ROSH HASHANAH DAY ONE

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1 ROSH HASHANAH DAY ONE 81 reading before repetition of amidah Carole Wiseman 85 reading before l el orech din Jordan Weiss 92 reading before avinu malkeinu Alan Taub Joseph Hertz, chief rabbi of Britain described the prayer Avinu Malkenu as "the oldest and most moving of all the litanies of the Jewish Year." Avinu Malkenu is eloquent because of its simplicity. No flowery phrases. No complex philosophy. When I hear the chanting I am always taken back to earlier days when I would sit in the synagogue in Brooklyn with my father and grandfather. I am guessing that as a child I did not appreciate the words, but the melody was mesmerizing, particularly when the entire congregation would say the words Avinu Malkenu with such reverence. As an adult, the meaning of what we are saying is much more important. The opening phrase strikes an immediate chord: Our Father, our King: we have sinned in Your presence And it ends with Our Father, our King: have mercy on us our deeds are insufficient; deal with us charitably and lovingly, and redeem us For me, there is special comfort in hearing my plea, joined by the rest of the congregation I am not the only one in need of forgiveness and redemption! It is interesting that the prayer combines two mentions of G-d that actually appear separately in the Torah - "Our Father" (Isaiah 63:16) and "Our King" (Isaiah 33:22). The Talmud (T.B. Ta'anith 25b) records Rabbi Akiva reciting two verses each beginning "Our Father, Our King" in a prayer to end a drought. In a much later compilation of Talmudic notes, circa 1515, this is expanded to five verses. I found a Sephardic version with 29 verses and if I counted correctly we have 32 verses beginning with the words Avinu Malkenu. While there are many verses in the prayer, there are five key petitions of Inscribe us in a book each of which can be related to the Five Books of Moses. For example: The first, Inscribe us for good in the Book of Life which corresponds to the Book of Genesis, in which the creation of all things, meaning life, is spoken of. The second, Inscribe us in the Book of Redemption corresponds to the Book of Exodus, which speaks of the redemption from Egypt. And so on As the ark is opened may our prayers be heard and let us be inscribed for a good life.

2 108 reading before haftorah Lou Soverinsky The haftorah for today has many thought provoking aspects to it. These aspects can also be seen in our Torah protion which we just read. They serve to stimulate us to further thoughts at this time of year. The haftorah and Torah portions have to do with two different women, with very similar problems. It has to do with awakening God to remember us mere mortals, as well as to awaken us to remember that God has the power to facilitate our hopes. As the story goes Hannah wants to have a son, but God has made her womb barren (pretty tough to overcome). Hannah prays so that that God will remember her plight (Hey God-I m over here with the barren womb). What if you hear my prayers, fix my bareness so I can have a son; I ll dedicate him to your service forever. By the way, it is also troubling that my husband doesn t seem to get it (sound familiar?) As we find out, God hears Hannah s prayers and grants her wish. (The language of the heart trumps the uttered word-no pun intended) It is through meaningful, heartfelt prayer that we can be remembered by God, positively, and that our hopes can come to fruition in the New Year- Cain Yehi Ratson-So may it be God s will. 118 reading before shofar blowing Cheryl Berlin Shana tova! Last year I reflected on what I think of when I hear the shofar blown on Rosh Hashana. And it seems like just yesterday. Today s shofar blasts are a vivid reminder of how quickly a year goes by. That leads me to stop and think about what happened in the past 12 months. As always, I realize that the it was filled with highs and lows. We saw our country and the world enveloped in political upheaval. Yet my financial and physical health remains much the same. It was a year of horrendous natural disasters that took many lives. On the other hand, Arnie and I enjoyed many bike rides this spring and summer and are looking forward to a beautiful fall and, hopefully, a mild winter. And although Arnie and I schepped nachas from our daughters travels and accomplishments, we were heartbroken to say good-bye to our nephew Michael much too soon. When I heard the shofar blasts last year, I didn t know what to expect, but prayed for only good things for my family, my congregation, my country, and, indeed, the world. Realistically, I know that never happens. The shofar blows remind me of the juxtaposition of beauty and ugliness, freedom and desperation, joy and sorry. As always, I pray for more of the good things that life has to offer for the people I care about dearly.

