ROSH HASHANAH SERVICE 2013/5774
CONGREGATION FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM Fairfield County, Connecticut i CHJ’s High Holiday theme A Tradition of Questioning
Our congregation generally chooses a theme for the year, which we introduce at our High Holiday services. This year’s theme is: A Tradition of Questioning.
As Jews and humanists, we acknowledge the importance of constant questioning of our beliefs, values, and actions. We value our Jewish traditions and our own adaptations to science, modernity, and a humanistic philosophy, but we do not uphold practices inimical to our personal ethics and worldview. We question. Questioning often serves as an agent for change, and change may be uncomfortable. Yet, we are willing to sacrifice familiarity for integrity.
Jewish tradition has always embraced a questioning attitude with regard to ourselves, our interactions with others, and our place in the universe. This is central to the High Holiday concepts of T’shuvah, or Self-Examination, T’feelah, or Self-Reflection, and T’zedakah, or Right Action. Talmudic study was based on endless examination of precepts and laws and their interpretation and reinterpretation by sages and scholars. However, certain “givens,” such as the omnipotent, omniscient God, giver of the Torah, were not subject to questioning, let alone change. As skeptics, if not nonbelievers, we allow our questioning to extend to lofty matters of cosmology and philosophy as well as political, societal, and personal concerns. We do not even accept faith on faith.
The roots of humanism in Judaism are old and deep, but the modern movement, Humanistic Judaism, was a product of the early 1960s in the United States, a time of upheaval. It soon became a viable alternative to other branches of Judaism. At this point, we are old enough to have our own traditions. But, like the ancient traditions, they remain subject to change. If examination and questioning point the way to change, we change.
______The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism maintains several ongoing T’zedakah traditions. We are collecting monetary donations for the Connecticut Food Bank and Books-for-Zim (helping village schools in Zimbabwe). For the latter please mark Books-for-Zim in the memo line on your check. There will be a T’zedakah box for monetary contributions for these organizations in the lobby at all High Holiday gatherings. Thank you for participating and helping to heal the world (Tikkun Olam).
ii Congregation for Humanistic Judaism 606 Post Road East, #542 – Westport, CT 06880 – (203) 226-5451 www.humanisticjews.org http://www.facebook.com/CongregationforHumanisticJudaism
High Holidays 2013/5774
Dear Friends:
Shalom and welcome to the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism (CHJ) High Holiday programs. We are happy to welcome back all of our members after the summer break and are delighted that so many guests are celebrating with us.
We hope that our humanistic values and practices reflected in our programs resonate with your own contemporary definition of Judaism. For those new to Humanistic Judaism, information in the CHJ High Holiday services program booklets provide an introduction to our philosophy and mission. Please sign our guest book and feel free to pick up literature at our information tables. Be sure to visit our web site (www.humanisticjews.org) for current CHJ programs and contact information, and “like us” at our new Facebook page which is http://www.facebook.com/CongregationforHumanisticJudaism.
While we take pleasure in offering these activities to the greater community at no charge, we appreciate contributions to help defray our costs. Envelopes are available at one of the tables set up outside the auditorium, or contributions may be sent at any time to the address above. Most importantly, we invite you to learn more about our wonderful community and to pursue membership in CHJ. Inquiries regarding membership can be directed to the CHJ information line at (203) 226-5451 or talk with one of our officers or members now. Please note that any contributions may be credited toward future membership dues.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.
Yours Sincerely,
Jane Campbell President, Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
iii CONGREGATION FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM Fairfield County, CT
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
We are a welcoming, supportive community, founded in 1967, in which secular Jews and their families can affirm, celebrate and enrich their Jewish identity and values.
We subscribe to Humanistic Judaism, one of the five branches of Judaism recognized by the United Jewish Communities of North America. We are affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism and the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews.
Humanistic Judaism defined:
A Jew is a person of Jewish descent or any person who declares himself or herself to be a Jew and who identifies with the history, ethical values, culture, civilization, community and experiences of the Jewish people. (Adopted by the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews, October, 1988.)
A humanist believes that each person, whether or not he or she believes in God, is responsible for leading a moral, ethical life that will add to the greater good of humanity, without reliance on supernatural forces or theological authority. Belief in God is a matter of personal definition, personal conviction and personal practice.
Humanistic Judaism combines the Jewish values of loving-kindness (Gemilut Chassadim), charity (T’zedakah) and making the world a better place (Tikkun Olam) with the recognition that the responsibility for putting them in practice lies in one’s own hands.
