ON YOM KIPPUR, some people [both men and women] are accustomed to dress in white, clean clothes—like the angels on high. Thus they wear a kittel (caftan or surplice) because it is white and clean. It is also the clothing of the dead—and by wearing such, a person’s heart is humbled and broken open.
—Rabbi Moses Isserles (Crakow, Poland; 1570), gloss to Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayyim § 610.4
(Oct. 2) — KOL NIDREI HAS ALWAYS been a controversial declaration. Why should anyone be relieved of responsibility for one’s promises?
Here is my understanding: Kol Nidrei nullifies only the following vows:
- made impulsively to ourselves; and
- for the purpose of self-discipline, spiritual achievement, or religious commitment.
A human court has no power to dissolve any other obligations. The promises at issue are only those that people break because, although they do not realize it at the time, what they express with their words is only a wish—not a true,affirmative decision.
But why annul vows in advance? Because we might be so worried about failure to change that we will not dare to try. The declaration of Kol Nidrei suggests that it may be better to try even if we will fail, than not to try at all.
(Sep. 23) — YOU CAN BEGIN to orient yourself to our Rosh ha-Shanah liturgy, by reading over this 1-page commentary.
“When we worship in public, we know that our life is part of a larger life, a wave of an ocean of being.”
(Sep. 23) — RABBI ELIEZER SAYS: In the month of Tishri, the world was created; in Tishri the patriarchs were born; in Tishri the patriarchs died. On Rosh ha-Shanah (the first day of Tishri), Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah conceived children; on Rosh ha-Shanah, Joseph left prison; on Rosh ha-Shanah, the bondage of our ancestors ceased in Egypt. And it is in Tishri that their descendants will be redeemed in time to come. (Talmud of Babylonia, Rosh ha-Shanah 10b–11a)
(Sep. 23) — WE WILL PERFORM the ritual of the Casting Away on the first day of Rosh ha-Shanah, after lunch, next to a body of water, in accord with the scriptural verse (Micah 7:19): “You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” We act this out so that God can act through us.
Traditionally, we shake out the hems of our clothing and pockets 3 times, symbolizing that we are putting our attention on becoming clean of all sin. More recently, some people have come with breadcrusts or crumbs in their pockets, in order to have something concrete to cast away. I suggest that we follow the original practice—and throw only imaginary objects into your watershed.
“The water that now seems to be at this place was not here before—and will not remain afterward. Our hope is that if sinners say to themselves, ‘I will not repeat my sin,’ they can let that sin, like the water, move on.” —Sefer ha-Chaim (Germany, 13th century).
(Sep. 19) — JEWISH LITURGY has distinct musical modes for each occasion on the calendar. The same prayer can have a different mode—and therefore a different feel—according to the occasion.
The High Holy Days have their own modes. That helps to make this season stand apart from the rest of the year. Those modes have sounds that evoke certain attitudes:
- majestic—for our praises and expressions of appreciation
- plaintive—for our petitions and requests for forgiveness
- strange—for waking up to precious moments.
Thus our music helps to make relatively ordinary worship activity into something special.
Learn more at Cindy Grossman’s “Songs of Holiness” singalong prep class on Sunday, Sept. 23.
(Sep. 17) — If you would like to brush up on the Mourner’s Kaddish in time for the High Holy Days (especially the Yizkor Service), watch the first 60% of Rabbi Cy Stanway’s video recitation of Kaddish. (This video not a high-quality production, but I do think it will be helpful.)
You can also find the text of the Mourner’s Kaddish online.
(Sep. 17) — The approach of a new year is a good occasion to measure ourselves by what actions each of us can take to make the world a better place. One question to ask is:
Shall we hold ourselves accountable for the inhumane treatment that the U.S. government undertakes in our name?
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (Article 5).
Rabbis for Human Rights has prepared a 1-page list of 10 recommended positive steps that we each can take in maintaining human rights. Their list includes many Internet links, so I direct you to it online rather than print up paper copies to hand out.
(If you respectfully disagree with the Rabbis for Human Rights document, please let me know; I will try to create an opportunity at the TJC for you to respond.)
(Sep. 15) — Based on a teaching by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Sue E. Levy explains our life situation in this way:
It is like being on a whitewater rafting trip.
- We are not in control of the current’s direction.
- We are not in control of how deep the water is.
- We are not in control of where the river twists and turns.
- We are not in control of where the rocks are.
But . . .
- We can decide whether to wear lifejackets.
- We can decide whether to go with a guide.
- We can decide which way to steer off the rocks.
