Unetanneh Tokef

"Unetanneh Tokef" or "Unesanneh Tokef" (ונתנה תוקף) is a piyyut that has been a part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy in rabbinical Judaism for centuries. It introduces the Kedusha of Musaf for these days. Describing the important place this prayer has in the service, the ArtScroll machzor calls it "one of the most stirring compositions in the entire liturgy of the Days of Awe." (Yom Kippur Machzor, page 530). It is probably the most well-known piyyut after Kol Nidrei.

Composition of Unetanneh Tokef

According to legend, recorded in the medieval commentary Or Zarua, Unetanneh Tokef was composed by the medieval sage Rabbi Amnon of Mainz. Friends with the Bishop of Mainz, Rabbi Amnon was pressured into converting to Catholicism. As a delaying tactic, Rabbi Amnon requested three days to consider the offer; immediately after, he regretted intensely giving even the pretense that he could possibly accept a foreign religion. After spending the three days in prayer, he refused to come to the bishop as promised, and, when he was brought to the bishop's palace, he begged that his tongue be cut out to atone for his sins. Instead, the bishop ordered his hands and legs amputated - limb by limb - as punishment for not obeying his word to return after three days and refusing to apostasize. At each amputation, Rabbi Amnon was again given the opportunity to convert, which he refused.

This event occurred shortly before Rosh Hashanah. On that holiday, as he lay dying, Rabbi Amnon asked to be carried into the synagogue, where he recited Unetanneh Tokef with his last breath. Three days later, he appeared in a dream to Rabbi Klonimous ben Meshullam, one of the great scholars of Mainz, and begged him to compose the prayer and see that it was included in the text of the High Holiday services.

The evidence, though, from the Cairo Geniza, is that the legend surrounding the prayer is just that: a legend. The prayer was not composed by a R. Amnon at all but was likely written by the payetan Yanai, in the land of Israel, several hundred years earlier. See http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/712403/Rabbi_Dr._Jacob_J_Schacter/U-Netaneh_Tokef_Kedushat_Ha-Yom:_Medieval_Story_and_Modern_Significance

Among the most poetic parts of the prayer is the solemn passage which begins אדם יסודו מעפר וסופו לעפר: "As to man, his origin is dust and his end is dust, at the risk of his life he earns his bread, he is like a broken vessel of clay, like withering grass, a fading flower, a passing shadow, a drifting cloud, a fleeting breath, scattering dust, a transient dream." The passage here echoes the despair found in the book of Koheleth (Ecclesiastes), but concludes—as does sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Isaiah|chapter=40|verse=7, from which it apparently draws—with the contrasting affirmation that God is eternal and enduring. It is worth noting that the text of אדם יסודו מעפר is very similar to sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Wisdom of Solomon|chapter=2|verse=1, where it is presented as the philosophy which the "Book of Wisdom" sets out to discredit.

Position in the Prayer Service

In the Ashkenazic ritual, Unetanneh Tokef is inserted during the Mussaf service, while the chazzan repeats the Amidah. In the Sephardic ritual, Unetanneh Tokef is usually omitted, as Sephardic Jews do not recite piyyutim during the Amidah. Nevertheless, because of the importance of this prayer, many Sepharadic congregations recite it immediately prior to the commencement of the Mussaf service.

It is one of the only piyyutim that is recited on both days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Themes of Unetanneh Tokef

This prayer is recited immediately prior to, and as an introduction for, the kedusha prayer, in which the angelic sanctification of God is mentioned. Unetanneh Tokef adapts this daily praise to the specific elements intrinsic to the High Holidays, namely the Divine judgment of all existence. In most printed editions, Unetanneh Tokef consists of four paragraphs, each reflecting a different aspect of this general topic.

The first paragraph depicts the judgement day, where the angels in heaven trembling at the awe-inspiring event of the annual judgment of all creation - with the implication that man should also approach this day with trepidation:

"Let us now relate the power of this day's holiness, for it is awesome and frightening. On it Your Kingship will be exalted; Your throne will be firmed with kindness and You will sit upon it in truth. It is true that You alone are the One Who judges, proves, knows, and bears witness; Who writes and seats, (counts and calculates); Who remembers all that was forgotten. You will open the Book of Chronicles - it will read itself, and everyone's signature is in it. The great shofar will be sounded and a still, thin sound will be heard. Angels will hasten, a trembling and terror will seize them - and they will say, 'Behold, it is the Day of Judgment, to muster the heavenly host for judgment!'- for they cannot be vindicated in Your eyes in judgment."

The second paragraph continues this point, depicting how every event that will occur in the upcoming year is "written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur", but that through charity, repentance and prayer even the decrees can be ameliorated:

"All mankind will pass before You like members of the flock. Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living; and You shall apportion the fixed needs of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict.On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst, who by storm, who by plague, who by strangulation, and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquillity and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted.But REPENTANCE, PRAYER and CHARITY Remove the Evil of the Decree!"

The third paragraph begs for Divine mercy on the basis of the fact that man by nature is sinful and innately impotent and mortal, which conditions will cause a merciful Deity to forgive his trespasses:

"For Your Name signifies Your praise: hard to anger and easy to appease, for You do not wish the death of one deserving death, but that he repent from his way and live. Until the day of his death You await him; if he repents You will accept him immediately.It is true that You are their Creator and You know their inclination, for they are flesh and blood. A man's origin is from dust and his destiny is back to dust, at risk of his life he earns his bread; he is likened to a broken shard, withering grass, a fading flower, a passing shade, a dissipating cloud, a blowing wind, flying dust, and a fleeting dream."

Finally, the fourth paragraph lyrically praises God as exalted above all existence, and begs Him to sanctify His Name by redeeming Israel - transitioning directly into the kedusha:

"But You are the King, the Living and Enduring God.There is no set span to Your years and there is no end to the length of Your days. It is impossible to estimate the angelic chariots of Your glory and to elucidate Your Name's inscrutability. Your Name is worthy of You and You are worthy of Your Name, and You have included Your Name in our name."

Popular Culture

* The words of the prayer are the inspiration of Leonard Cohen's song "Who By Fire"

Resources

* [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Rosh_Hashana/Overview_Rosh_Hashanah_Community/RH_Services/RH_Liturgical_themes_531/Unetanah_1142.htm MyJewishLearning.com site on the prayer]
* [http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/unetanehtext.htm Orthodox Union site with text]
* [http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/unetaneh.html Orthodox Union site with background]