Congregation Practices:
Our community functions as a cooperative. Through Sunday School programs for our children and diverse adult programs, we
Educate ourselves and our children in Jewish history, culture, tradition and values; Celebrate and observe Jewish holidays and mark important life cycle events in meaningful, non-theistic ways; Engage in social action and community service; Explore philosophic and ethical issues in group discussion; Keep current on issues of concern to Jewish people and support Israel in its quest for peace; Foster an understanding of Humanistic Judaism in the broader community; and Dedicate ourselves to creating a compassionate community whose members treat each other with respect, dignity and caring.
(Excerpted from the CHJ Statement of Purpose, revised June 2002)
ROSH HASHANAH 2013/5774
iv Musical preludes (Please take your seats.)
SILENT READING to welcome the High Holidays:
Coming Up on September
White butterflies, with single black fingerpaint eyes on their wing, dart and settle, eddy and mate over the green tangle of vines in Labor Day morning steam.
The year grinds into ripeness and rot, grapes darkening, pears yellowing, the first Virginia creeper twining crimson, the grasses, dry straw to burn.
The New Year rises, beckoning across the umbrellas on the sand. I begin to reconsider my life. What is the yield of my impatience? What is the fruit of my resolve?
I turn from my frantic white dance over the jungle of productivity and slowly a niggun slides, cold water down my throat. I rest on a leaf spotted red.
Now is the time to let the mind search backwards like the raven loosed to see what can feed us. Now, the time to cast the mind forward to chart an aerial map of the months.
The New Year is a great door that stands across the evening and Yom Kippur is the second door. Between them are song and silence, stone and clay pot to be filled from within myself. I will find there both ripeness and rot, what I have done and undone, what I must let go with the waning days and what I must take in. With the last tomatoes, we harvest the fruit of our lives. (Marge Piercy)
v I. OPENING
תקיעה ! !Cantor and Shofar: T’kee-ah תקיעה ! !T’kee-ah תקיעה ! !T’kee-ah
Leader: Hear, O Israel, the Jewish people are one. Our High Holidays remain a dramatic and poignant reminder of Jewish connectedness and wholeness.
Tonight, all over the world, the Shofar will sound, and that cry will be understood by Jews in Israel and throughout the diaspora. No matter what language we speak to conduct our secular or spiritual lives, the piercing blast of the ram’s horn transcends mere words.
The Shofar is the ritual horn of ancient Israel, a unique legacy of our past that resonates at the center of our Holiday observances. It is a powerful symbol of the survival of the Jewish people. Around the world, we assemble to the sound of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to find comfort in mutual support, to reflect on our humanity, ethical values, and social concerns.
Rosh Hashanah heralds an opportunity for new beginnings. Now is the time to evaluate what has transpired during the year past and to discard what no longer fits the person we want to be. Self-reflection, self-evaluation, self-renewal: These are the tasks we are called to by the Shofar’s blast.
With Jews everywhere, we gather together and celebrate the significance of Rosh Hashanah, “The Head of the Year.” This first day of the month of Tishri begins the traditional Yamin Nora'im, the Days of Awe, starting with Rosh Hashanah and culminating with Yom Kippur.
Cantor and Congregation: Hineh Ma Tov Hi-neh ma tov u-ma na-eem She-vet a-cheem gam ya-chad.
(Psalm 133:1 How good it is for brothers and sisters to be together.)
Greeting: Congregation President Jane Campbell
Leader: In the twilight of the vanishing year, our hearts are filled with hope. We cannot escape memories of tragic events that occurred; yet we will not yield to despair.
All: As Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, begins, we look ahead with hope.
Leader: During the past year, we were buoyed by love and kindness, by community and solidarity, by the essential goodness in people. vi All: As the New Year begins, we take solace in one another.
Leader: We regret our failure to do all we could to ease pain and suffering, to bring joy and light.
All: As the New Year begins, we examine our behavior and envision our potential for change.
Leader: The New Year brings new resolve. May this Rosh Hashanah be our day of rebirth into life and fulfillment.
All: As the New Year begins, we resolve to fulfill the promise of Rosh Hashanah.
II. SHOFAR AND CONVOCATION
Cantor and Congregation: “Sound the Shofar on the New Moon, at the time appointed for our festival day” (Psalms 81:4).
תקיעה ! !Cantor and Shofar: T’kee-ah שברים ! !She-va-reem תרועה ! !Te-roo-ah תקיעה ! !T’kee-ah
Leader: As the great Jewish philosopher of the middle ages Maimonides said: “Despite the fact that the blowing of the ram’s horn on Rosh Hashanah is an explicit decree in the Scripture, it also says: Awake, O you sleepers, Awake from your sleep! O you slumberers, awake from your slumber! Search your deeds and turn in T’shuvah….Look to your souls, and better your ways and actions.”
