Sermon for Kol Nidre Night 5786
October 1, 2025
Just before we sang Kol Nidre this evening, we included a short Hebrew paragraph (on p. 252 of our machzorim) to which the editors of our machzor have given the title “Permission.”
The key phrase in that “Permission” paragraph is “Anu matirin lehitpalel im avaryanim” -- which literally means “We grant permission to pray with transgressors.”
That word “avaryanim”/”transgressors” is built on the Hebrew root letters ayin-vet-resh. A related word “aveyra” means transgression.
In English, of course, this all has a negative connotation. However, other Hebrew words built on that same verbal root have a more neutral or even positive connotation.
La’avor (from the same Hebrew root ayin-vet-resh) simply means “to pass” – to go from one place to another.
And that brings us to the first Jew: Abraham. Abraham is described in Genesis chapter 14 as “Avram ha-Ivri” --- Abraham the Hebrew.
What does this adjective “Hebrew” --- “Ivri” (built from that same Hebrew root ayin-vet-resh) have to do with Abraham?
Abraham, in the words of the classic midrash, was called “ha-ivri”, “the Hebrew,” because he stood “meyever”/ “on the opposite side”.
As it says in Bereshit Rabbah: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ מֵעֵבֶר אֶחָד וְהוּא מֵעֵבֶר אֶחָד.
“Rabbi Yehudah says, all the world [stood] on one side while [Abraham stood] on the opposite side.”[1]
He was steadfast in standing up for his beliefs even if that put him mey’ever echad/ on one side of a philosophical divide while the whole world stood mey’ever echad/ across from him on the other side of the philosophical divide.
But, in the context of his times, Abraham was also an Avaryan/ a transgressor. He was an idol smasher who transgressed from the status quo.
And God approved.
Fast forward a few centuries and the latter books of the Torah talk a lot about crossing over the Jordan River as, for example, in Torah portion Nitzavim, where Moses refers to
הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹבֵר אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן, לָבוֹא שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ
the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.[2]
All this reminds us that, as Jews, we are boundary crossers – like Abraham and Sarah when they left their native land to go forth to a land that God would show them.
Like the generation that grew up in the wilderness of Sinai after their parents had gone forth from Egypt – and who, at the end of the Torah, were about to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land.
And indeed, like the majority of Jewish Americans, including yours truly, whose ancestors, or who themselves, crossed oceans and national boundaries to this country seeking freedom from oppression and economic opportunity.
Speaking of Parashat Nitzavim, many Reform and Reconstructionist congregations read from Parshat Nitzavim for their Yom Kippur morning Torah reading, instead of the traditional reading from Parashat Acharei Mot that we will read in our own Torah service tomorrow morning.
That alternative Torah reading option is actually included in our machzor.
Let’s all turn to page 443 right now and read the English translation of that first paragraph of Parashat Nitzavim out loud together:
You stand today – all of you – before Adonai your God: your leaders, your tribes, your elders, your officials, every man, woman, and child in Israel, the stranger in the midst of your camp, form the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, that you may enter into the sworn covenant of Adonai your God which Adonai your God is confirming with you this very day, for the purpose of establishing you as the people whose only God is Adonai, as you have been promised, and as God swore to your father, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. But it is not only with you that I am making this sworn covenant, but with whoever is standing here with us today before Adonai your God, and with whoever is not here with us today.[3]
From just this first paragraph, we can readily see why the Reform and later the Reconstructionist movements included this passage as an alternative Yom Kippur morning Torah reading.
The reading from Parashat Nitzavim emphasizes the idea of inclusion, of everyone being part of the process, not just an elite few. While the traditional Torah reading in Leviticus focuses on one High Priest making atonement on behalf of everyone else in the community, this alternative Torah reading has a much more democratic focus. Look at the way it starts:
“You stand today – all of you – before Adonai your God”
and the passage then goes on to include every single person in society – men, women and children; community leaders and common folk; citizens and resident aliens; present attendees and future generations. All are to be included in the transmission of Torah and in the establishment of a covenant with God.
It’s especially noteworthy in the Torah’s language in Parashat Nitzavim that it explicitly includes גֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ “gerkha asher bekerev machanekha -- meychoteyv eytzekha ad sho’eyv meymekha”/ . “the stranger in the midst of your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water.”
The traditional rabbinic interpreters identify these woodchoppers and water carriers as Canaanites who came to the Israelite camp claiming that they wished to convert to Judaism. Rashi, following the lead of the Talmud, argues that Moses doubted their sincerity, yet agreed to let them stay and assigned them menial labor tasks like chopping wood and drawing water.
It would behoove us not to gloss over the implications of this: We seem to have here a recognition that mistrust of foreigners has a long pedigree in Jewish tradition. This is a trait that we ought to combat within ourselves even as we recognize how easily we can succumb to it.