- We can decide not to seek higher ground during a flash-flood warning.
We would do well to give up control in areas where we are not actually in control in the first place. As Rabbi Levy explains, the decision to do this is, paradoxically, the beginning of truly taking charge of our lives.
Why do I cite Rabbi Levy’s analogy now? Because this is the time of year that our religious traditions prompt us to look at our “control issues.”
During the rest of the year, our liturgy refers to God as the Holy One. It also calls out to our Rock, Protector, Friend, and Lover. As we begin our new year, however, such ascriptions are momentarily downplayed.
Rosh ha-Shanah liturgy puts its spotlight on God’s status as Sovereign (or King). Our traditional prayers shift:
- Daily prayers that name God as our sovereign receive special musical emphasis.
- Daily prayers that ordinarily refer to God in other terms are temporarily amended to speak in terms of God as melekh (Sovereign).
- Paragraphs are inserted, as well as whole sections of our worship services, that proclaim God as melekh.
The result is a different atmosphere than is ordinarily found in our worship services.
What is the point? Rosh ha-Shanah, one could say, is about getting clear as to who is really the boss. So consider letting our liturgy provoke you into asking yourself: Who is in charge of what? What don’t I have control over? What do I have control over?
And may you come to truly enjoy your ride downstream!
(Sep. 14; rev. Sep. 15) — Shown are: Howard A. Cohen (rabbi), Marjorie Agosín (poet), and Ines Wurth (actor).
A: Their experiences will be featured in my sermon on Rosh ha-Shanah evening.
(Sep. 12) — Tzedakah is one of 3 things that can “avert the severity of the decree,” according to one of our featured Rosh ha-Shanah prayers. That is, we are told that tzedakah can transform our lives.
But what exactly did the rabbinic authors of that prayer mean by “tzedakah”?
The best way to grasp the meaning of any term is to contrast its usage with that of similar terms. So I have written a 1-page essay that does so: it compares tzedakah with 2 other basic Jewish value terms, as used in traditional rabbinic texts. All this in less than 500 words!
(Sep. 11) — During this month of Elul, it is proper to conduct a personal review of the past year. We ask ourselves: “how’s my life going?”
Permit me to suggest that you begin your review sessions by priming your sense of gratitude. Frame your introspection by taking stock of your blessings.
- What are you grateful for having enjoyed during the year 5768?
- How have you been blessed this past year?
Please write to me with your answers! I would like to collect the responses and read them aloud (anonymously, if you prefer) during our Rosh ha-Shanah worship services.
(Sep. 8; rev. Sep. 18) — Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions! Here is my current forecast (subject to change without notice), based on what I am preparing:
Rosh ha-Shanah Evening: “Is It Safe Yet?” (On reclaiming the vital parts of ourselves that we have long hidden from view)
Rosh ha-Shanah, 1st Day: “Gideon’s Horn” (A story about life’s stages, as represented by different shofars)
Rosh ha-Shanah, 2nd Day: “Appointed time has come” (A 12th-century rhyming poem that retells the Binding of Isaac and adds meaning to the shofar’s call)
Yom Kippur Night: “The 63-Years’ Delay: A True Story of Rebuke and Reconciliation” (Marking the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht)
Yom Kippur Noon: “The Divine Flow: Three Lessons from the Zohar” (On how Kabbalah can guide us on this Holy Day; featuring a harmonious and potent chant)
(Sep. 3) — Are you one of those folks who will be sounding a shofar for us on Rosh ha-Shanah? If so, thank you! And to help you in your preparation, here’s an official Challenge Question for you:
What are the names of 2 people whom the Bible says blew a shofar?
The Hebrew word shofar (horn) is mentioned 72 times in our Bible. However, in all of the Bible’s 24 books, only 3 named individuals actually sound a shofar.
(Sep. 3) — When the shofar is sounded, its patterns are built from 3 basic elements, arranged in various permutations. Here they are:
- Tekiah (“blast”): 1 long blast with a clear tone.
- Shevarim (“broken”): a sighing sound of 3 short calls.
- Teruah (“alarm”): a rapid series of 9 (or more) very short notes.
Classically, each of those 3 types has the same duration. That is, the 1 blast of the Tekiah lasts as long as the 3 calls of the Shevarim, which together last as long as the 9 notes of the Teruah. Here is an electronic recorded version of the basic pattern of tekiah–shevarim–teruah–tekiah.
(Sep. 1; rev. Sep. 2) — That shining sliver of a new moon: What does it mean? That Rosh ha-Shanah is just four weeks away!