We will spend these special days reflecting upon where we have been and where we are going, for our future must be informed by our past.
Reader 1: The process begins with T’shuvah, or self-examination – how have we behaved in the past year? It is followed by T’feelah, or self-evaluation/self-reflection, our internal assessment of our behavior. The outcome is T’zedakah, or justice, our new behavior as we act to heal our world and ourselves.
vii Congregation: The sound of the horn is like no other sound: It pierces the armor of the heart.
Leader: Sounds fill the air about us But we do not listen to them all.
We select, we decide Which sounds we respond to.
What do we really care to hear? A baby crying, a sound of beauty, a warning, a word of love, a cry for help?
What will we hear? What will cause us to turn, To renew a part of life Which too quickly passes by?
Reader 1: When our children tell us their troubles Or proudly share their joys, do we really listen?
Do we hear the loneliness of the elderly Through their talk, as through their silence? And when we hear, do we turn in understanding?
Do we hear the ignored, the repressed, and the minorities? Do we help give them voice by empowering with our voice?
Do we hear the sounds of chaos and of creation in our own lives? And hearing, do we love each other more?
Today the shofar calls out to remind us that time does not stand still, And that it is never too late to pay attention.
It is an alarm, to waken us from that slumber and stupor Which shut out concern for others, and for ourselves.
III. TORAH CEREMONY
Leader: For over two and one-half millennia, the Torah, or Five Books of Moses, has been the founding story of Jewish life, the starting point of Christianity, and the background of Islam. For ceremonial purposes, Jews have continued to read from handwritten parchment Torahs in scroll form, housed in arks. Our congregation has such a scroll, a Torah from Czechoslovakia, salvaged from the Holocaust. We feel honored to have this Torah as a permanent loan from a London synagogue that conserves such precious relics. Please stand as the ark is opened. (The Congregation stands as the ark is opened and the Torah is removed.)
viii All: The Torah shall come forth out of Zion, And the word of friendship from Jerusalem. Leader: Please be seated. With Jews all over the world, we read tonight to honor tradition and to connect us to the ancient Jewish text. A central figure of Judaism is Abraham, who is considered the “Father of the Jewish People,” and our Torah passage tonight relates his beginnings. Abraham’s given name was Abram, and his father was named Terah. We read here from the Book of Genesis, chapter 11 (11:24-28,31- 32).
Readers 2 & 3:
בררא אשי ית Genesis Chapter 11 And Nahor lived nine and twenty כד ויירחי י נהחולר, תששי ע ורעדשררי ים שה נהה; וייוללדד, .years, and begot Terah אד ת-תהרי ח. And Nahor lived after he begot Terah כה ויירחי י נהחולר, אחררש י הולליידול אד ת-תדרי ח, a hundred and nineteen years, and תר שי ע-עדשררש ה שה נהה, ומר את שה נהה; וייוללדד בהניים, .begot sons and daughters ובה נולת. And Terah lived seventy years, and כו ויירחי י-תדרי ח, שי ברעי ים שה נהה; וייוללדד, אד ת- .begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran אבררה ם, אד ת-נהחולר, וראד ת-ההרה ן. Now these are the generations of כז וראש לדה, תוללרדלת תדרי ח--תדרי ח הוללייד אד ת- ,Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor אבררה ם, אד ת-נהחולר וראד ת-ההרה ן; ורההרה ן, הוללייד .and Haran; and Haran begot Lot אד ת-לולט. And Haran died in the presence of his כח וייהמה ת ההרה ן, עיל-פר נשי תדרי ח אבי יו, בראדרד ץ ,father Terah in the land of his nativity מוללידר תול, בר אור כישרדי ים. in Ur of the Chaldees. And Terah took Abram his son, and לא ויייקי ח תדרי ח אד ת-אבררה ם בר נול, וראד ת-לולט בד ן- ,Lot, the son of Haran, his son's son ההרה ן בד ן-בר נול, וראש ת שהרי י כילהתול, אששד ת אבררה ם and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son בר נול; ויישצר או איתה ם מש אור כישרדי ים, להלדכדת Abram's wife; and they went forth ארר צה ה כר ניעין, וייהבלאו עיד-חהרה ן, וייששר בו שה ם. with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two לב ויייהר יו ירמש י-תדרי ח, חהמש ש שה ניים ומה אתי יים hundred and five years; and Terah שה נהה; וייהמה ת תדרי ח, ברחהרה ן. died in Haran.
ix Leader: The phrase “studying Torah” is often used to mean the study of the ancient texts: the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, and the Talmud, which is comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemora. The Mishnah elucidates and greatly expands upon the passage we heard from Genesis and specifically describes the event that crystallized Abraham’s departure from prevailing beliefs and practices. Here, then, is the story of Abraham and the Idols, as recounted in the Mishnah’s Midrash Genesis Rabbah 38.
