🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 High Holiday Reader 5785: Not A Mahzor • No season gathers the Jewish people together like the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, the High Holiday season. Jews of all stripes find themselves sitting in congregations, at meals, and spending time together during this particular time of the year. 

This year (2024/5785), is unique and challenging in its own ways. We are honored to publish a High Holiday Reader to help you prepare, reflect, and make this season meaningful.

❱❱ Click here to download the file.

🌐 SCHECHTER INSTITUTES

📄 High Holidays Prayer Supplement 5785 • Our friends at the Shechter Institutes, Masorti Movement in Israel, Rabbinical Assembly in Israel, and Schechter Rabbinical Seminary prepared a special supplement with prayers and thoughts for the High Holidays, Sukkot and Simchat Torah 5785 in the shadow of the October War.

❱❱ Click here to download the file.

🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 Why Do We Ask for Forgiveness in Elul? • "Whenever the High Holidays are on the horizon, I know I will soon be participating in one of my least favorite phone calls of the year. Sooner or later one of us is going to awkwardly say, 'I’m calling to ask for your forgiveness for any harm I may have intentionally or unintentionally caused in the past year.'

Yup, it’s Elul, and the next forty days (between the first of Elul and Yom Kippur) are all about repentance."

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🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 How to Forgive • "Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, when God forgives our wrongdoings and wipes the slate clean.

In Judaism, there are three main types of wrongdoing and three main types of forgiveness. This nuanced approach helps us more deeply understand the inner work of teshuva and forgiveness done on this sacred day. The three types of wrongdoing are Chet (חטא), Pesha (פשע) and Avon (עון)."

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🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 How to Prevent High Holiday Burnout • "The delicate balancing act of celebrating and observing the Tishrei festivals can be mixed with a bit of overwhelm, some of which might include: rearranging work schedules, planning meals, shopping for lengthy grocery lists, reflecting on the past year, and picturing the unfolding of the new year.  

There does not seem to be a shortage of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual preparation in observing these fall festivals."

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🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 The Discomfort of Yom Kippur • "The Torah states this in five different places. You can find two of those mentions in the Torah reading we listen to on Yom Kippur itself: Leviticus 16:29 and Leviticus 16:31: “You shall practice self-denial.” The Mishna defines self-denial as avoiding five activities—eating/drinking; washing; anointing oneself; putting on leather shoes; and sexual activity.

These activities take up our time. Instead, we are directed to use this time to think about what we did wrong and how we can do better. Yom Kippur, then, becomes a retreat from physical activities of daily life during which we focus on our spiritual selves."

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🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 Navigating Yom Kippur with Toddlers and Young Children • "At first glance, Yom Kippur and young children don’t really seem to go together. If your children are anything like mine, long stretches in synagogue and not eating aren’t really in their wheelhouse.

Of course, we don’t ask young children to fast, but the general atmosphere of Yom Kippur observance doesn’t seem to align with the temperament of most toddlers."

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🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 Why Do We Read Jonah On Yom Kippur? • "Have you ever worked hard to succeed at something but failed? Have you ever worked hard TO fail?

Jonah is a fascinating character because he tried very hard to fail at his job, and yet, he was the most successful prophet ever. The Book of Jonah is short and to the point, while offering us imperfect human beings important and relatable lessons."

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🌐 MASORTI JUDAISM IN THE UK

📄 On the poetry of Yom Kippur • "Opening the Machzor on the High Holidays is like returning to the company of an old friend. On each page we might recall past interactions and thoughts and then find ourselves challenged by new insights. On Erev Yom Kippur we recite the piyyut (ancient liturgical poem)Ki Hinei KaChomer b’Yad HaYotzer,‘Like Clay in the Hand of the Potter.’ The poem is intended to prepare us for the recitation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy which are repeated several times in the Selichot section of the service."

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🌐 EXPLORING JUDAISM

📄 Balance Espiritual y Arrepentimiento • "Arrepentimiento-Teshuvá es junto a la plegaria-Tefilá y justicia social-Tzedaká uno de los temas centrales durante Iamim Noraim. 

Ante todo nuestra tradición nos indica que durante el mes de Elul que precede a Rosh Hashaná es tiempo de Jeshvón Hanefesh, de balance integral para nuestra persona. Un período destinado a la reflexión que nos ayude a alcanzar el arrepentimiento y reparación personal."

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🌐 MASORTI AMLAT

📄 Reflexiones sobre la Teshuvá • "La idea central de los diez días de arrepentimiento que comienzan con Rosh Hashaná es conocida. La Teshuvá parecería ser un concepto obvio pero no lo es de ninguna manera.

Ioná fue el único de los profetas en toda la Biblia que se nos relata sobre él que tuvo un relativo éxito educativo. Ningún otro lo tuvo, incluso Moshé rabenu."

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🌐 MASORTI AMLAT

📄 Nuestra constante carrera por la vida • "El shofar está abierto de ambos os lados. Por ello, lo que entra de un lado sale por el otro. De ese modo, aunque haya quienes nos acusen, sus palabras entrarán por un lado y saldrán por el otro."

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🌐 ADATH SHALOM • Paris, France

📄 7 choses à faire pendant les offices de Kippour • "Les offices de Kippour vous semblent longs? Le rabbin Josh Weiner vous donne des conseils inspirants pour tirer le meilleur de ce temps si particulier.

Yom Kippour, c’est 25 heures de jeûne, mais aussi des centaines de prières et des milliers de mots. Suffit-il d’être physiquement présent à la synagogue ? Que faire si on ne parle pas couramment hébreu, voire pas du tout ?"

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🌐 JUDISKA FÖRSAMLINGEN I STOCKHOLM • Stockholm, Sweden

📄 Jom kippur • "På jom kippur fastar man under ett dygn, man äter eller dricker inte något mellan solnedgång till solnedgång (är man sjuk får man så klart äta och dricka). Syftet är att inte tänka på världsliga ting och istället fokusera på bot och bättring. Man ber sina medmänniskor och Gud om förlåtelse och tänker igenom hur man själv kan förbättras som människa."

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