Unetaneh Tokef for Black Lives by Imani Romney-Rosa Chapman Each day we hazard our Black lives in the Court of the White World We know our worth Yet the white world is judge-self-appointed We pass before you to be counted 12.5 million bodies stolen 1.8 million mercifully avoided your shores Stolen shores, stolen land 10.7 million arrived unsafely … times 401 years … times infinite human indignities … times ⅗ of a human being We now number 47.8 million In the...

Though Yom Kippur is a fasting holiday — a day during which we abstain from eating, drinking, and even brushing our teeth or using perfumes — Jewish tradition recognizes that fasting is not a safe practice for all Jews. For this reason, children under the age of 13 and individuals who are pregnant or ill are not required to fast in Yom Kippur. For those who fall into this category, the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services provides a special...

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD. They said: I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance. This is my God and I will enshrine Him; The God of my father, and I will exalt Him. The LORD, the Warrior— LORD is His name! Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into...

Psalm 118 Praise the LORD, for He is good, His steadfast love is eternal. Let Israel declare, “His steadfast love is eternal.” Let the house of Aaron declare, “His steadfast love is eternal.” Let those who fear the LORD declare, “His steadfast love is eternal.” In distress I called on the LORD; the Lord answered me and brought me relief. The LORD is on my side, I have no fear; what can man do to me? With the LORD on my...

Psalm 130  A song of ascents. Out of the depths I call You, O LORD. O Lord, listen to my cry; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy. If You keep account of sins, O LORD, Lord, who will survive? Yours is the power to forgive so that You may be held in awe. I look to the LORD; I look to Him; I await His word. I am more eager for the Lord than watchmen for the...

Many Jewish traditions link water to purification. We ritually wash our hands before meals. We immerse in the mikvah at moments of transition and transformation. And during Tishrei, the month of the High Holidays, we use water to cast our sins away in a ritual called tashlich.  Tashlich is a simple but powerful ritual. Start by finding a large, natural body of flowing water like a lake, river, sea or ocean. If there's fish in the water, even better. Fish getting...

High Holidays in Five Senses  What do the High Holidays smell like?  They smell of freshly-baked sweet challah, the vanilla-y pages of an old book, your grandfather’s aftershave, the tang of the etrog and the perfume of lulav branches. What do the High Holidays feel like?   They feel like fists beating on chests, shifting your tush on a wooden pew in an unairconditioned sanctuary, running your fingers through the fringes of a tallit, dropping crumbs into the water as you cast...

Like people, the Universe has a birthday and it falls on Rosh Hashanah. And like our birthdays, it’s a moment for us to dwell in a moment of renewal and recreation. We open ourselves up and rewrite our stories and our aspirations for the next year.  As we close our Rosh Hashanah seder, we make a fourth and final toast to Recreation, adapted from Emily Stern: “Each moment is a microcosm of who we are becoming. We bless each other and...

Rituals are the place where we blend memories, identities and meaning. Rosh Hashanah is known as a day of remembrance - a monumental moment - where we sit in the balance between past and future. We remember our ancestors and our actions as we reflect on what they have taught us.  Together, we raise a glass and make a toast to Remembrance with this quote from Abraham Joshua Heschel:  “The authentic individual is neither an end nor a beginning but a...

Since the start of the month of Elul 30 days ago, our internal calculators have been in overdrive. Cheshbon haNefesh means an accounting of the soul, reflecting on a whole year of triumphs and mistakes and asking for forgiveness as we work to forgive others. We look backwards in order to move forward.  Together, we make a toast to Judgment, Justice and Transparency, adapted from Rami M. Shapiro:  "Today we stand before the Mirror of All, to see ourselves as we...

Our first toast is to Yom Truah, the Day of Reawakening.  “Truah!” shouts the shofar, blasting the alarm buried in your soul. The shofar wakes us up, and it amplifies our voices, making our prayers heard. Move in your body, stand in your power and be loud.  Together, we raise a glass and make a Toast to Reawakening from Psalm 118:  “From the narrowness of distress, I called to God; and God answered me with the breath of Divine relief. You...

After our four toasts and a snack of symbolism, it's time to eat! On Rosh Hashanah, we eat challah in the shape of a circle, to symbolize the circle of time, and the fullness of the year that is coming. Many people add even more sweetness to their first challah of the new year by adding apples and raisins or by drizzling honey or jam on top.  Enjoy!   בָּרוּךְ‭ ‬אַתָּה‭ ‬יְיָ‭ ‬אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ‭ ‬מֶֽלֶךְ‭ ‬הָעוֹלָם ‬הַמּֽוֹצִיא‭ ‬לֶֽחֶם‭ ‬מִן‭ ‬הָאָֽרֶץ Barukh ata Adonai...

People have celebrated Rosh Hashanah with a festive gathering since Talmudic times. Weaving together symbolic foods with the familiar structure of a seder helps us start the new year mindfully.  During this brief seder, we’ll make four toasts together and find opportunities for blessing and reflection. Each toast is centered on a way of understanding Rosh Hashanah - as a day of reawakening, of judgment, of remembrance and of recreation. The choice of beverage is up to you!

The shofar is our ancient, animalistic alarm clock. Hearing it tells us to wake up and it's a mitzvah, a commandment to hear its call. We say the first blessing before the shofar is sounded, then we say shehecheyanu, the blessing for milestones, to mark the occasion.   Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lishmoa kol shofar. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy with commandments, and who has commanded...

Full Kiddush for Rosh Hashanah Evening Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, borei peri ha'gafen. Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam asher bakhar banu m'kol am, v'romemanu m'kol lashon v'kidishanu b'mitzvotav. Vatiten lanu Adonai Eloheinu b'ahava et Yom HaShabbat ha'zeh v'et)Yom HaZikaron ha'zeh. Yom zichron teruah b'ahava mikra kodesh, zekher le'yitziat mitzrayim. Ki vanu vakharta v'otanu kidashtah m'kol ha'amim, u'devarkha emet v'kayam la'ad. Barukh atah Adonai melekh al kol ha'aretz, mekadesh haShabbat v'Yisrael v'Yom HaZikaron.    Blessed are You, Adonai our God,...

Rosh haShanah la-Behemah (the Jewish New Year’s Day for Animals) falls on the first day of Elul. It's a time when we begin an accounting for all the souls with whom we're in relationship. Usually, we think about our relationships with other people, but much of our lives and our happiness is tied to animals. Bees polinating flowers and trees, fruit and vegetables. Pets who bring us joy. Domesticated animals who nourish us.  This ceremony is adapted from the Isabella Freedman...

When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily. I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly, and bow often. Around me the trees stir in...

Invitation to Brave Space by Micky ScottBey Jones  Together we will create brave space Because there is no such thing as a “safe space” We exist in the real world We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds. In this space We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world, We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere, We call each other to more truth and love We have the right to start somewhere and continue...