Reader 4: Terah, the father of Abraham and Haran, was a dealer in images as well as a worshiper of them. Once when he was away he gave Abraham his stock of graven images to sell in his absence. In the course of the day an elderly man came to make a purchase. Abraham asked him his age, and the man gave it as between fifty and sixty years. Abraham taunted him with want of sound sense in calling the work of another man's hand, produced perhaps in a few hours, his god; the man laid the words of Abraham to heart and gave up idol-worship.
Again, a woman came with a handful of fine flour to offer to Terah's idols, which were now in charge of Abraham. He took a stick and broke all the images except the largest one, in the hand of which he placed the stick which had worked this wholesale destruction.
Reader 5: When his father returned and saw the havoc committed on his "gods" and property, he demanded an explanation from his son whom he had left in charge. Abraham mockingly explained that when an offering of fine flour was brought to these divinities they quarreled with one another as to who should be the recipient, when at last the biggest of them, being angry at the altercation, took up a stick to chastise the offenders, and in so doing broke them all up.
Terah, so far from being satisfied with this explanation, understood it as a piece of mockery, and when he learned also of the customers whom Abraham had lost him during his management he became very incensed and drove Abraham out of his house and handed him over to Nimrod.
Nimrod suggested to Abraham that, since he had refused to worship his father's idols because of their want of power, he should worship fire, which is very powerful.
Reader 4: Abraham pointed out that water has power over fire.
Reader 5: "Well," said Nimrod, "let us declare water god."
Reader 4: "But," replied Abraham, "the clouds absorb the water; and even they are dispersed by the wind."
Reader 5: "Then let us declare the wind our god."
x Reader 4: "Bear in mind," continued Abraham, "that man is stronger than wind, and can resist it and stand against it."
(The Congregation stands while the Torah is returned to the ark.)
Leader: Please be seated.
Commentary: David Shafer
IV. OUR HISTORY AND OUR FUTURE
Leader: Reviewing highlights of our history, we reflect on our heritage, its meaning in our lives, and how to build on the past to go forward.
Reader 6: It is the year 13 billion 700 million of the universe. It is the year 4 billion 500 million since the formation of the Earth. It is the year 200,000 of our human species.1
Part of the universe has become conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future. As far as we know, this cosmic self- awareness is being realized in only one tiny fragment of the universe—in us, human beings. We are part of the universe, and, therefore, the universe has become conscious of itself through us.
We are from nature and of nature. But with the evolution of human minds, an entirely new level of organization has emerged. We create our own meaning. We are that part of nature that can know truth, control matter, love, aspire to goodness, and experience indescribable beauty. (Lawrence Rifkin)
Reader 7: It is the year 5774 of the Jewish calendar. It is the year 3463 since the period ascribed to the Exodus. It is year 3023 since the reign of King David. It is year 2,043 since Rabbi Hillel codified the Jewish calendar.
It is the year 1943 year since the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem, when the Jewish people dispersed and became a world people. It is the year 835 since Maimonides integrated the universality of natural law, as contrasted with miracles, into Judaism. It is the year 513 since young men were called up to the bima, a practice transforming over time to Bar Mitzvah. It is the year 358 since the Dutch West India Company directed Peter Stuyvesant to allow Jewish people to live in New Amsterdam.
1 Pre-historic dates are constantly being refined. xi Reader 6: It is the year 343 since Baruch Spinoza understood the Jews to be a people bonded by culture. It is the year 224 since the U.S. Constitution was ratified, founding the United States. It is the year 196 of Reform Judaism, 158 of Modern Orthodox Judaism, 99 of Conservative Judaism, 93 of Reconstructionist Judaism, and 49 of Humanistic Judaism.
It is the year 91 since the first Bat Mitzvah. It is the year 65 since the founding of the modern state of Israel. It is the year 50 since Rabbi Sherwin Wine developed the congregational model for cultural Jews, who have been part of the Jewish people for centuries, thus establishing the Humanistic branch of Judaism. It is the year 46 since the founding of our Congregation for Humanistic Judaism It is the year 13 since our recent B’nai Mitzvahs were born.
Congregation: It may seem like we are in a small spot in time and place, but we have ascended to a high spot built on what has happened before.
Reader 7: We are the only species on our planet to take the measure of the universe. We live in peace in a democracy. We have better health than our ancestors. We have the potential to improve the lives of others and, in the process, to enhance the feeling of well-being within ourselves. What a wonderful time and place to be alive!
