Sept. 27 begins the 10-day period so sacred to Judaism that it
is known as the High Holy Days. Rosh Hashana begins on the evening
of Sept. 26 this year. With Jews around the world, members of South
County’s Congregation Emeth will participate in ancient rituals
that reflect the essence of being a Jew.
Sept. 27 begins the 10-day period so sacred to Judaism that it is known as the High Holy Days. Rosh Hashana begins on the evening of Sept. 26 this year. With Jews around the world, members of South County’s Congregation Emeth will participate in ancient rituals that reflect the essence of being a Jew.
Rosh Hashana is the first day of the new year in the Jewish Calendar, this year being 5764. Jewish holidays always begin at dusk, based on the Biblical verse “There was evening, there was morning, one day.” Traditional Jewish commentary conveys the image that at this time God’s great Book of Judgment is opened. During these “Ten Days of Awe,” it will be decided who will be rewarded for good deeds done in life and who will be punished for sins committed and unrepented. Worshipers search their souls and repent; their fate is weighed in the balance.
The words “sin” and “repentance” have a different connotation in Judaism and Hebrew than in Christianity and English. The Jewish word typically translated as “sin” in fact means “to miss the mark,” and is exactly the same Hebrew word used in archery when someone fails to hit the bullseye. The Jewish word typically translated as “repentance” in fact means “turning or returning,” and conveys the image that one has strayed off the path and needs to make some adjustment. In addition, Jewish tradition teaches that God cannot forgive a sin between one person and another until reconciliation and restitution have occurred between the people first.
The hopeful wish expressed in many High Holy Day greeting cards reflects this overall theme of weighing judgment. It is typically some variation of the greeting extended between congregants during this season: “May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life.”
A special prayer book, the “Machzor,” is used during the High Holy Days; It emphasizes both God’s justice and mercy. Since He will decide who will prosper or suffer, actions like prayer, repentance and charity are felt to be important in influencing this verdict. An essential feature of the synagogue ritual is the blowing of the “shofar,” an ancient trumpet-like instrument made from a carved ram’s horn. The shofar symbolizes the ram caught in a thicket when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac; it also was the instrument used by Joshua in the biblical accounts describing the destruction of the ancient city of Jericho. The loud, piercing notes of this trumpet are intended to urge the listener: “Wake up! Get serious now!”
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the climax of this penitential season. It is a day of absolute fasting and repentance.
The Yom Kippur worship service begins in the synagogue at sundown; it opens with the “Kol Nidre,” a chant that reviews the vows between man and God.
The central part of the service is an elaborate confession of sins (listed alphabetically). These confessions are both individual and communal, “for all Jews are responsible for each other.”
The concluding service of Yom Kippur is called Ne’ilah” (meaning “closing the gate”). It represents the last, urgent chance for repentance on the one hand, for divine forgiveness on the other.
Legend has it that at this closing of the Gate of Heaven, the fate of each individual is sealed for the year to come. At the climax of the service the stirring sound of the shofar is once again heard, bringing to a close the fast of Yom Kippur.
Congregation Emeth’s High Holy Day observances this year will be held at the new Morgan Hill Community Center (1700 Monterey St.) and led by Rabbi Yitzak Miller, who was installed as permanent rabbi at Emeth Sept. 13.
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur evening services begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 and Oct. 5, respectively. Family services and programming begin at 9 a.m. on the Sept. 27 and Oct. 6, with full congregation services beginning those days at 9:30 a.m. For more information call 847-4111 or check the internet at www.emeth.net.
Chuck Flagg teaches English at Mt. Madonna High School. Write him c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, CA 95021.
