Larchmont Temple. A Guide to The High Holy Days 5774 / 2013

Transcription

1 Larchmont Temple A Guide to The High Holy Days 5774 / 2013

2 Spiritual teacher Thomas Moore understands where we stand this New Year moment. I have a fascination with doorways They are thresholds, and are at the same time images for deep transitional passages. Standing in the doorway you are forced to wonder what you ll find on the other side. If one were to give account of all the doors that one had closed and opened, a person would have to tell the story of her entire life Doorways welcome you in from the outside the heat or the cold, And prepare you for a more human climate And just this is the key point: The threshold is not the place of life, not the place of death. But in that narrow confine that entryway to newness, You can find fantasy and memory dreams & miracles, Intuition, anxiety and magic The doorway is the place of decision It takes considerable courage to stay as long as needed in that place between, And it requires a degree of holy foolishness to seek one out Welcome to the threshold of hope & anxiety, of routine vanquished and possibility reborn the entryway where memory merges with vision intuition with insight, as we walk through to what we pray will be a year where health and wholeness renew our spirits and holiness fills our hearts. L Shana Tova Tikateyvu May You be inscribed for a year filled with Life! Jeffrey J. Sirkman, Rabbi

3 In Preparation Elul is the last month of the Hebrew year and is considered the month of preparation for the new spiritual year that begins with Rosh Hashanah. Prepare your mind, heart and soul for the days of awe. Experience Elul: Make Ready for the New Year: On August 7, we enter the Hebrew month of Elul, the month preceding the High Holy Days. Once again, Larchmont Temple invites you to sign up for a daily to help guide you through your process of reflection. Each day you will receive a brief, spiritually sustaining reflecting a variety of High Holy Day themes including: Teshuvah- meditations and reflections for renewal and repentance; Tefilah-the meaning behind key High Holy Day prayers; Tzedakah-highlights of social justice work in Israel; Sound Bites-Cantor Tracey Scher will share musical selections from the Days of Awe; Family-treasured holiday recipes of fellow LT congregants; and Timeless terms- key phrases, vocabulary and expressions connected to the Holy Day season. To sign up, visit and click on sign up for Experience Elul on the main page. If you have questions, please contact the Temple Office at Selichot: Saturday, August 31: Everything that was made during the Six Days of Creation still needs some work. Even humankind still requires fixing. -B reishit Rabbah Dessert-Study Dialogue in the Garden Room: 9:30 PM STATE OF BEING - Israel s Cheshbon HaNefesh. Confronting the Jewish State s greatest life-struggles, we reconsider our relationship, and our shared responsibility, to making Israel feel more like home. Selichot Worship in the Main Sanctuary: 11 PM Entering the gateway to our High Holy Days, we share the uplifting melodies and inspiring words of prayer that lead us on the path to repentance & spiritual renewal

4 Rosh Hashanah Erev Rosh Hashanah - Wednesday, September 4 Erev Rosh Hashanah Family Worship: 6-7:30 PM, 4th grade and up, Sanctuary The early Sanctuary service will have a decidedly less formal feel than our traditional evening Rosh Hashanah worship experience. Familiar folk melodies, creative prayers and an interactive story discussion will be intermingled with the key High Holy Day liturgy and music of the season. Early Service only: Babysitting: Newborn-4 years Call the Temple office to reserve Crafts, books and movies are offered in a safe, warm pre-school environment. High Holy Time PM Activities: K-3rd grade Holy day crafts, music, story time and other age appropriate activities will be provided. Late PM Service: 8:30-10:30 PM At this traditional LT Rosh Hashanah service we welcome the New Year together with prayer and song. Rabbi Sirkman will preach. Our professional choir and the organist highlight the solemnity of the occasion. AFTER HOURS Next Dor L Chayim Shmooze: 10:30 PM, Grant Conference Center A special event for LT collegians and post-collegians. Enjoy a glass of wine or hard apple cider, nosh on light fare and catch up with LT friends. (18 to toast; 21 to drink.) Rosh Hashanah Day, Thursday, September 5 Service I: 9-11:30 AM, 4th grade and up, Sanctuary Our Sanctuary Worship has open seating for the entire congregation. With the Reform movement s machzor, Gates of Repentance, as our liturgical guide, our worship is enhanced by readings and meditations as well as the music of our professional choir and organist. Rabbi Nathan will preach a sermon. (Note: Rabbi Nathan will offer the same sermon Rosh Hashanah Service I & Yom Kippur Service I.) - 2 -