3 Shana tova u mitukah. 125 reading before silent amidah Debby Singer Happy New Year The Amidah. The central prayer in our service. Scholars throughout history have analyzed the Amidah from its structure to each individual word, and although I am not a scholar, I too continue to reflect on the powerful prayers I recite. What stands apart for me is that we recite the Amidah together but in silence. The Amidah is both collective in nature and yet completely individual. How can God hear us if we do not utter a word? How can we exalt our merciful God with out shouting from our seats? Many centuries ago during times when people prayed to idols and false Gods, vociferous prayer was a means to get their attention. Our prophets teach us that God can hear us even when we are whispering. God is always listening. As we chant the Amidah in silence or quiet contemplation, this provides an opportunity to refresh our relationship with God. Amazingly, God realized even before the days of cell phones and social media that finding moments of solitude in which we can reflect on our relationship with God, our ancestors and with each other was important. One might ask how God can manage so many conversations at the same time? What makes Ha Shem so special is that each and every one of us has a distinct connection to God and the prayers we recite. As an adult, there are times when I daven the Amidah from beginning to end and feel the connection to those praying around me. At other times, I have focused on the English words and finding new meaning in the ancient prayers. And there have been days, when I challenge myself to learn a new part of the prayer in Hebrew to feel a stronger connection to my ancestors as they davened. As we gather today as Jews around the world. The silence of the Amidah binds us to a rich history 5778 strong. From our collective mouths and hearts to God s deeply understanding and forgiving ears. 143 reading before untnaneh tokef Robert Kimmel UNETANEH TOKEF What makes a book a classic? Is it the binding on the book? the gold leaf inscription? of course not its the words. Same here with the Unetaneh Tokef, its the words. We hear the words over and over year by year. Do the words change? No. Do we know for sure who wrote it? Not really, grab a Machzor and you can get lots of powerful stories of who, how and when it was written. The words we read are the same from generation to generation. Do we associate the words the same. Does every person here interpret the words the same. If we read the Hebrew, great. If you read the english great. Are the words translated or Transliterated. Every Machzor Transliterates the words differently. The key words is literary in transliteration. The words of Rabbi Ruth Langer Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Boston College sums it up very well. She says. I look at the Unetaneh Tokef as a text that operates at many levels and in many ways. Its melodies themselves bring me to a spiritual depth and prepares me to join in the recognition of Gods sanctity in the Kedusha which follows it. There are years when the literal meaning of some of the poems words are important; there are others when the general theology expressed is my focus.

4 Today as we sit here in this beautiful building and we join our Shaliach Sebur in this most meaningful prayer and we read these words and think of not only our fellow Jews but all the residents of Houston and Florida who are beginning to rebuild there lives. How would they interpret this prayer today. Chag Samayach Shanah Tovah u metuka Shana Tovah 153 reading before aleinu Seigerman Whether it was after your bar or bat mitzvah year when you went to Shabbat services very regularly or before, if your family took you to services every Shabbat, Aleinu became one of the prayers that is so familiar that you never remember not knowing it. It is one of the prayers that is recited at every service often rapidly during morning minyan and more reflective on Shabbat. If you are in mourning, it is also your daily cue that kaddish is coming. While we have been saying these words for many years, the powerful messages of the prayer are timeless: Declaring that we are the Chosen People and that our dream for the future, as stated by Rabbi S.R. Hirsh, is that all the people on earth will acknowledge God s sovereignty and adopt the basic standards of morality and justice exemplified by the seven laws of Noah. But only during the days of Awe, when we recite Aleinu during the Musaf amidah instead of bowing, we kneel, and fall prostrate. Franz Rosensweig, the German Jewish theologian and philosopher who ranks as one of the most original Jewish thinkers of the modern period wrote: What distinguishes The Days of Awe from all other festivals is that here and only here does the Jew kneel. Here, he does what he refused to do before the King of Persia, and what Moordechai refused to do before Haman, what no power on earth can compel him to do, and what he need not do before God on any other day of the year, or in any other situation he may face during his lifetime. And he does not kneel to confess a fault or to pray for forgiveness or sins, acts to which this festival is primarily dedicated. He kneels only on beholding the immediate nearness of God, hence on an occasion which transcends the earthly needs of today. How much more dramatically can we portray God s sovereignty, how better show God as Melech, as Monarch, as Ruler. We cannot rely only on ourselves. So, truth be told, by falling prostrate, we really are not telling God that God is Ruler (as if God needs to know); rather, we are reminding ourselves-even if we forget much of the rest of the year-that ultimate power does not rest in our hands, that our lives are in God s hands. L shana tova 163 reading before ata nigleita Mark Segal Meditation On Shofarot As we begin our season of Reflection, Forgiveness and Repentance, Rosh Hashanah or as referred to within the Bible, The Day of the Shofar Yom T ruah. Throughout my life I have always looked forward to the High Holidays and the blowing of the Shofar. One of the great metaphors for the blowing of the shofar, is that it relates to G-ds blowing the breath of life into Adam, also we draw reference to the Akedah. Looking within this prayer we are showing the importance of taking time to meditate. We see the reoccurring theme of calling out, a call, a song, a knocking, as well as Hashem s silence as another calling.

