Kenesset Center Guide 2777 Welcome! Welcome to Yom Kippur at Kenesset Israel Torah Center! The High Holidays are a time when all over the world, of all denominations and approaches to the tradition observance, come together to pray to , to do teshuvah - to repent of our past misdeeds - and to celebrate. These are days of expressing gratitude, awe, and remorse, days of asking forgiveness and forgiving others. The that we recite on Yom Kippur is poignant and beautiful, but there is a lot of it—services are long and there are literally hundreds of pages of to recite. When you find yourself lost, bored, or simply overwhelmed by unfamiliar prayers, the pace of the davening, or the sheer length of the service, I invite you to use this packet to guide you through the services and offer you inspiration along the way. Additionally, I encourage you to read the prayers in a language you understand. It is more important to understand the prayers than to try to say or read them in Hebrew. May you be inscribed and sealed in the ! G’mar Chatima Tova, Garth Silberstein

Navigating the High Holiday Services A. Some Sage Advice “Embodying the rhythm and texts of the Yamim Nora'im [High Holidays] requires real work. I need to find my way into the , into the days themselves, into the service, as I sit in the pews. It can feel overwhelming, relentless, perhaps especially on Yom Kippur when we all regress a bit, I think, and eventually start flipping through the book to the end, wondering exactly how many hours, how many minutes to until I can sit, enjoy that bagel and lox, that bit of lokshin , a few sips of water. However, it's more than that. So many words! Am I supposed to pray them, read them all?

“...Let me gently urge you to give yourself permission to experience the high holiday cycle this year, not so much in the way you think you are supposed to, but in ways that genuinely feed you...go for an indulgent walk in nature, claim some moments of solitude for yourself, offer hospitality to someone new and alone, sit with the machsur and just let your mind wander...You don't need to be in lock step with every part of the service. Allow yourself to linger where you are touched, where you feel addressed, by a , a poem, and catch up with the congregation when you are ready.” --Merle Feld, Playwright, Poet, and Spiritual Teacher

1 B. Outline of the Yom Kippur Services Tuesday Night i. Ma’ariv a) , pp. 56-60 – During Kol Nidre, we formally renounce any vows we have made in the past year and any vows that we will make in the year to come. b) Shema and its blessings, pp. 66-68  Barekhu - Call to prayer, p. 66  Blessings on the Shema, pp. 66-68 – These two blessings are recited each evening of the year and praise God as the Creator of day and night as well as for the gift of Torah  Shema, pp. 68-72 – The central statement of faith of the Jewish religion, recited twice a day. We cover our eyes and concentrate while reciting the first line together in unison, followed by the phrase Barukh Shem Kevod Malkhuso Le`olam Va`ed out loud (unlike every other day of the year when this is recited silently).  Blessings after the Shema, pp.72-78  We recite two blessings after the Shema at night. The first praises God as the redeemer of the Jewish people; the second asks Him to protect us.  We recite a verse from Leviticus that describes Yom Kippur, p. 76 c) - The Standing prayer, pp.78-98  At night, we only recite the Amidah privately; there is no repetition by the cantor.  At the conclusion of the Amidah, we recite a , pp. 92-98 d) Selichos - Asking God's forgiveness, pp.102-142  The service on Erev Yom Kippur is a variation of the Selichot service recited on fast days, in the days leading up to and between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur  Its structure is a series of liturgical poems expressing the themes of contrition and forgiveness  In between the poems (Selichot), we recite the 13 attributes of God’s mercy in unison  The Selicha service includes another formal confession, pp. 130-136 e) , pp. 144-148  We open the ark and recite the verses – some verses are recited silently, while others are recited responsively or sung all together. f) Prayer for Sustenance - , pp. 148-50 g) , pp. 152-154 h) Psalm, 27 pp. 156-158

