My siblings and I, throughout our youth, spent the summers in a camp environment, because our father was the Rabbi of Camp Mogen Avraham in the Catskills.
There is one memory that the tens of thousands of campers who attended CMA over the 45 years he was its Rabbi, have etched in their minds. It is that at the conclusion of the third meal on Shabbos, the camp would chant, ‘We want Rabbi Saks.’ Tables would be combined together and he would get up on the tables and sing a lively and responsive song while dancing. It was thrilling, and he accomplished his goal of putting some Ruach – spirit – into this meal, as Shabbos was coming to an end.
The lively song he sang was to the words, Aderes V’emuna. He would then switch to a slower and meaningful song and the camp would respond with the words Ain Kailokanu, Ain Kadonanu, Ain Kimalkainu… These familiar words are taken from the conclusion of the Mussaf Shabbos/Holiday prayers, which is chanted in many synagogues – Ain Kailokainu…
This past week, I read an article written by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, where he cited a glaring question on the format of the Ain Kailokainu prayer that I never noticed.
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld o.b.m., the rabbi of Jerusalem in the early 20th century, once approached some students who were at a crossroads about how to conduct their lives religiously. “After Davening we say the poem, Ain Kailokainu. When we examine the paragraphs, we find it quite odd. At first, we make four statements, There is no one like G-d, There is no one like our Master, There is no one like our King and There is no one like our Redeemer.”
Rabbi Sonnenfeld continued, the next paragraph of the poem we ask four questions; Who is like our G-d? Who is like our Master? Who is like our Master? Who is like our Redeemer?
Rabbi Sonnenfeld asked the students, shouldn’t the second paragraph that asks the questions come before the answers that are given in the first paragraph? Why is the order reversed?
Rabbi Sonnenfeld told the students the following story to explain. There was a guide who led a group of tourists into a deep dark cave. There were no lights other than the dim light on the guide’s cap.
The guide took them deeper and deeper through the labyrinth of the cave. Suddenly, a few members of the group began to panic, and fearfully asked, “How will we ever get out?”
The guide coolly said, “No problem, follow me!” In a rather short time, they were at the exit of the cave.
The relieved tourists asked the guide, “How did you make it out so fast? We thought we would be trapped in the cave forever.
The guide answered, it was actually very simple. “I tethered a rope to a rock near the entrance of the cave. I held the rope throughout the course of our way. As long as I was anchored to the exit, I knew I had no problems or difficulty getting out.”
Rabbi Sonnenfeld then explained: “Asking questions like, Who is like G-d? Who is like our Master? Who is like our King? Who is like our Redeemer? can be very risky.
However, if we emphatically declare the answers before we before we begin our journey into the world of questions, and we declare Ain Kailokainu – there is no other that G-d!, then when questions of faith may pop into our minds, we will be safe from spiritual harm, for we have been anchored with a complete resolve that, Ain Keilokainu, Ain Kadonainu, Ain Kimalkainu Ain Kemoshiainu! ”
In the first portion we read this week, Matos, the Torah speaks about the consideration we are to give to the power and influence of our speech in regards to the binding nature of the utterance of a vow or oath.
The Torah states a prohibition of reneging on one’s vow. “He must not break his word; he must do all that he expressed verbally.”
Our great wise masters illuminated this verse to us by homiletically explaining it, “One must not break his word – and if he abides by his word – then, He (G-d) will do all that he expresses verbally.”
When one takes his utterances seriously, then when he prays and asks G-d for assistance, G-d will do whatever he asks and expresses – for G-d values that his words in general are trustworthy, admirable and sound!