5 So I asked why is all of this calling necessary at this time of the year, it is not so much as our calling out as it is calling within our self. If we have not reflected on this past year, what goals did we attain where did we fall short, were there sins that may have been committed that we are truly sorry for and need to ask for teshuva (forgiveness) to help us improve for the upcoming year. Then the blast of the shofar becomes our wakeup call from our own self-absorption, to reflect and understand last year s positive accomplishments as well as those we are not so pleased with. The blast of the shofar crying to us WAKE UP!! It is time to meditate on what and how can we improve in all aspects of our life (Family, religiously, personal and friends) understanding I always trust that no one will be forsaken as they listen to G-ds silence call without uttering a sound Hashem s has such a profound influence that we begin to understand that the Shofar Blast is our personal call to review the past and plan for the future. May we all be inscribed in the book of Good Health for L Shanah Tovah Rosh Hashanah 2 81 reading before repetition of amidah 85 reading before l el orech din Monte Schloss 92 reading before avinu malkeinu David Saperstein

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7 108 reading before haftorah Howard Rosenberg The haftorah for the second day of Rosh Hashanah comes from the book of Jeremiah. God appears to Jeremiah and assures the people of His eternal love for them. He promises that there will be an eventual return from exile in Babylonia to Israel. The people are reminded of how God found favor for them in the desert after their escape from Egypt. A love that goes back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God promises the return to Israel. The gathering of the exiles is to include all people, including the blind and the lame. Through their prayers and repentance they will return to Israel. And as God has scattered His people, he will bring them all together once again in celebration. God answers Rachel's weeping for her children, weeping so much that she cannot be consoled. God says to stop crying and rewards her plea. There is a midrash that tells of how when King Menashe placed an idol in the temple, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah appeared before God to appease him. It was the plea of Rachel, whose forgiving nature toward Leah when she was selected to marry Jacob over her, that won God's grace. God has heard the people: they complained that God admonished them but ask that He lead them back to Him. They are ashamed for the actions of their 'disgraced youth'. God acknowledges His love for His people as His favorite son or a delighted child. His heart yearns for His people and He will surely take pity on them. We are reminded of God's unbreakable connection to the people which caused Him to think about the positives we/they share. As I read over the haftorah, it brought to my mind, one of my favorite parts of the weekday services - when I daven every morning or can attend at minyan in the evening: T'kah b'shofar gadol l'charutanu, v'sa nes lekabetz galuyotanu, v'kabtzanu yachad may arba canfot haaretz. Baruch atah hashem, mekabetz nidchai amo yisrael. Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the banner to gather our exiles and gather us together from the four corners of the earth. Blessed are You Hashem, who gathers in the dispersed of His people Israel. I always looked at it as a celebration. It just sounded exciting, positive and something that would just happen. Sure it makes you think about a time when Meshiach will come. And perhaps that is what is God is saying to Jeremiah. Prayer and repentance will bring us that shofar. And with it the return to Tsion. As we gather here over these days of Rosh Hashanah, through our prayer and repentance, we seek inscription in the book of life, our own return from whatever exile we have been in for the last year. We'll hear the shofar over these days. May those blasts signal our being inscribed for the coming year.

8 118 reading before shofar blowing Leonard Rosen 125 reading before silent amidah Andy Beider

9 143 reading before untnaneh tokef Ruby Robinson For as long as I can remember, the unetaneh tokef piyyut has always been one of the most powerful, majestic, and haunting parts of our High Holiday liturgy. In addition to its prime placement within the musaf service, immediately before the Kedushah, its language, cadence, and manner in which we vocalize it truly foster something much deeper, spiritual, and reflective within me (and I imagine you, too). Near the beginning of unetaneh tokef, we read that we pass before God like a sheep to be counted, calculated, and considered for a verdict that does not appear to be within our control. This image as a sheep an animal that has some, but relatively little agency can be troubling for those of us who imagine that we have control over what we do or what happens in our lives. I think many of us believe that when we decide on a course of action with our lives, we know what will follow. While this can be true on a small scale, this piyyut reflects that, in the grand scheme of life, we really don t. Those decisions are not up to us. Looking simply to events in the past few weeks, we have seen horrific destruction by earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, war, hunger, and more. When we see such awesome power outside of our control, this can make us feel scared, small, and vulnerable. We also think about where we were last year on Rosh Hashanah (or three years ago or ten years ago), who was with us and who, unfortunately, is no longer with us. The text following b rosh hashanah y katavun, uv yom tzom kippur y chateimun can be really challenging to hear and digest when we feel so vulnerable and small at this moment of judgement. Yet, there is still hope in what can be a truly despairing moment when God is judging and deciding what shall be our fate. With teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah, that fate can be altered. We have it, within ourselves, to radically change what will happen to us. And what is so critical and inspiring about these components teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah is that while we can devote ourselves to increasing our level of each in the coming week and year, we cannot do so without also helping our community at the same time. None can be exercised in a vacuum. To truly practice teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah, we not only acknowledge our presence in, but also meaningfully participate in our community to accomplish each. And so it is my wish reading before aleinu 163 reading before ata nigleita Rabbi Guttman