2 Wednesday Morning ii. Birkhot Hashachar - Morning blessings, pp. 236-280 a) Blessings on studying Torah, pp. 248-250 (these should be recited privately before you come to synagogue or as soon as you arrive, before any other part of the ) b) Psalm for the Day, pp. 238-240 c) , p. 244 d) Birkos Hashachar, pp. 250-252 e) Acceptance of the sovereignty of heaven, pp. 256-260 f) Sacrifices, p. 262-280 – Texts from the and Rabbinic sources that describe the daily service of the Temple iii. - Verses of Praise, pp. 282-324 a) These selections from and other biblical verses are recited to help us focus our minds on prayer and get ready for the key prayers of the day b) The shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader) for the service will take over with the word Hamelekh “The King,” p. 320 c) Shir Hama1alot, p. 324 – We recite responsively with the Ark open iv. Shema and its blessings, pp. 324-350 a) Barekhu – Call to Prayer, p. 324 b) Blessings on the Shema, pp. 326-344 – These first two blessings are recited each day and express thanks to God for creation and for the gift of the Torah. We will be skipping the some piyutim (liturgical poems), pp. 326-330 and pp. 338-340 c) Shema, pp. 344-346 – The central statement of faith of the Jewish religion, recited twice a day. We cover our eyes and concentrate while reciting the first line together in unison d) Geulah, pp. 346-350 – The blessing after the Shema expresses gratitude for God's role as the Savior of the Jewish people. It is customary not to speak or interrupt between this blessing and the Amidah, the standing silent prayer, not even to say, “.” v. Amidah –The Standing Prayer, pp. 350-438 a) Tefillah Belachash – Whispered Prayer, pp. 350-364 We first pray the Amidah quietly, whispering the words under our breath to ourselves. Recite this prayer under your breath in Hebrew or in English, whatever language you are comfortable using. Take your time, savor the words, and don't worry if the service leader is starting on the repetition before you finish praying. Finish at your own pace, when you are ready. The prayer includes seven blessings—(1) Avot - Ancestors, (2) Gevurot - Power, (3) Kedushat Hashem - God's Holiness (4) Kedushat Hayom - the sanctity of the day, (5) Avodah - Temple Service, (6) Hoda'ah - Thanksgiving, and (7) —Peace. It concludes with the Vidui – confession, pp. 358-364

3 Wednesday Morning (Continued) b) Chazaras Hashatz – Leader's Repetition, Day One, pp. 366-434  Avot, pp 366-310 In addition to the usual text of this blessing, the Shatz recites Eimekha Nasasi, a piyut expressing awe and humility in the face of the task of serving as the community's emissary before God. We will skip the piyut in the middle half of p. 368, picking up with the bolded text on the bottom of p. 368 and concluding on p. 370.  Gevurot, pp. 370-374 We skip the piyutim on the second half of p. 370 and p. 372, concluding the blessing at the top of p. 374  Kedushat Hashem, pp. 374-412 We will sing several piyutim, then we will rise for the kedusha, pp. 406-408  Kedushat Hayom, pp. 412-432 – This section includes a vidui - confession  Avodah - Temple Service, p. 432  Modim – Thanksgiving, pp. 432-434  Shalom – Peace, p. 434 c) Avinu Malkeinu, pp. 436-438  We open the Ark and recite some verses silently; other verses are recited responsively or sung all together vi. Torah Service, pp. 440-426 a) Opening the Ark and removing the Sifrei Torah, pp. 440-446 b) , pp. 452-460 c) (reading from the Prophets), pp. 462-464 vii. Yizkor - Memorial Service, pp. 470-476 It is customary for those whose parents are living to leave the room for Yizkor viii. Musaf - Additional Service, pp. 478- a) At this point we put away the Sifrei Torah, pp. 478-482 b) Hineini, pp. 482-484 – The shaliach tzibbur for musaf expresses humility and awe at his task c) Tefillah Belachash—pp. 486-500  We first pray the Amidah quietly, whispering the words under our breath to ourselves. Recite this prayer in Hebrew or in English, whatever language you are comfortable using. Take your time, savor the words, and don't worry if the service leader is starting on the repetition while you are still praying. Finish at your own pace. The prayer includes seven blessings—(1) Avot - Ancestors, (2) Gevurot - Power, (3) Kedushat Hashem – God's Holiness (4) Kedushat Hayom - the sanctity of the day, (5) Avodah - Temple Service, (6) Hoda'ah - Thanksgiving, and (7) Shalom - Peace. It concludes with vidui – confession, pp. 494-500

