Accounting For All

Every Yom Kippur, Jews all over the world recite Viduy, the confession. Some of the sins listed may be familiar to the person reciting them, and those certainly deserve mention. However, there are other sins listed about which the confessor may have definite knowledge that he is innocent. He may wonder, “Why am I confessing a sin that I did not commit?”

This is especially true of individuals who recite the lengthy tefillah by Rabbeinu Yonah recited on Yom Kippur before or after Kol Nidrei. The text there states, “I have violated all the mitzvos.” I once heard R’ Becher make an interesting point, and it is embellished here. To accomplish the feat of violating all the mitzvos, one must be a man, a woman, single, married, divorced, a Kohen Gadol, a Levi, a Yisrael, a farmer, a judge, a king, a prophet, a parent, a homeowner, a slave-owner, a moneylender, a thief, a metzorah, an accidental killer, and be living in Israel! Don’t try this at home! Why confess sins that one certainly could not have performed?

In the liturgy of the Yamim Nora’im there is a piyut about the tragic deaths of the Ten Martyrs. One of their stories, discussed in this week’s daf, was that of Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon. He was captured by the Romans and accused of violating their edict against teaching Torah. He had no defense and was summarily sentenced to death. To inflict greater punishment, they sentenced his wife to death as well. They further decreed that his daughter be publicly degraded. The Gemara considers all of them to be tzaddikim, so why did they deserve such a fate?

The Gemara explains that Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon pronounced the Ineffable Name of Hashem during the course of learning. According to Rashi, this was actually permitted, but a tzaddik of the caliber of Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon should not have employed this leniency. Rashi explains that Hashem holds tzaddikim to a much higher standard. Since they have approached the pinnacle of perfection, any slight deviation is magnified.

Why did Rabi Chanina’s daughter deserve her fate? One time she was walking in front of some important Romans and she overheard one saying to another, “Look how nice the gait is of that young girl.” Upon hearing that, she attempted to make her gait even nicer. Her actions were a breach in modesty necessary for a bas Yisrael. The Gemara refers to her as a tzadeikes, so she likewise was judged on a much higher standard.

Why did the wife of Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon suffer? The Gemara says because she should have protested. Whereupon the Gemara declares: “From here we see anyone that can protest and does not will get punished on account of the sinner.” What should she have protested? Rashi says that she should have told her husband not to pronounce the Ineffable Name even during learning. Even though her husband was a tzaddik and scholar, she was expected to correct him when necessary. The Chasam Sofer suggests alternatively that she should have ensured that her daughter fully complied with the dictum of tzniyus.

The Gemara says that when Rabi Chanina ben Tradyon’s wife was being killed, she uttered the verse, “A G-d of faith without iniquity, righteous and fair is He” (Devarim 32:4). The Maharsha explains that she knew that she committed no sin for which she deserved such a punishment. Yet, she declared that her punishment was fair because she failed to correct the ways of others.

We see from here that “Kol Yisrael areivim zeh la’zeh”—we are held responsible for sins that others commit if we could have somehow prevented it. We confess for a wide assortment of sins because we are held liable for sins committed by others. Some commentators point to this passage as proof that women share the same culpability as men in this regard.

The burden this places on each individual member of Klal Yisrael is mindboggling. A person who is otherwise perfectly righteous can be held accountable for the wrongful actions of others. If there is an unaffiliated Jew who could have been inspired through us, we can be culpable for our dereliction. It therefore behooves every individual to reach out and touch any soul he can. Perhaps he can invite some not-yet-observant people to a Shabbos meal. Maybe he can send mishloach manos to an unaffiliated Jew. Possibly he can sign up to be a study partner with someone wanting to learn. Even a sincere and warm greeting can sometimes do the trick. Project Inspire is an organization that helps ordinary individuals accomplish this extraordinary outreach. For guidance or ideas, please visit their website at kiruv.com.