Welcome to Temple Sholom! We welcome you during this sacred time in the Jewish year known as the Yamim Noraim, commonly translated as the "Days of Awe." The root of the Hebrew word nora, (yod-reish-alef) also has the connotation of "fear." Therefore, we might view this period of time as both days of awe and days of fear. We hope this guide aids you through the process of teshuva, repentance and renewal as you use it for guidance, reflection and meditation. Shavuah tov, happy New Year from the Temple Sholom clergy and staff! May you have a meaningful Yamim Noraim! Table of Contents High Holy Day Terms ................................................................................. 1 Rosh Hashanah .......................................................................................... 2 Holiday Rituals .................................................................................... 2 Prayers & Themes ................................................................................ 3 The Shofar Service ............................................................................... 4 Reflection Section ................................................................................ 5 Tashlich Service ........................................................................................ 6 Shabbat Shuvah ......................................................................................... 7 Reflection Section ...................................................................................... 8 Kol Nidre .................................................................................................... 9 Holiday Rituals .................................................................................... 9 Reflection Section ............................................................................... 10 Yom Kippur ............................................................................................... 11 The Two Types of Sins ......................................................................... 11 Prayers & Themes ............................................................................... 12 Yizkor ............................................................................................... 13 Neilah ............................................................................................... 13 Havdallah .......................................................................................... 13 High Holy Day Terms G’mar chatimah tovah: “May you be sealed for a good year.” Greeting which expresses the hope you will be sealed, in the metaphorical Book of Life, for a good year, if you have atoned. High Holy Days: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The days of repentance are divided into two parts: The first is the inscribing which begins on Rosh Hashanah. The second is when the final “sealing” (chatimah) of our fate takes place, which occurs on Yom Kippur. L’shanah tovah tikatayvu: “May you be inscribed for a good year.” Greeting which expresses the hope you will be written in the Book of Life and granted happiness and fulfillment in the year ahead. Machzor: The name for the High Holy Day prayer-book. The word literally means “cycle” in Hebrew. Shabbat: Shabbat is the Jewish Sabbath (Day of Rest), which begins on Friday evening at the setting of the sun and concludes on Saturday evening. We greet the Sabbath with “Shabbat Shalom” (may you have a peaceful Shabbat) as we meet family and friends. The Torah teaches that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The 4th Commandment (of the Ten Commandments) is to “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” We therefore cherish the seventh day as a day of rest and worship. We share in the spirit of Shabbat with family at home and in our sanctuary for services. Time is also spent in study or doing meaningful and relaxing activities. Our Shabbat service is comprised of prayers, readings and songs as we reaffirm our belief in God, sanctifying God’s greatness. Shanah tovah: A greeting wishing someone a “good year!” Shofar: Made from the horn of a ram, the shofar is a basic instrument that is blown daily, in the month preceding Rosh Hashanah, on Rosh Hashanah, and at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. Tallit: A prayer shawl traditionally used during any prayer service that includes a Torah reading. It is worn for the Yom Kippur evening service, Kol Nidre, even though the Torah is not read at that time, as all of the Yom Kippur services are meant to be a continuation, as if there isn’t a break between Kol Nidre and Shacharit the next morning. Teshuvah: Literally means “returning,” a Hebrew term for repentance. Think of it as “turning a new leaf.” Yahrzeit candle: Memorial candle lit on the anniversary of a loved one’s death, on Yom Kippur, and whenever Yizkor is recited. Yom Tov: Literally “a good day” in Hebrew, it is often pronounced Yuntiff (the Yiddish pronunciation) and is used as a synonym for “holiday.” A standard holiday greeting is “Gut Yuntiff” (Yiddish for “good day”). 1 Rosh Hashanah (literally “Head of the Year” in Hebrew) is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. In the Torah we read: “In the seventh month (Tishrei), on the first day of the month, there shall be a sacred assembly, a cessation from work, a day of commemoration proclaimed by the sound of the shofar” (Leviticus 23:23-25). The Hebrew calendar dates the Jewish New Year according to an ancient rabbinic understanding of when the world was created. Holiday Rituals: The traditional start of the holiday is at the evening meal. Jewish holidays begin at sunset before the day of the holiday. Menus vary from house to house, but two customs are widely followed. Round Raisin Challah: We make or buy a round challah with raisins: the roundness of the bread symbolizes the never-ending cycle of time, and the sweetness of the raisins symbolizes the hope that the coming year will be a sweet one. Apples & Honey: We also eat apples dipped in honey as a symbol of the wish that the entire New Year be a sweet year. 2 Prayers & Themes Zochreinu l’chaim (Recall us for life): This prayer asks God to renew us in the Book of Life. It asks God to grant us another year of life. The last words of the prayer are l’maancha Elohim chaim, meaning “for your sake, living God” or “God of life.” We are not just asking God for life, but to live for the sake of God. The Book of Genesis tells us that we are all created b’tzelem Elohim, “in the image of God.” On Rosh Hashanah, this line is a reminder for how we should live. It is a reminder to act in the image of God, to continue God’s work, to be God’s hands on earth, and to make the world a better place. Unetaneh tokef (Let us proclaim the sacred power of this day): This is a poem which speaks about God’s power to judge us on this day. The Hebrew word nora is used, which is defined as both awe and fear. The poem speak to God’s awesome power over us which invokes fear of death if we do not repent for our sins. It recognizes that life is too short, life is fragile and that it can end when we least expect it. While it describes the painful truth of life and death, it should provoke us to make the best choices in our lives, for we only live once. Sefer Chaim (Book of Life): The Book of Life refers to the belief that God has a book of those considered righteous. This central High Holy Day theme stems from the Book of Exodus 32:32 which states: "Now, if You will forgive their sin [well and good]; but if not, erase me from the record which You have written!" During the High Holy Days, Jews seek to be inscribed in the Book of Life through doing the “Three T’s” (see below). Teshuva, Tefillah, u’Tzedakah (Repentance, Prayer, and Charity): The “Three T’s” as they are sometimes referred to are the actions required to avert judgment’s severe decree. By returning to one's innermost self and starting anew (teshuvah), by attaching oneself to God through prayer (tefillah) and by giving or doing for others from the heart (tzedakah), one can not only be written in the Book of Life but sealed in the Book of Life. Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father, Our King): God is visualized as a parent and ruler in prayers that are sung to special holiday melodies. The most famous of these is Avinu Malkeinu, which translates to Our Father, Our King (or, Our Parent, Ou r Ruler). The shofar, a ram’s horn, is blown as a wake-up call to pay attention to the ending of a year and the start of the new one. 3 The Shofar Service In the Torah, Rosh Hashanah is called Yom Teruah, the Day of the Shofar Blasts. When you want someone’s attention, you make noise, right? Well, with the shofar and with prayer, today is your day to make noise. Today, we call out to God, to each other and to ourselves. We praise and thank God for the past year and wish and hope for the year to come. The Talmud states that God said: “on Rosh Hashanah recite before Me (verses of) Sovereignty, Remembrance, and Shofar blasts. Sovereignty so that you should make Me your King; Remembrance so that your remembrance should rise up before Me. And through what? Through the Shofar.” The Shofar service highlights these three important themes that all revolve around “doing something”: 1) Malchuyot (Sovereignty): We take the time to recognize God’s greatness, the Maker of all, and we bow in awe and thanksgiving. 2) Zichronot (Remembrance): In the Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah is referred to as Yom Zikaron, the day of remembering. We take this time to recall Creation and Covenant, our everlasting bond to God. And as we recall God and God’s deeds, we ask