4 Wednesday (Continued) d) Chazarat Hashatz - Leader's repetition, p. 502  Unesaneh Tokef, pp. 530-534  Kedusha, pp.534-536  Vekhol Ma'aminim, pp. 540-542  Veye'etayu (Veyitenu Lekha Keter Melukha), p. 544  Aleinu, p. 550  Seder Ha`avodah - The Order of the Temple Service, pp. 554-576  Shema Koleinu, p. 596  Anu Amekha, p. 596.  Vidui - Confession, pp. 598-604  Birkat Kohanim, pp. 614-618  Hayom, p. 622 ix. , pp. 626-704 a) Removing the Sifrei Torah scrolls, pp. 626-628 b) Torah reading for Mincha, pp. 630-634 c) Haftarah for Mincha, pp. 634-646 d) Putting the Sifrei Torah away, pp. 648-650 e) Silent Amidah—Standing Prayer, pp. 650-664  This prayer includes a vidui – confession, pp. 658-664 f) Chazaras Hashatz/Leader’s repetition, pp. 666-700 g) Avinu Malkeinu, pp. 700-704 x. Neilah, pp. 706-762 a) Introductory Readings, pp. 706-710 b) Silent Amidah, pp. 712-724. In this prayer, we say only an abbreviated vidui. c) Chazaras Hashatz/Chazzan’s Repetition, pp. 726-758  This service includes numerous recitations of the 13 Attributes of Mercy. d) Avinu Malkeinu, pp. 758-762 e) We conclude with the blowing of the !

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C. Classical Sources on Yom Kippur

II. A. , 6:2 He [the High Priest] then came to the scapegoat and put his hands over its head and confessed. And this is what he would say: “Please, Ha-Shem [lit. The Name], Your people Israel have been iniquitous, neglectful, and sinful before You. Please Ha-Shem, please atone for the iniquity, negligence, and that that Your people Israel have violated before You. As it is written in the Torah of Your servant, “For this day shall atone for and purify you, from all of your sins you shall be pure before Ha-Shem” (Leviticus 16:30). And the priests and people were standing in the Courtyard [of the temple]. Upon hearing the Ineffable Name of God [the Tetragrammaton, the four letter name of God as it is really pronounced, which would only happen on this day in the temple] coming from the mouth of the High Priest, they would bend their knees and prostrate, falling on their faces and say, “Blessed is the glorious name of His kingship for all eternity!” B. Mishnah Yoma, 6:6 What did he [the person tasked with leading the scapegoat to the desert] do? He divided a string of red wool into two. He tied half to the rock [over the cliff in the desert] and the other half between the scapegoat’s horns, and then pushed it [the scapegoat] backwards, off the cliff. It would revolve and descend, and it would be torn limb from limb before even reaching halfway down the cliff. C. Mishnah Yoma, 8:1 Yom Kippur prohibits eating, drinking, bathing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and sexual relations. D. Mishnah Yoma, 8:5 Someone who is sick is fed at the direction of a medical expert. If there are none around, we feed the sick person at his own direction until he says, “enough.” E. Mishnah Yoma, 8:9 If someone says, “I will and repent, and then sin more and repent,” he is not helped [by Heaven] in his repentance. If he says, “I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone for me,” the day does not atone for him. For sins between man and God, Yom Kippur atones; sins between a man and his fellow are not atoned for by Yom Kippur unless until he placates his fellow… Said , “So fortunate are you, Israel! Before whom are you purified? Who purifies you? Your Father in heaven! As it says, “I will sprinkle pure water upon you and make you pure” ( 36:25). It further states, “The Mikvah [ritual bath] of Israel is God. Just like a Mikvah purifies the impure, so too does the Holy One, blessed be He, purify Israel.” D. Other Readings