5 Young Family Service: 9-9:45 AM, NS-3rd grade, Tent of Meeting Oriented towards our youngest Temple members, this family friendly service is open to the entire community. Held in our Tent of Meeting, Rabbi Nathan, and music & t filah coordinator, Dave Cohn, lead our families in a High Holy Day worship experience that highlights the key prayers and themes of the season through song, prayer and story telling. B Tween Program: 10-11:30 AM, 4th-7th grade, Garden Room Our pre-b nei mitzvah students are invited to participate in an interactive and experiential Rosh Hashanah program led by religious school director, Rena Fraade, and youth programs coordinator, A.C. Swedlove. Take them out of the 9 am service a little early or bring them before the Tent service. (A light lunch will be served at the end of the program.) Service II: 12-2:30 PM, 4th grade and up, Sanctuary Our Sanctuary Worship has open seating for the entire congregation. With the Reform movement s machzor, Gates of Repentance, as our liturgical guide our worship is enhanced by readings and meditations as well as the music of our professional choir and organist. Rabbi Sirkman will preach a sermon. (Note: Rabbi Sirkman will offer the same sermon Rosh Hashanah Service II & Yom Kippur Service II.) Alternative AM Worship: 12-2:30 PM, 4th grade and up, Tent of Meeting Rabbi Nathan and Rebecca Mansell lead this informal worship experience with Dave Cohn on guitar and Ross Mintzer on percussion. Rabbi Nathan offers a text study in place of a traditional sermon. Folk melodies, alternative prayer readings, and meditations supplement the traditional High Holy Day liturgy and The Larchmont Temple Tent of Meeting Machzor is used. High Holy Time AM Activities: 12-2:30 PM, K-3rd grade, Axelrod and Classrooms Beginning at noon, supervised High Holy Day activities, including arts and crafts, stories and songs are offered. Babysitting is available for children under 5. Reservations required. Tashlich- Manor Park: 2:30 PM We gather outside Larchmont Temple to walk as a community down to Manor Park. At the water, Rabbi Sirkman, Rabbi Nathan and Cantor Scher lead a brief ceremony and each person takes the opportunity to privately cast their sins (with a small piece of bread) into the Long Island Sound. We conclude with the blowing of the shofar. Rosh Hashanah Day II, Friday, September 6 9:30 AM, Sanctuary Services are led by our congregants including members of our adult volunteer choir, Shir Ami. Rabbi Sirkman and Nathan and Cantor Scher lead an interactive text study

6 Yom Kippur Erev Yom Kippur, Friday, September 13 Our Sanctuary services have open seating for the entire congregation. The haunting melody of the Kol Nidre lead us into this holiest day of the year. We join as a community in prayer, meditation, contemplation and music. Rabbi Sirkman will preach. Our professional choir and the organist highlight the solemnity of the occasion. EARLY PM Service: 6-8:00 PM, 4th grade & up LATE PM Service: 8:30-10:30 PM Note: Both of our Kol Nidre services are traditional in content and style. Early Service only: Babysitting: Newborn-4 years Call the Temple office to reserve Crafts, books and movies are offered in a safe, warm pre-school environment. High Holy Time PM Activities: K-3rd grade Holy day crafts, music, story time and other age appropriate activities will be provided. Yom Kippur Day, Saturday, September 14 Service I: 9-11:30 AM, 4th grade and up, Sanctuary There is open seating in the Sanctuary for the entire congregation. [See Rosh Hashanah Service I, page 2 for description.] Rabbi Nathan will preach a sermon. (Note: Rabbi Nathan will offer the same sermon Rosh Hashanah Service I & Yom Kippur Service I) Young Family Service: 9-9:45 AM, NS-3rd grade, Tent of Meeting Oriented towards our youngest Temple members, this family friendly service is open to the entire community. Held in our Tent of Meeting, Rabbi Nathan, and music & t filah coordinator, Dave Cohn, lead our families in a High Holy Day worship experience that highlights the key prayers and themes of the season through song, prayer and story telling. B Tween Program: 10-11:30 AM, 4th-7th grade, Garden Room Our pre-b nei mitzvah students are invited to participate in an interactive and experiential Yom Kippur program led by religious school director, Rena Fraade, and youth programs coordinator, A.C. Swedlove. Take them out of the 9 AM service a little early or bring them before the Tent service. (Note: Because Jewish tradition does not expect pre-b nei mitvah students to fast, a light lunch will be served at the end of the program for those who are not fasting.) - 4 -

