Yamim No’ra-im, The Days of Awe

Here we are in the last Jewish month of our calendar, Elul. Elul is the month that leads us into the Yamim No’ra-im, The Days of Awe, or better known in English “The High Holidays.” Elul is traditionally a time of introspection: a period during which we prepare for the High Holidays by beginning the process of teshuvah.

How can we begin to prepare for the upcoming days of awe? There are several rituals associated with the month of Elul including the recitation of Psalms, specifically Psalm 27 (listen to an excerpt here=>Achat Sha’alti – from Psalm 27) and prayers of forgiveness (slichot). It is also customary during the month of Elul to point our mind towards others by giving tzedakah to those in need. A favorite Elul ritual of mine is to blow the shofar daily – a single tekiah blast to wake our hearts and minds to the task of teshuvah. While Rosh Hashanah is weeks away, during Elul, we can start greeting each other with the traditional greetings shanah tova & chatimah tovah, wishing each other a good year with the hope that we are written into the Book of Life for goodness.

The High Holiday season itself, the Days of Awe, formally begins with Slichot, a service of penitential prayers and readings that takes place on the Saturday night prior to Rosh Hashanah. Please join us this year on Saturday, September 5 for our Slichot gathering at TBHBA. We will conclude Shabbat together with Havdalah and then share in a meaningful service aimed at preparing our hearts and minds for the awe-filled season ahead. It is also a lovely occasion to gather together with each other.
I look forward to all of us coming together for all of our Holiday services. This year, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor in our congregation, we will be worshiping from Mishkan HaNefesh, the Reform Movement’s current machzor, published in 2015. Please join me on Shabbat morning 8/22 for an introduction to this first machzor published by the Reform Movement since 1978!

I am very grateful for our congregation’s Ritual Committee headed by Stephen Freed and inclusive of Merle Silver, Eileen Fisher, and Harvey Freidman for all of their work to help me and our congregation prepare for these awe-filled High Holiday days ahead. I look forward to worship with you and engaging in thoughtful discussions.
As of this writing, the topics for this year’s High Holiday services are:
Erev Rosh Hashanah: Holding Space for Memory (Reflections on 9/11)
Rosh Hashanah morning: Artificial Intelligence: Is it “intelligent”: A Jewish Perspective
Erev Yom Kippur: A Story on the Power of Words
Yom Kippur: The Futile Quest for Immortality

Rabbi Rhoda Harrison