V'Nislach
We begin Yom Kippur withKol Nidreifollowed shortly thereafter by thebrocha of shehecheyanu. In between we recite two p'sukim.
"venislach lechol adat Bnei Yisrael"
"It shall be forgiven to all the congregation of the children of Israel, etc. (Bamidbar 15,26).
"Selach na la-avon haam hazeh kegodel chasdecha"
Please forgive the sin of this nation according to the greatness of Your loving kindness" (Bamidbar 14, 19-20).
Why was this point chosen for the reciting of these p'sukim - betweenKol Nidrei and shehecheyanu?
The Rav zt”l developed two approaches to this question[i]. In ourd'var Torah on the nature of Kol Nidrei we pointed out that Kol Nidrei refers to all of our sinss and not just to having violated vows, and that we should be thinking about regret for all of our avieros. Therefore, based on that, one p'shatoffered by the Rav was that these two p'sukim are, in a sense, the conclusion, the addendum to Kol Nidrei. Right after we complete Kol Nidrei, we declare- Hashem, forgive us for all of our aveiros! We are emphasizing that this is what Kol Nidrei is all about – Kol Nidrei is about asking Hashem for forgiveness for all of our aveiros. It can be said that hese two p'sukimshed light on the deeper meaning and significance ofKol Nidrei.
The Rav also offers a second p'shat. These two p'sukim are an introduction to the brocha of shehecheyanu. The brocha of shehecheyanu is an expression of the simcha of yom tov. Normally shehechayanuis recited at the conclusion ofkiddush because kiddush is the halachic beginning of the meal. As we are about to eat meat and drink wine fulfilling the mitzvah of simcha of yom tov we say shehecheyanu. On Yom Kippur, of course, there is no kiddush. However, there certainly is simcha.
What is the simcha of Yom Kippur? The Rav explained here and in other places, the simcha of Yom Kippur is the experience and feeling of being lifnei Hashem, feeling that closeness to Hashem. When a Jew does teshuva on Yom Kippur, he is removing barriers between him and Hashem, and this closeness bringssimcha. This, explains the Rav, is perhaps the reason thesep'sukimare said before shehecheyanu, for they speak about Hashem forgiving Am Yisroel on an individual and communal level. This is the simcha of Yom Kippur and this is a natural introduction to the brocha of shehecheyanu. Before making the brocha on the special simcha of Yom Kippur,we first declare what makes this day so special and from where we derive this great feeling of simcha - from the selicha we receive from Hashem.
The Mishna writes at the end of Masheches Ta'anis that Yom Kippur is one of the happiest days of the year. Why? One reason the Gemara gives is that Yom Kippur is a day of selicha u'mechila. This is precisely our point - when a Jew is forgiven for his aveiros he is overcome with a sense of simcha. As the Rav explained, he now feels close to Hashem – this is the ultimate feeling of simcha. Therefore, we introduce thebrocha of shehecheyanuby explaining what the primary reason is for thesimcha on Yom Kippur.
May we all be zoche to achieve both messages of these p'sukim. May we havecharata for our avieros and do teshuva, which is the message ofKol Nidrei, and may this bring to us to feel closeness with our Creator which will lead to the ultimate feeling of simcha.
G'mar Chasima Tova,
B. Ginsburg
[i] 'Rabbi Soloveitchik on the Days of Awe' pages 116-119.