7 Beit Midrash: Learning and Reflection Opportunities (Yom Kippur only) Beginning at 10:30 AM, a series of learning and reflection opportunities will be available. Room 6. 10:30-11:30 AM 12:00-1:00 PM 1:30-2:30 PM Engaging the other. Inter-communal outreach organizations in contemporary Israel, Paul Isaac Blame, Shame Guilt & Atonement, Michael Fineberg To fast or not to fast? Exploring the origins and significance fasting on Yom Kippur, Sarah Marion, HUC-JIR Intern Service II: 12-2:30 PM, 4th grade and up, Sanctuary There is open seating in the Sanctuary for the entire congregation. (See Rosh Hashanah Service Il, page 3, for description.) Rabbi Sirkman will preach a sermon. (Note: Rabbi Sirkman will offer the same sermon Rosh Hashanah Service II & Yom Kippur Service II) Alternative AM Worship: 12-2:30 PM, 4th grade and up, Tent of Meeting Rabbi Nathan and Rebecca Mansell lead this informal worship experience with Dave Cohn on guitar and Ross Mintzer on percussion (See Rosh Hashanah Alternative AM Worship, page 3 for description) High Holy Time PM Activities: 12-2:30 PM, K-3rd grade, Axelrod and Classrooms Beginning at noon, supervised High Holy Day activities, including arts and crafts, stories and songs are offered. Babysitting is available for children under 5. Reservations required. Afternoon Congregational Worship, 3 PM, Sanctuary We continue our day-long process of repentance and renewal through traditional liturgy interwoven with readings, meditations, and music to move the soul. Yizkor, 5 PM, Sanctuary Our memorial service begins promptly at 5 PM. Members are encouraged to visit the Wall of Memory and place a stone on their loved one s plaque. Memorial Books are distributed at this time. Neilah, 5:45 PM, Sanctuary The concluding service is the culmination of the High Holy Day experience. As our prayers and our fasting draw to an end, the congregation joyfully celebrates the closing of the gates. Our worship concludes with Havdalah. Break The Fast, Garden Room Light refreshments are served directly following Neilah in the Garden Room

8 Questions You May Have Why must I bring my tickets? Because we have limited space, people attending High Holy Day services in the sanctuary are asked to show their tickets in order to assure that members of the Temple and their guests have adequate seating. Asking worshippers to show a ticket is also a reasonable precautionary security measure designed to serve as a deterrent to anyone considering disrupting our worship service. What is the policy for purchasing guest tickets? Members in good standing may request guest tickets for the following persons: married children (and their spouses) of Larchmont Temple members; single children of Larchmont Temple members who do not live at home; parents of Larchmont Temple members regardless of whether or not they live permanently in the home of the member. The cost is $100 per person for one High Holy Day or $150 per person for both High Holy Days. Members in good standing of other URJ congregations may attend services at no charge upon receipt by Larchmont Temple of a written request for tickets from their URJ congregation. What is the significance of receiving an Aliyah for the Holy Days? Aliyot are given as a way to honor members of the congregation for their service to and participation in congregational life. If you are unable to accept an aliyah that has been offered to you, please notify the Temple office immediately. What if I have received an Aliyah but I would prefer to be in a different worship service at the same time? If you have been offered an aliyah that conflicts with your worship preferences please notify the office and the ritual committee will do its best to re-assign you with another honor

9 Timeless Terms Rosh Hashanah L Shana Tovah Tikateivu V tichateimu (May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year): This is the High Holy Day greeting which expresses the hope that all friends and loved ones will be written and sealed in the Book of Life, granted happiness and fulfillment in the year ahead. Apples and Honey: In addition to reciting the festival kiddush and kindling the festival lights, a piece of sweet apple is dipped in honey on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. The person who dips the apple into the honey says, May it be God s will to grant us a good and sweet year. Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father Our King): This prayer, one of the best known in the High Holy Day liturgy, dates from the period of the Talmud (c. 634 CE). The complete prayer consists of 44 requests for God s blessings, forgiveness for sins, as well as for protection from misfortune. Shofar: The shofar is made from the horn of a ram or other clean animal, but not from the horn of a cow or an ox. It is sounded on Rosh Hashanah eve and morning during the service before the Torah is returned to the Ark, and again at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. Its purpose is to have us hear its alarm, waking us to repentance. Tashlich (Casting Off): On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, following the afternoon service, it is a tradition to go to a river or a flowing stream to cast sins symbolically into the water. Some cast bread upon the water, while others write their wrongdoings of the past year on small notes and literally cast them away. Aseret Y mai Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance): This term refers to the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur which are known as the time for solemn reflection, repentance, and renewal