Congregation: On our place on the mountain of time, we can have perspective on the achievements that have brought us to this place. We can create an even better, higher place for those who come after us.
Ours is a spot where we can listen for others who need our help, where we can reach out with our arms to help others to ascend, and where we can celebrate and speak the truth that will help others on the path.
Reader 7: We reflect upon the old year; we embrace the New Year.
Congregation: We gratefully acknowledge all that the past year has brought us of life and health, of love and joy, of beauty and truth, of strength and courage. Whatever good we have known this year, we reflect upon with gratitude: yet, we also reflect upon our sorrows, failures, and disappointments.
Reader 7: Who of us can be entirely content with even our personal lives when we know the injustices in the world? And, yet, the New Year is a reminder and celebration of the eternal possibility of renewal and improvement.
Congregation: May this day help us to find meaning in our lives. Let the Shofar’s call also awaken the voice of our communal conscience and call us to action.
xii תקיעה ! !Cantor and Shofar: T’kee-ah
Cantor: May the spirit of our coming together this night grant us peace, that most precious gift, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth.
Cantor and Congregation: Na’ase Shalom (Let us bring peace upon us and all the world.)
Na-a-se sha-lom ba-o-lam Na-a-se sha-lom a-ley-nu. V’al kol ha-o-lam V’im-ru, im ru sha-lom. Na-a-se sha-lom, na-a-se sha-lom, Sha-lom a-ley-nu, v’al kol ha-o-lam. (repeat)
V. CALL TO ACTION
Leader: The Shofar speaks out. It is our voice, meant to be heard. It calls to ask us to reflect on our actions and improve. It calls to others to tell them we are here.
The world and our society are not perfect. It is a mitzvah to speak out against injustice. When we tell the truth and combat prejudice, we defend victims, and we preserve qualities in our own heart and spirit that would be destroyed by acquiescence.
Reader 8: “It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.” (Albert Einstein)
“Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.” (Bodie Thoene)
“I swore never to be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” (Elie Weisel)
“The constitutional right of free speech has been declared to be the same in peace and war. In peace, too, men may differ widely as to what loyalty to our country demands, and an intolerant majority, swayed by passion or by fear, may be prone in the future, as it has been in the past, to stamp as disloyal opinions with which it disagrees.” (Louis D. Brandeis)
Congregation: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” xiii (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Reader 9: As Pastor Niemoller recounted, “First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.” (Pastor Martin Niemoller)
“Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, (s)he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope; and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” (Robert F. Kennedy)
“All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
“As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.” (Benjamin Franklin)
All: (WHEN I’M GONE)
There's no place in this world where I'll belong when I'm gone And I won't know the right from the wrong when I'm gone And you won't find me singin' on this song when I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
And I won't breathe the bracing air when I'm gone And I can't even worry 'bout my cares when I'm gone Won't be asked to do my share when I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
And I won't be running from the rain when I'm gone And I can't even suffer from the pain when I'm gone Can't say who's to praise and who's to blame when I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here
And I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone Can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here (Phil Ochs)
VI. MESSAGE
xiv Leader: (introduces Speaker)
Speaker: Manny Ratafia, Humanist Association of Connecticut
Leader: May the light of reason and understanding guide us and bring healing to ourselves and the world.
VII. CANDLE LIGHTING
Leader and Congregation: Even as a tiny candle dispels the gloom of the darkest night, so the intelligence and compassion of a single person casts away the shadows of ignorance. The spark of wisdom, once kindled, is quickly fanned into a warm blaze that melts the ice of fear. May the dancing flames of these candles kindle warmth within our hearts, wisdom in our minds and passion in our souls.
בעולם האור ברוך Baruch ha-or ba-o-lam Radiant is the light in the world.
באדם האור ברוך Baruch ha-or ba-a-dam Radiant is the light within each of us.
החיים אור ברוך Baruch or ha-cha-yeem Radiant is the light of life.
(The Humanorah is lit during Musical interlude: Nae Haor ) (Marvelous is the light within us, more wonderful than all the stars, more wonderful than all the galaxies.)
VIII. THE MEANING OF ROSH HASHANAH
Congregation: As we begin the New Year, And as we commit ourselves to live up to our resolve to turn good thoughts to good actions, we create the truth: Who shall be truly alive and who merely exist; Who shall be fulfilled and who shall not; Who shall be pierced by the sword of envy and who torn by the beast of resentment; Who shall hunger for love and who thirst for companionship;
xv Who shall be shattered by quakes of social change and who plagued by oppression; Who shall find contentment and who shall wander in discontent; Who shall be poor in spirit, who rich in tranquility; Who shall be brought low with futility, and who shall be exalted through fulfillment. Our lives do, indeed, hang in the balance with each choice we make. Leader: On Rosh Hashanah, the reality of our daily lives meets the sharp scrutiny of our ideals. This is a time for truth, a time to respond to difficult questions. In the tradition of t’shuvah or self examination, we ask ourselves: Have I expressed the love I feel for my dear ones, or have I shut them out?
