The mishna says we pass before Hashem (in judgement) like “bnei maron.” The Gemara gives three explanations of this phrase. Why do we need three different metaphors to explain the same idea?
Summary by Channie Koplowitz Stein
One of the most striking images in the Rosh Hashanah liturgy is a line in the Nesaneh Tokef borrowed from Mesechet Rosh Hashanah: “And all mankind will pass before You kivnei maron, like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff…” What does kivnei maron mean? The simplest and most obvious translation is, as ArtScroll translates, “Like members of the flock.” Rabbi Leff in Festivals of Life explains this phrase as each sheep being counted separately. But he continues to cite two additional metaphors the Gemarrah uses for this phrase. There was a narrow pass up to Beis Maron through which people could ascend only in single file. Perhaps this was what the phrase refers to. Finally, perhaps the phrase refers to the soldiers in King David’s army who would pass before him for inspection individually. How does each of these metaphors add understanding to kivnei maron? While the metaphors strongly suggest individual assessment, they also allude to communal responsibility. How can these metaphors together help us in our search for teshuvah, for return to our root purpose, the theme of the Day of Rosh Hashanah?
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