Let us remember the contemporary counterparts to these ancient woodchoppers and water carriers: The people from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras Venezuela and elsewhere who struggle for a secure foothold for themselves and their families in a strange new land.
A February 2025 article from the PBS Newshour website includes the following information about immigration status:
Most immigrants are in the U.S. legally. About 49 percent have become U.S. citizens by a process known as naturalization. Another 19 percent hold lawful permanent resident status and are eligible to become U.S. citizens through naturalization. Still another 5 percent are in the country on temporary visas, like those for international students, diplomats and their families, and seasonal or temporary workers.
The remaining 27 percent – around 13.7 million people – are outside those categories and therefore generally considered to be undocumented.[4]
13.7 million people! That’s a lot! How should our country handle that situation?
Americans of goodwill may, and do, differ on the specifics of how best to construct a fair immigration policy for our country --- how to balance ideals of our country as a place of opportunity, with the concern for security of our borders and the economic health of our society.
Nevertheless, our tradition calls upon us to remember the strangers in our midst --- the choppers of wood and drawers of water who stood with us in our journey to freedom. Responding to that call today, we must make sure that our legitimate concern with protecting our borders does not lead to the oppression of aliens within our borders who are struggling for existence. And, in particular, our efforts to enforce existing immigration laws need to be humane and respectful of due process.
As I’m sure you’re aware, issues around immigration law enforcement have in recent months become among the most divisive issues our society faces.
Indeed, even a popular entertainment like the new Superman film that I mentioned on Erev Rosh Hashanah elicited some spirited political arguments with those on the right accusing it of being “woke” because it allegedly emphasized Superman having been an immigrant – and an undocumented one at that![5]
My colleague Rabbi Elyse Wechterman has been very actively involved in advocacy work around these issues. Here is an excerpt from her contribution to an anthology edited by Rabbi Arthur Waskow which will be published later this month by the Shalom Center.
The book is entitled Handbook for Heretics and Prophets: A New Torah for a New World.
Here is some of what Rabbi Wechterman has to say in that upcoming publication:
She writes:
וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
“You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Thirty-six times the Torah tells us not to wrong or oppress the stranger, but rather to welcome the stranger. In nearly half of those mentions, it provides a reason, “for you were strangers in the land of Mitzrayim.” Rarely is a reason provided for the many mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. And while repetition is not particularly unusual - the entire Book of Deuteronomy reiterates much of what had been commanded in the previous three books - 36 mentions seems a bit excessive. Why?
Lest we assume that these mentions reflect a particularly warm and welcoming nature among our ancestors, it behooves us to remember that laws are most often created only after there has been a failure to uphold societal norms without the force of law. Perhaps our ancestors were just as clannish, just as tribal, just as fearful of the outsider as most humans have been throughout history. The repetition of this law - thirty-six times - may reflect an inability or resistance to welcoming others that lies deep within the human psyche. Contemporary reality provides ample evidence to support the thesis.
Instead of repetition, what might be needed is explication - a detailed explanation of what not oppressing the stranger might look like. Perhaps these thirty-six admonitions can guide us:
[SHE THEN PRESENTS 36 ADMONITIONS – I’ll JUST SHARE WITH YOU THE FIRST TWELVE OF THEM]
1. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not yank an immigrant out of his workplace without a warrant, without due process, and without access to legal representation.
2. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not detain a stranger who is the sole income earner for his family, depriving his wife and children of any means of support.
3. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not violently pull an immigrant out of his vehicle, wrenching his arm and banging his head, and deny him medical care.
4. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not pull over, harass, detain, and threaten people who have an accent, speak a “foreign” language, or who have a darker complexion than you do on the assumption that they are here illegally. That is called racial profiling.
5. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not detain a person who has committed no crime and is not accused of committing a crime.
6. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not detain a person because they have a similar name as someone for whom there is a warrant.
7. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not label people “illegal,” for no human, created in God’s image, could possibly be illegal.
8. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not inanely and without merit accuse visitors to your country of stealing your jobs.
9. Do not oppress the stranger: Do not inanely and without merit accuse newly arrived people to your country of using up your social service resources and draining taxpayer dollars.
10.Do not oppress the stranger: Do not accuse visitors to your country - those you invited here after a natural or political disaster in their home country - of eating their neighbors' dogs.
11.Do not oppress the stranger: Do not ignore the first, fifth, and fourteenth amendments to your constitution to illegally, immorally, and unconstitutionally detain and deport people.
12.Do not oppress the stranger: Do not offer huge rewards and financial incentives to citizens to join a Gestapo police force that wantonly disregards the human and civil rights of the people they encounter.
