the white folding chairs on the lawn were empty of the usual IDF uniformed soldiers in attendance. Groups of young student guests took their place, some enthusiastically singing along with Yagel Haroush and his talented musical ensemble. Behind the first row reserved for dignitaries, were chairs saved for bereaved families, not all planned for took those reserved seats, but the size of the crowd was similar to past years.
President Isaac Herzog spoke first with a powerful Hebrew address based on the text of Vidui:
"It seems there is no need to explain why we say the confession in the plural this year. First, we are all pained by the situation before October 7 - when we were separated, divided, and polarized. And for that, I first ask to strike a sin, in my humble opinion - on behalf of the entire public; Inspired by the words of confession - in the plural, for a sin we committed by being closed-minded, and for a sin we committed by confusing brothers and enemies. For the sin, we committed with rudeness towards those whose pain was placed before him, towards our brothers and sisters. For a sin, we have sinned in prejudices and generalizations. For a sin, we committed by neglecting our borders. For a sin, that we have sinned in vindictiveness and discord between us. For the sin we committed by disrespecting the voice of our sisters - the heroic observers, and the cry of the deterrents. For a sin, that we sinned in the deafness of our hearts, that we did not listen to each other. For a sin, we committed with violent and rude talkbacks online.
For the sin, we sinned in arrogance, and for the sin, we sinned in darkness, and for the sin we sinned in fueling the hatred and strife between us. For a sin, we sinned with the speed with which we forgot, the ease with which we get used to it. For a sin, we committed alienation towards the other and different groups within us. For a sin, we have committed by closing our eyes for many years to our challenges from within and without. For the sin we committed in division and division and for the sin we committed in self-righteousness and arrogance. For a sin, we committed with blind conceptions and tearing the bonds of brotherhood that connect us. For the sin, we committed in seeing evil, and in turning our eyes away from good. For the sin, we committed in forgetting the righteousness of our way, and for the sin we committed in going astray on the way.
My sisters and brothers, saying the vidui in the plural means not only the presence of the partnership in the moments of brokenness and sin but also the beginning of the joint correction.
The confession in the plural is the highest expression of the mutual guarantee; our prayer and cry, this year, emanates at the same time from millions of hearts - all over the world: to return to us, finally, our brothers and sisters kidnapped from the abyss of death to their home; As a supreme and binding order of a state to its citizens. to return the thousands of displaced people to their homeland with security. To re-establish sword settlements, to grow life in the killing fields. To get up and shake off dust and ashes to heal and repair our brokenness, build, sow, plant, and establish mezuzahs.
This year, along with the huge rift and the deep reckoning, there is so much to be proud of. We draw our deep hope from here, from the full beauty and heroism of the people. Am Yisrael Chai."
Rav Benny Lau, whose organization 929 facilitated the evening spoke, and also did Rabbi Zev Shandalov, but the musical program was the focus of the evening.