10 Yom Kippur Yom Tzom (Fast Day): Yom Kippur and Tisha B Av are two of the most important fast days in the Jewish calendar. Jews eat prior to the beginning of Yom Kippur and then forgo food and drink until after the conclusion of the Neilah service. Al Cheyt: Al Cheyt or for the sin, is one of the prayers in the Vidui (Confession). This prayer and the Ashamnu are recited by the entire congregation collectively, even by those who are not guilty of any specific sin mentioned in these prayers. Our participation symbolizes our regret that we were unable to prevent others from committing such sins. There are various versions of the Al Cheyt prayer, some with as many as 44 verses. Ashamnu (We Have Sinned): Shorter than the Al Cheyt prayer, it serves as the other part of the service of public confession. We recite it communally, in the third person, accepting shared responsibility for the wrongdoing of all the people Israel. Kol Nidre (All Vows): Probably the best known of all the Yom Kippur prayers, its haunting melody is chanted at the beginning of the service on Yom Kippur evening. While the origins of the prayer are uncertain, during the Middle Ages and in subsequent times Jews were often forced to vow allegiance to Christianity, but continued to practice Judaism in secret. Through this prayer they begged God to forgive them and release them from those vows which were made under duress. Today, Kol Nidre remains a part of the liturgy because of its historical associations, its inspirational melody and its great beauty. G mar Chatimah Tovah (literally Finish with a Good Seal): This expression means: May you be sealed in the book of life for a good and happy year. It is the traditional greeting used between Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur as we close the Book of Life for another year

11 Larchmont Temple Clergy & Staff Jeffrey J. Sirkman, Senior Rabbi Mara S. Nathan, Associate Rabbi & Director of Congregational Learning Tracey Scher, Cantor Fredda R. Mendelson, Cantor Emerita Rena Fraade, Director, Religious School Leah Bratton, Director, Early Childhood Program Ze ev Aviezer, Executive Director David Cohn, Music & T filah Coordinator A.C. Swedlove, Youth Programs Coordinator Sarah Marion, HUC-JIR Intern Lisa Gershon, Assistant Director of Early Childhood Program Emily R. Cohn, Administrative Assistant Andrea Fagon, Communications Coordinator Marcelline Fischoff, Accounting Services Coordinator Dahiema Grant, Accounting Services Assistant Linda Price, Administrative Assistant Bonnie Stern, Administrative Assistant, Nursery School Cynthia Weissman, Administrative Assistant, Rabbi Sirkman Anita Wizel, Administrative Assistant Carlos Velez, Senior Custodian Louis Reid, Custodian Marco Tamayo, Custodian H. Leonard Poller, ל,ז Rabbi Emeritus Edward Graham, ל,ז Cantor Emeritus Board of Trustees 5774 / Ron Hauben, President Meg Fienberg, Honorary President Harri Taranto, Executive Vice President Stacey Chervin-Sigda, 1st Vice President Robert Rothman, Financial Vice President Lisa Samson, Administrative Secretary David Szabo, Treasurer David Becker, Trustee Charles Biener, Trustee Ellen Blumstein, Trustee Sheila Chervin, Trustee Stacey Creem, Trustee Yvette Goorevitch, Trustee Ken Gordon, Trustee Jonas Herbsman, Trustee Barbara Lewis Kaplan, Trustee Jennifer Kislin, Trustee Tami Moskowitz, Trustee Michael Nathan, Trustee Richard Shapiro, Trustee Toby Sklarew, Trustee Randi Spatz, Trustee Martha Steinman, Trustee Steven Tanenbaum, Trustee Jeffrey Wang, Trustee Kent Yalowitz, Trustee The Clergy, Staff and Board of Trustees Wish you Sweetness in the Year to come.

12 Larchmont Temple 75 Larchmont Avenue Larchmont, NY