The Kol Nidrei Moment | Rabbi Reuven Schmeltzer

In the 1800s, in the city of Darmstadt, Germany, R' Tzvi Binyamin Auerbach the Mechaber of the Sefer Nachal Eshkol, he was the Rav, and in that town, there was, nebech, it happened that the missionaries came and they kidnaped a child. This child was taken to the monastery, and the parents, of course, the devastated parents tried very hard to get him back. The monastery priests and monks said all types of denials. If he comes on his own volition to the religion of peace and love, why would we deprive him? They would not let go. Time passed. Months, maybe years. Finally, there was one judge who was a little sympathetic to their situation. He listened to both sides and he told the parents: You know, I'm willing to give you a chance. You could spend five minutes with your child in the monastery, and if you could convince him to come after you, it'll be proof that he was forced to come. The parents realized that since he had been brainwashed by the church, what are they going to do? What could they tell him in five minutes? They went to the Nachal Eshkol and the Nachal Eshkol thought for a minute and he said, Let me go with you. You say nothing. They came to the appointed place near the monastery, they walked into the big room, and they see their child come out, flanked by the priests and monks, his mentors. He has a sneering look on his face. And they start to cry. In walks the Nachal Eshkol, dressed in his Yom Kippur outfit. He was wearing a long kittel, a Tallis, and he was wearing his white kappel. As soon as the boy came out, and the five minutes began to tick away, suddenly they hear him saying, בישיבה של מעלה ובישיבה של מטה He started to chant the melody of the Kol Nidrei. Everyone was looking at him, flabbergasted. What is this? But he continued, כל נדרי And he sings along and the child is looking. He knows he has to stay there. The sneering look on his face began to change a little bit. He began to look serious. מיום כיפורים זה עד יום כיפורים And the child begins to show tears at the edge of his eyes. He continues the Kol Nidrei chanting. ושבועתנא לא שבועות The child began to cry and the Nachal Eshkol says to him, What do you choose? Would you like to choose Olam Hazeh and OIam Haba and come home or would you like to stay here, captive? The child ran into his mother's arms. Take me home where I heard this beautiful Nigun. Please. I want to come home to your house. The Nachal Eshkol understood that the moments, the solemn moments of Kol Nidrei, is seared deep in the soul of a Yid. And he knew that if he'd awaken it, all of the material glamor would fade away and he'd be able to get the child back. Yosef Hatzaddik did the same thing. He was able to reawaken the memory of the Shechinah, the Shechinah by the memory of his father. We all have our Har Sinai moments, the impressions. When those reawaken, we are able to reawaken ourselves and fight the Yetzer Hara. It empowers us to feel the absolute truth and then the תאוה melts away in emptiness and disgust. These are the moments that help us always fight and conquer the Yetzer Hara.