[AT THE CONCLUSION OF THAT EXHAUSTIVE LIST, RABBI WECHTERMAN WRITES:]
“Not a single one of these admonitions is made up. Laws are written after the norms have already been broken. This is what is happening. The Torah of immigration is simple - this must stop. “Do not oppress the stranger” is repeated 36 times - twice the number 18 - the number that stands for life. Two lives are saved if one follows the commandment: the physical life of the stranger, and the spiritual life of the welcomer. Because not following torah risks our very souls. “ [6]
And yet, our current tense national state of affairs reminds us that there are always two (or more) sides to any story. When I was first thinking about addressing the topic of immigration in a High Holiday sermon, I asked my colleagues for some “talking points” about how – and these were my words -_
“about how awful the Trump administration’s treatment of foreigners in the US is (whether asylum seekers, undocumented folks, or green card holders who dare to espouse unpopular views, or even citizens swept up in racially-profiling ICE raids).”
That’s how I framed my query in a couple of my rabbi listserves.
I’m grateful to my colleague Elyse Wechterman for her impassioned advocacy and for the powerful prose that she shared with me in response to my query.
But I also heard from other colleagues who cautioned me not to be one sided in my approach to divisive issues.
So, I also want to share with you another message that I received from another rabbi colleague who serves a congregation in the South. Here’s what he wrote to me:
He wrote:
“I really do consider myself blessed to serve a purple congregation. And a congregation with people who have careers in lots of fields - including ICE. My ICE agent [congregant] is a Puerto Rican, liberal woman [who] has taught me so much.
“Without sharing any names or specific details, I asked her simply about [your] sermon idea. Here is her response. […] Thought it might be interesting for you to see – not [necessarily] to agree with - but to get an ICE agent’s thoughts.
[AND SO MY COLLEAGUE THEN SHARED WITH ME WHAT HIS ICE AGENT CONGREGANT SHARED WITH HIM AFTER HE HAD SHARED WITH HER MY SERMON IDEA. SHE WRITES:]
Hi Rabbi. I’ll start with, this sermon idea points out how awful the administration treats foreigners. That right there is false. This administration is following immigration law. I understand as a Jew we must welcome the stranger. In reality not all strangers are good people.
As for racial profiling, people are having a difficult time understanding Immigration policy. There is always collateral damage. Meaning when serving warrants if you come into contact with another person ([or] people), you must determine if they are here legally or not. If they are not, they will be arrested or detained until further info can be found. For those with visas, or legal resident status; immigration law is clear. They must remain clear of any criminal convictions, any propaganda or harmful intent against citizens or the government. Immigration law can be complicated case by case, but Immigration law is clear.
You entered illegally you have broken Federal immigration laws.
You commit fraud to enter or remain in the USA you have broken federal law.
You don’t show up to a scheduled Immigration hearing you are deported in absentia. An Immigration Warrant is issued. Signed by the Immigration judge. therefore due process.
An expedited removal is an agreement between the Illegal alien & US government that they will not return to the US for 5 years. If they come back it’s ten years.
Rabbi I can go on and on and on.
There will be no changes until everyone realizes we need to work together for a better future here in the US & everywhere. I’m taking a social media break. The craziness on both sides is too much.
-------
So, there you have it.
Some thoughts from both sides of the political divide on questions of immigration law enforcement.
For us, during these tumultuous times, I’d say we still need to be vigilant about recognizing our common humanity with immigrants to our country – whatever their legal status may be in terms of documentation. And we need to be vigilant about demanding that there be due process in the enforcement of our country’s laws.
And we have to remember that, as Jews, we were once strangers in a strange land and that, as the Torah teaches, we must love not just our neighbor, but we must love the stranger as well.[7]
Millions of individuals in our country are undocumented. But, as for many of our own family immigration histories – we could easily say “there but for the grace of God go I.”
The details get complicated. But, as we well know, life is complicated.
In the meantime, may we be inscribed and sealed in the book of life and may our sins be forgiven. And may justice be wedded with compassion in our world at large.
Amen.
© Rabbi David Steinberg
(October 2025/ Yom Kippur 5786)
[1] Bereshit Rabbah 42:8 רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ מֵעֵבֶר אֶחָד וְהוּא מֵעֵבֶר אֶחָד.
[2] Deuteronomy 30:18
[3] Deuteronomy 29: 9-14 as translated by Rabbi Richard N. Levy, in On Wings of Awe (revised edition), KTAV Publishing House in Association with Hillel: The Foundation of Jewish Campus Life (2011), p. 443
[4] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/analysis-who-are-the-immigrants-who-come-to-the-u-s-heres-the-data
[5] https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/superman-movie-james-gunn-slammed-as-woke-rcna217653
[6] Rabbi Elyse Wechterman in Handbook for Heretics and Prophets: A New Torah for a New World. (forthcoming from The Shalom Center: https://theshalomcenter.org/92books#92booksregistration )
[7] See Leviticus 19:18 and 19:34
