Contributed by Rabbi Mendy Greenburg
High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
September 9-11, 2018 & 18-19, 2018
What Are the High Holy Days?
If the year is a train, the High Holidays (ka High Holy Days) are its engine. A delicate blend of joy and solemnity, feasting and fasting, prayer and inspiration make up the spiritually-charged head of the Jewish year.
The two-day holiday of Rosh Hashanah is the head of the Jewish year, the time when G d reinvests Himself in creation as we crown Him king of the universe through prayer, shofar blasts and celebration.
A week later, the High Holidays reach their crescendo with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Like angels, we neither eat nor drink for 25 hours. Dressed in white, we pray in the synagogue - united as one people, children of one Father.
But it does not end there. The otherworldliness of the High Holidays is then channeled into the festive holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, which bring the annual fall holiday season to a most joyous conclusion.
How Is Rosh Hashanah Celebrated?
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday marking the first and second days of the Jewish year. (In 2018, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 9th and continues through nightfall on September 11). It’s the day G d created Adam and Eve, and it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year.
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah means, “Head of the Year.” Just like the head controls the body, our actions on Rosh Hashanah have a tremendous impact on the rest of the year.
It is a day of prayer, a time to ask the Almighty to grant us a year of peace, prosperity and blessing. But it is also a joyous day when we proclaim G d, King of the Universe. The Kabbalists teach that the continued existence of the universe depends on G d’s desire for a world, a desire that is renewed when we accept His kingship anew each year on Rosh Hashanah. As we read in the Rosh Hashanah prayers, each year on this day, “All inhabitants of the world pass before G d like a flock of sheep,” and it is decreed in the heavenly court, “…who shall live, and who shall die ... who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.”
Rosh Hashanah Is Celebrated With:
• Hearing the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar) on both mornings
• Lighting candles each evening
• Eating festive meals with sweet delicacies that represent our wishes for the coming year (such as apples in honey for a sweet year) during the night and day.
• Performing Tashlich, a brief prayer said at a body of fresh water
• Attending services in synagogue
The Shofar-Blowing:
The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is hearing the sounding of the shofar. It is a mitzvah to hear the shofar on both mornings of the holiday. The blowing of the shofar represents the trumpet blast that is sounded at a king’s coronation. Its plaintive cry also serves as a call to repentance. The shofar itself recalls the Binding of Isaac, an event that occurred on Rosh Hashanah in which a ram took Isaac’s place as an offering to G d.
The first 30 blasts of the shofar are blown following the Torah-readinG-during services. For someone who cannot come to synagogue, the shofar may be blown the rest of the day. For more information on our high holiday schedule please contact the Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad at 907-350-1787 or at rabbi@matsujewishcenter.org.
Candle-Lighting Blessings for the evenings of September 9 and 10, 2018:
As with every major Jewish holiday, women and girls light candles on each evening of Rosh Hashanah and recite the following blessings to usher in each night of the holiday. On the second night (or if lighting after nightfall on the first night), make sure to use an existing flame. Think about a new fruit that you will be eating (or garment that you are wearing) while you say the Shehechiyanu blessing. See ad for candle lighting times in the Mat-Su.
1) Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam asher ki-deshanu be-mitzvo-tav ve-tzvi-vanu le-hadlik nershel Yom Hazikaron.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of the Day of Remembrance.
2) Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh
Blessed are you, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.
How is Yom Kippur Celebrated?
Just months after the people of Israel left Egypt, they sinned by worshipping a golden calf. Moses ascended Mount Sinai and prayed to G d to forgive them. After two 40-day stints on the mountain, full Divine favor was obtained. The day Moses came down the mountain (the 10th of Tishrei) was to be known forevermore as Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year, when we are closest to G-d and to the essence of our souls. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “For on this day, He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G-d.”
This year, Yom Kippur will be before sunset on September 18 until after nightfall on September 19. For nearly 26 hours we “afflict our souls”: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or apply lotions or creams, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations. Instead, we spend the day in synagogue, praying for forgiveness.
Candle Lighting Blessings for the evening of September 18, 2018:
See ad for candle lighting times in the Mat-Su.
1. Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-deshanu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzvi-va-nu le-had-lik ner shel [if Yom Kippur is on Shabbat add: Sha-bat vi-shel] Yom Ha-Ki-pu-rim.
Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to kindle the light of [if Yom Kippur is on Shabbat add: Shabbat and] Yom Kippur.
2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech ha-o-lam she-he-che-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-hi-gi-ya-nu liz-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Wishing the entire Mat-Su Valley a Shana Tovah Umetukah - a happy and sweet new year!
For more information about the High Holidays and the services and celebrations at the Mat-Su Jewish Center, contact Rabbi Mendy at 907-350-1787 or rabbi@matsujewishcenter.org.