III. A. Prayer for One who Cannot Fast By Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub Ribbono shel Olam/Master of the Universe; Creator of All, Source of All Life, Who Knows What is Deep in Human Hearts, Who Nurtures Every Living Being: As You know, dear God, Because of my condition, I am not able to keep the traditional fast – I cannot abstain totally from eating. 6 On this Day of Atonement, this Sabbath of Sabbaths, this year and every year, it is so central to join the people of Israel in denying ourselves food and drink for one day so that we focus on correcting our misdeeds, on knowing our mortality; on reaching for a life of Torah, mitzvot, and loving-kindness; on You. You know, dear God, that it is not my intent to be apart from our people and our tradition. My current state of health makes it unsuitable for me to fast. So, dear God, I turn to You now in sincerity and openness: Help me in the coming year to do my best in guarding my health. Help us, Your children, learn how to protect our bodies from harm. Help us support others in caring for their tzelem Elokim, their Image of God. Teach us to help one another grow and thrive in Body, Mind, and Spirit. Guide caring family and health care professionals in their partnering with you to bring healing if not cure, support and strength if not an end to symptoms. And if there is an opportunity for me to help others who suffer by doing something they need or by being attentive company –Grant me the ability to do this mitzvah with love and devotion. Rofeh khol basar, Healer of all living creatures: I thank You for the breath that is in me for the community of Israel that lives for the possibilities of today and tomorrow. May my eating be as a fast; May it be dedicated to You, to T’shuvah – to the Renewal and Restoration of my Relationship/ to You, to Others, and to Myself. B. From This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared by Alan Lew The thing about the Kol Nidre is that it starts at this moment of heartbreak. This moment is its first assumption. And it comes on so suddenly, so abruptly. There is no buildup whatsoever. It's the very first thing that happens at the evening service for Yom Kippur. It happens before we even have a chance to settle in our seats. As the chant begins, we convene a Beit Din—a rabbinical court—and the first words of the chant are a legal formula. This court gives permission to pray with the Avaryonim. What does this mean? ...There is a strong and persistent folk belief that the word Avaryonim refers to the Marranos—the Jews of Spain who had pretended to convert to but had remained secretly Jewish and who returned to the Jewish community to say Kol Nidre every year ...Another theory is based on the Talmudic dictum that a public fast in which sinners do not participate is not a true fast. Avar, after all, is the word for transgression...We are all Avaryonim. We are all imperfect. We are all sinners... I think these words suggest an even deeper reality that all of us share. Not only are we all imperfect, we are all impermanent. In its simplest meaning, Avar means to pass. We are the Avaryonim. We are the ones who are just passing through, every one of us. C. “Kol Nidre” by Merle Feld I am grateful for this, how often I take the easy way, a moment of truth, I let myself off the hook, grateful to stand before You give myself the benefit of in judgment. the doubt— You know me as a liar every day, every day. and I am flooded with relief On this day, this one day, to have my darkest self I stand before You naked, exposed at last. without disguise, without Every day I break my vows— embellishment, naked, to be the dutiful child, shivering, ridiculous. selfless parent, caring friend, I implore You— responsible citizen of the world. let me try again. No one sees, no one knows 7

D. A story, Source Unknown Once there was a mighty king who had a very bright and talented only son. The king taught him everything that he could absorb, as he was preparing his son to govern his country's greatest province and to be a benevolent, caring ruler there. The young man grew in the knowledge and wisdom that befit a promising future ruler. Unfortunately, though, he also grew in arrogance. Overconfident, he began to disobey and rebel against his father, the mighty king. The devoted father tried everything he could think of to persuade his beloved son to change his ways, he warned him of the unfortunate consequences of his behavior for his future- Nothing helped. The stubborn young man continued to misbehave until his father, with great regret, gave his only son some money and exiled him to a place the youngster had never seen. Now this young man found himself in a strange and unfamiliar land. After he used up the money, he had no means of support, and after much searching, he finally found a job as a shepherd. He had to take care of the herd all by himself and provide the sheep with pastures to graze from and water to drink. He followed his charges around and gave every young sheep his devoted and concerned care. In the summer, he worked in the scorching heat; in the winter, he shivered from cold. The older shepherds had a hut that sheltered them from the elements, but the young man could not afford one. Sometimes he thought, in regret, that he could have been a prince who took care of people in pleasant and honorable surroundings. "Instead," he said to himself, "I'm a poor shepherd who takes care of sheep and can't even afford a hut to shelter me from the burning summer sun and freezing winter cold." One day there came a report that the king would soon visit the area and that everyone was invited to pay homage to him. The king even promised to grant wishes! In his desperation, our young man joined the visitors to greet the king on the day of his graciousness and good will. "What is your wish, young man?” The king asked as he approached him. "Your majesty, I am a poor shepherd who hasn't even a hut to shade himself from the sun and the cold. Gracious king, if in your goodness you would grand me my wish for a hut, I would be forever grateful," he concluded and bowed his head. "Your wish is granted," said the king, broken-hearted as he recognized his son. "How sad, my son," he thought, "you could have asked me for permission to return to my kingdom and reclaim your glory and honor- instead you asked for a hut! How piteous and disappointing!"

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