Congregation: Have I treated others honestly, or have I cheated them, thereby cheating myself?
Leader: Have I developed my talents to the limit, or settled for adequacy?
Congregation: Have I accepted the challenge of new ideas, or do I cling to the old?
Leader: Have I spoken out when I should have, or remained silent in fear of what others would say or think?
Congregation: Have I been less than I can be? This is the time for me to search within to shed light on my own deeds, to change my ways.
Leader: Rosh Hashanah of old spoke in terms of t’feelah, t’shuvah, and t’zedakah – of prayer, repentance, and charity as a means of remission of sin; or, in a humanistic sense, of reasserting our ethical core and renewing our menschlichkeit.
Then, as now, the words point to the same thing, our responsibility to go within in order to effect changes without. But self-knowledge is not enough; the next step is to act upon the world---to be the change we want to see.
Silent Reflection, with music: The Talmud describes the task of self-scrutiny as a prerequisite for changing the world: "A man should always regard himself as though he were half guilty and half meritorious…..If he performs one good deed, blessed is he for he moves the scale both for himself and for the entire world to the side of merit; if he commits one transgression, woe to him for he moves to the side of guilt himself and the whole world." We should view our actions as determining our own destiny and that of the world. If all of us could act like that all the time, evil would be eradicated and we and the world would be as we would wish. (Rabbi Dow Marmur, adapted)
xvi All: No other person can give meaning to my life. I decide how I spend my days, what work I do, what games I play. My relationships with my loved ones and friends are not controlled by others, but by my own attitudes and actions. While I cannot control all the factors that define my life, I possess the capacity to determine the quality and depth of my day. Leader: Let us strive to reach our highest ideals and move forward into a year of possibility.
Cantor and Congregation: Eem Ayn Anee Lee Eem ayn a-nee lee, mee lee? Uo-kh’- she-a-nee l’ats – mee mah a –nee? Eem lo akh-shav Ey-ma-tie? Ey-ma-tie? If I am not for myself, who is for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when? (Hillel)
IX. MEMORIAL SERVICE
Leader: Let us pause for a moment as we recall those whom we have loved who are no longer among us. Though vanished from our sight, they live in our hearts. What was good in their lives endures in our memory. We are grateful for their lives, for their time with us and our companionship with them, for the sweet memories they left behind. In tribute to our departed, may we live wisely, courageously, and usefully. Thus, will our departed remain in the bond of life as living influences among us.
Silent Reflection, with music For this moment, quietly think of a loved one who has died, especially a person who inspired or encouraged you. Reflect upon your connection to your loved one and the bond that remains.
Leader: We light this memorial candle in honor of those who touched our lives but are no longer with us.
We light this second memorial candle in memory of the six million lost in the Holocaust, many of whom left no mourners.
We light this final memorial candle for the lives lost around the world in the barbaric wars, strife, and acts of terrorism still raging in the twenty-first century.
Cantor and Congregation: Zecher Tzadeekeem (The remembrance of righteous people is a blessing to us.) Ze-cher tza-dee-keem, leev’ra-cha. xvii Ze-cher tza-dee-keem, leev’ra-cha. Leev’ra-cha, leev’ra-cha, Ze-cher tza-dee-keem, leev'ra-cha.
Leader and Congregation: “There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark.” Hannah Senesh
X. CLOSING
Announcements: Congregation President Jane Campbell
Leader: Let this New Year be the beginning of a new life in each of us, wherein old things are passed away. Those ideas that remain to feed and encourage our prejudices – let them pass away.
Congregation: Let them pass away, but not the old thoughts that are still true.
Leader: Anger and bitter feelings – let them pass away.
Congregation: Let them pass away, but not the old emotions that are filled with kindness.
Leader: The harsh words, the suspicious looks, the clenched hands and unwilling feet – let them pass away.
Congregation: Let them pass away, but not the compassion, the caring, and the nurturing that bless humankind.
Leader: The new fashions that distract us from behaving responsibly and kindly – let them pass away.
Congregation: Let them pass away, but not the old habits that guide our conscience.
Leader: The new associations made from mercenary motives – let them pass away.
Congregation: Let them pass away, but not the old friends who grow more beloved each year because their worth is better appreciated. Let all blessed old things stay, but let the clutter of our heads and hearts be removed so that new inspirations and affections may come in to gladden our lives.
