Kenesset Israel Torah Center Yom Kippur Guide 2777 Welcome! Welcome to Yom Kippur at Kenesset Israel Torah Center! The High Holidays are a time when Jews all over the world, of all denominations and approaches to the tradition observance, come together to pray to God, 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 liturgy 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 prayers 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 book of life! G’mar Chatima Tova, Rabbi 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 machzor, 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 kugel, 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 synagogue service. Allow yourself to linger where you are touched, where you feel addressed, by a prayer, 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) Kol Nidre, 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) Amidah - 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 confession, pp. 92-98 d) Selichos - Asking God's forgiveness, pp.102-142 The Selichot service on Erev Yom Kippur is a variation of the Selichot service recited on fast days, in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah 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) Avinu Malkeinu, 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 - Psalm 24, pp. 148-50 g) Aleinu, 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 siddur) b) Psalm for the Day, pp. 238-240 c) Psalm 27, 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 bible and Rabbinic sources that describe the daily service of the Temple iii. Pesukei Dezimra - Verses of Praise, pp. 282-324 a) These selections from Psalms 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 Shacharit service will take over with the word Hamelekh “The King,” p. 320 c) Shir Hama1alot, p. 324 – We recite Psalm 130 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, “Amen.” 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) Shalom—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) Torah reading, pp. 452-460 c) Haftarah (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.