The Unetanneh Tokef prayer is a highlight of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Musically it is so powerful, but both its history and the words are even more inspiring and touch on the major themes of the day.
In this class I look at the story behind the prayer, and explain why I don’t believe it is literally true. But even if Rabbi Amnon never confronted a bishop, the prayer was likely composed in the aftermath of the massacres of 1096 as the crusaders swept through western Europe destroying Jewish communities as they went.
We look at the words of the prayer and the verses and midrashim which inspired them.
And discuss the meaning of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.