Leader: The traditional Days of Awe begin tonight. May they be days of reflection and introspection. May we prepare ourselves for changes to come. May it be a good year.
xviii Congregation: May it be a good year. Leader: May it be a healthy year.
Congregation: May it be a healthy year.
Leader: May it be a year of peace.
Congregation: May it be a year of peace.
Leader: May we have the strength to make it so.
Congregation: May we have the strength to make it so.
תקיעה ! !Cantor and Shofar: T’kee-ah שברים ! !She-va-reem תרועה ! !Te-roo-ah גדולה תקיעה ! !T’kee-ah G’do-lah
Leader: May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts find expression in our lives day by day, that we may bridge the gap between our conscience and our conduct, between what we believe and what we do.
Congregation: May our hearts be open with courage and generosity and our hands ready with kindness.
Leader: Let us rise and sing with joy for the New Year.
Cantor and Congregation: Bashana Haba’a
La la la, la la la La la la, la la la Ba-sha-na ba-sha-na, ha-ba’a
Od tir-eh, od tir-eh ka-ma tov yi-h’-ye Ba-sha-na, ba-sha-na, ha-ba-a
Soon the day will arrive When we will be together And no longer will we live in fear.
And the children will smile Without them wondering whether On that day, dark new clouds will appear.
Wait and see, wait and see xix What a world there can be If we share, if we care, you and me.
Wait and see, wait and see What a world there can be If we share, if we care, you and me.
Some have dreamed, some have died To make a bright tomorrow And their vision remains in our hearts.
Now the torch must be passed In hope and not in sorrow, And a promise to make a new start.
La la la, la la la La la la, la la la Ba-sha-na ba-sha-na, ha-ba’a
Od tir-eh, od tir-eh ka-ma tov yi-h’-ye Ba-sha-na, ba-sha-na, ha-ba-a
La la la, la la la, la la la…
Leader: Please stand and hold hands with people nearby. We will sing “Another Year Begins,” conceived and written by our late co-founder, John Franklin, as an inspirational start to the new year.
Cantor and Congregation: Another Year Begins
Another year begins, and since we've come this far Let's take someone else's hand And do everything we can To make the most of who we are.
[repeat]
Leader: L’Sha-nah To-vah!
xx Congregation: L’Sha-nah To-vah!
xxi Acknowledgements
Our services have always been prepared by Congregation members, who draw on previous services as well as diverse source materials. Two early service writers whose thoughts and words still resound were John Franklin and Harvey Sessler. More recent service writers, editors, and compilers have included Lesley Apt, Susan Boyar, Marilyn Brownstein, Bob Ginsberg, Lucy Katz, Marcia Kosstrin, and Gloria Moldow. Among sources frequently utilized or adapted have been Rabbi Sherwin Wine’s High Holidays for Humanists and other writings, articles from the Society for Humanistic Judaism’s journal, Humanistic Judaism, writings by colleagues in sister congregations in the movement, texts from the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, such as the Union Prayer Book and Gates of Repentance, with their wealth of secular humanistic reflections, and wide ranging traditional and contemporary music, poetry, and prose. Unfortunately, after years of revision, many citations have been lost or distorted, and so we chose to omit most of them, with apologies to the known or unknown authors.
Cary Shaw and Marilyn Brownstein Special Thanks To (among many others): Meditation: Gail Ostrow, Robb Sauerhoff High Holiday Coordinator: Jane Campbell Pianist: Judith Woolf Cellist: Kenneth Kuo High Holiday Services: Cary Shaw Cantor: Susan Lamy with Gert Albaum Consulting Editor Marilyn Brownstein Childcare: Abby and Nate Ulman Torah Reading: Relly and Andrew Coleman Food Committee: Ellie Shafer, Fran Wilder, Ruth Torah Commentary: David Shafer Windsor, Marilyn Brownstein, George Remembrances: Marilyn Brownstein Rockmore, Caryl Frohnhoefer, Roberta Frank Rosh Hashanah Speaker: Manny Ratafia and Gert Albaum. Yom Kippur Speakers: Saul Haffner, Marilyn Flowers: Joan Shaw Brownstein Candelabra and Ark: Gary Frohnhoefer, David Dietz Shofar: David Shafer Cover Art: Jeff Greenberg Young People’s Services: Jenny Ginsberg Graphic designer: George Ferris, Sheryl Baumann High Holiday Logistics: Dana Preis, Michael Membership: Michelle Tomarkin Baumann Greeters: Scott Bale, Andrew Coleman, Gordon Workshops: Susan Boyar Leibowitz, Fred Ury Manny Ratafia, Steve Ulman, David Shafer Readers: too many to mention, but thanks to each of Taschlich: Alan Katz you!