We have entered the month of Elul. Rabbinic tradition teaches that this month is well suited for repentance; these are days of mercy and favor. For throughout this month of Elul, Moses was atop Mt. Sinai, receiving the second set of tablets; he came back down to the Israelite camp on the day now known as Yom Kippur.
Customs for Elul
- Sound the shofar each morning, from the second day through the second-to-last day of this month: tekiah–shevarim–teruah–tekiah. As the prophet said, “When a ram’s horn is sounded in a village, don’t those present become unsettled?” (Amos 3:6).
- Recite Psalm 27 twice a day, starting on the second day of the month (and continue through Sukkot).
- Show that you care whenever you correspond with a Jew: begin or end your message by mentioning that you pray for that person and wish that she or he will be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.
How do these spiritual disciplines inspire you? How can you best adopt (or adapt) them for your own situation?
SOURCE: Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried (Hungary; 1864), Kitsur Shulchan Arukh § 128.1–3
(Aug. 27) — Do you like to sing? Happily, our High Holy Day liturgy includes many opportunities for congregational singing.
However, it’s hard to learn a tune when you hear it only 1 or 2 times a year, right?
Consider this problem solved!
Listen to new audio recordings of the singalong parts to 21 prayers and songs. Learn them at your own speed. Or attend Cindy Grossman’s “Songs of Holiness” singalong prep classes on September 2, 14, and 23.
(Aug. 24; rev. Sep. 8) — Have you ever “felt the call” to go up to the Torah for an aliyah? Probably. It’s a powerful thing to do.
This guide conveys not only what “taking an aliyah” means, but also tips regarding details (such as where to stand, and what to do with your hands). Once you get this stuff down, you can relax in the knowledge that Miss Manners would be proud of you.
Steps to Success
- Know the meaning and purpose of an aliyah.
- Watch a training video. Rabbi David Paskin stars in a well-produced “how-to” video (7:15) in a Conservative setting (Temple Beth Abraham, Canton, MA): “Jewish Journeys: Participating in the Torah Service.” He covers the subject well!
- Memorize the Torah blessings; here are the words with melody (blessing before, and blessing after). (And here is a rendition with transliteration, from Congregation B’nai B’rith in Santa Barbara, California.)
- Convey the ideology that you mean to. (Caution: Where you breathe can change the meaning of the opening blessing.)
- Theme Aliyah: If you are coming up with others according to an announced theme, quickly designate someone knowledgeable to lead your group. That person should stand at the Torah, grab its handles, and lead off with the blessings. And you, too, try to stand close enough to the table that you can see the writing in the Torah scroll.
Reference: Rabbi Joseph Caro, Shulchan Arukh (1564), Orach Chayyim §§ 139.4, 6–7; 141.7.
(Aug. 24; rev. Sep. 14) — An amazing 850-year-old poem will be featured at the TJC on the 2nd day of Rosh ha-Shanah (Wed., Oct. 1).
Spanish Jews know this poem well. For centuries, this poem was beloved by Jewish congregations in (and from) there and Portugal, as well as North Africa, the Levant, Syria, and Iraq. They have given it a prominent place in their liturgy: they sing it just before they sound the shofar.
In its 14 rhyming Hebrew stanzas, the poem calls upon God to be attentive and merciful to us. It does so by retelling in rhyme the biblical story of the Binding of Isaac (“the Akedah”). And it fills in the “missing” dialogue between the story’s characters. In a poignant and provocative way.
Its title is taken from its first line: “Appointed time has come.” The poet’s name was Rabbi Abu al-Baqa’ Yahya al-Maghribi (also known in Hebrew as Yehudah ben Shmuel ibn Abbas), who lived in Aleppo, an ancient city in today’s northern Syria.
After we read the story of the Binding of Isaac from the Torah scroll, we will hear a dramatic reading of this poem with a simultaneous fresh translation. Then we will study and discuss it together.
This promises to be a highlight of the High Holy Days in Taos.
(Image: “Evening at the River” by Christoph Gerber)
V’nahar yotzei me’eden, l’hashkot et haGan.
“A river issues from Eden to water the garden . . .” (Genesis 2:10)
(Aug. 23) — Rabbi Shefa Gold has set this verse as a chant, giving us the following orientation: “Chant these words until the chant begins to chant itself. In the silence after the chant, open to the Flow. As we delight in the garden of this moment, let us attune to the source of its vitality and beauty.”
Here are MP3 files of my 3-part arrangement of the chant:
(Aug. 23) — Here is a quotation that gets to the heart of the matter:
- <<Things we can do to enhance the intensity
