Unetanneh Tokef
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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.
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[edit] 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.
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, but concludes—as does Isaiah 40:7, 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 Wisdom of Solomon 2:1, where it is presented as the philosophy which the Book of Wisdom sets out to discredit.
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Themes of Unetanneh Tokef
This prayer is recited immediately prior to, and as an introduction for, the kedushah 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 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. The second paragraph continues this point, vividly 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. 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. Finally, the fourth paragraph (which is traditionally sung to the tune of a joyous march) lyrically praises God as exalted above all existence, and begs Him to sanctify His Name by redeeming Israel - transitioning directly into kedusha.