The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism offers special thanks to the Unitarian Church in Westport for making it possible for us to use its lovely building for these High Holidays. We especially appreciate the opportunity to gather in its sanctuary, surrounded by the natural beauty of trees and sky. We want to thank the UCW clergy and staff who have been consistently gracious and helpful.
Selected Bibliography Agnon, S. Y., ed. Days of Awe: A Treasury of Jewish Wisdom for Reflection, Repentance, and Renewal on the High Holy Days. New York: Schocken Books, 1948; repr. 1995. Cohen, Abraham. Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages. New York: Schocken Books, 1975, 1995. Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. A Concise Encyclopedia of Judaism. Oxford: Oneworld, 1998. Congregation Etz Chaim, Supplementary Readings for the High Holy Days Falk, Marcia. The Book of Blessings: New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999. "Guide to Humanistic Judaism." Humanistic Judaism, Summer/Autumn, 1993. Humanistic Judaism. Especially, vol. xi (1983): no. ii, "Torah and Humanistic Judaism"; vol. xiv (1986): no. ii, "The High Holidays." I Never Saw another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944. Edited by Hana Velavkora; expanded 2d edition by U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. New York: Schocken Books, 1993. Rifkin, Lawrence, Evolutionary Humanism for a New Era, Free Inquiry magazine, June/July 2008. Robinson, George. Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals. New York: Pocket Books, 2000. Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures according to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985. The Torah: A Modern Commentary. Commentaries and Essays by W. Gunter Plaut, B. J Bamberger, and W. W. Halo. New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1981. Wine, Sherwin T. Celebration: A Ceremonial and Philosophic Guide for Humanists and Humanistic Jews. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1988; paperback, 2003.
xxii HIGH HOLIDAYS CALENDAR 2013
A TRADITION OF QUESTIONING
Sept 4 (Wed) 7:30 PM Rosh Hashanah Service (Oneg to follow) Guest Speaker: Manny Ratafia, Humanist Association of Connecticut
Sept 5 (Thr) * Rosh Hashanah Day Program 1:00 – 1:45 PM Young People’s Service ** A Turning Point
2:00 – 2:45 PM The Jewish Tradition of Questioning: What Does it Mean to Us? Led by our Rosh Hashanah speaker, Manny Ratafia.
3:00 – 3:45 PM 1. Humanisim, , Humanistic Judaism, and the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism: FAQs and some answers. Led by Steve Ulman
2. Is Is it time to come out of the secular closet? Personally? As a society? Why is this such a provocative issue in the greater world? Led: Susan Boyar
4:00 – 4:45 PM Tashlich. (Gather at far right corner of parking lot.) Resolving to part with our bad ways at the bank of the stream.
Sept 13 (Fri) 7:30 PM Yom Kippur – Kol Nidre Service
Sept 14 (Sat) * Yom Kippur Day Program 1:00 – 1:45 PM Young People’s Service ** Jonah and Forgiveness
2:00 – 3:15 PM A continued exploration of the Cain and Abel story Led by David Shafer and Susan Boyar
3:30 – 4:15 PM 1. Reflections and Discussion
2. Meditation Led by Gail Ostrow
4:30 PM Memorial and Concluding Service 5:30 PM (approx.) Break-Fast
* Childcare and supervised activities will be provided during the programs and services on September 5 and 14. (Casual dress suggested for daytime programs.) ** Each Young People’s Service is roughly forty minutes long, and is appropriate for children age 4 to 14 and their families. Location of High Holidays: the Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road, Westport,CT. Check the CHJ newsletter and www.humanisticjews.org for updates, membership, and upcoming events.
xxiii “Those of us who are Secular Humanistic Jews can play a special role in the drama of our times. We can be voices of compassion and reason, calling for each person to take responsibility and make positive change – voices calling for the acknowledgment of mutual wrong-doing, calling for mutual forgiveness, respect, and reconciliation.”
Rabbi Binyamin Biber
“History has imposed on us a difficult struggle; but so long as we remain devoted servants of truth, justice, and freedom, we will not only persist as the oldest of living peoples, but will also continue as before to achieve, through productive labor, works that contribute to the ennoblement of humanity."
Albert Einstein, plaque at The Holocaust
Museum in Washington DC
xxiv CONGREGATION FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM Fairfield County, Connecticut 606 Post Road East #542 Westport, CT 06880 1 203 226 5451 www.HumanisticJews.org http://www.facebook.com/CongregationforHumanisticJudaism
These ceremonies may be reproduced or used with the permission of CHJ and appropriate acknowledgement.
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