Selichot
Selichot is a short series of prayers recited to prepare for Yom Kippur. Selichot is usually added to weekday morning minyan, but the first recitation is done on Saturday night, which shows our eagerness to correct our mistakes.
Rosh Hashanah
Tashlich
Tashlich is a symbolic act of ridding ourselves of improper actions and mistakes from the previous year. We do this by throwing bread crumbs into a body of water, allowing fish and birds to eat while giving us a true feeling of casting off.
Kever Avot
It is traditional to visit the graves of loved ones before Yizkor on Yom Kippur. Maimonides also noted that visiting a cemetery before Yom Kippur would help us appreciate the gift of being inscribed in the Book of Life for another year.
Yom Kippur
“Kol Nidre”: Yom Kippur evening services, named for the first and most memorable prayer recited at that service
“Mincha”: Afternoon service, with Torah reading and, on Yom Kippur, the book of Jonah
“Ne’ilah”: The closing service of Yom Kippur, recited as the sun sets at the end of the day
Selichot is a short series of prayers recited to prepare for Yom Kippur. Selichot is usually added to weekday morning minyan, but the first recitation is done on Saturday night, which shows our eagerness to correct our mistakes.
- What is done on the first night Selichot? Most synagogues have a program to help kick off the High Holiday season, along with Arvit (evening services) and Havdalah (to end Shabbat). The first set of Selichot prayers follows.
- Isn’t Selichot supposed to be done at midnight? While many communities wait until midnight to recite the first Selichot, it is only necessary to wait until Shabbat has ended—the beginning of the new Jewish day.
Rosh Hashanah
- How much does it cost to attend the High Holidays? Attendance at all services is free, as well as at the Rosh Hashanah Festive Oneg, Rosh Hashanah Seder, and Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast.
Are there tickets? No, there are no tickets of any kind for the High Holidays.
- Is there assigned seating? No, there is no assigned seating. Please sit anywhere that makes you comfortable. A few of our older members have reserved their seats from back when seats were assigned—these few seats are clearly marked with their names.
- Will there be transliterations available? Yes. We proudly use Makhzor Lev Shalem, which includes transliterations of the commonly sung prayers.
- Seder is for Passover. Why is there one on Rosh Hashanah? “Seder” is a term used here to mean prayers using food symbols. In the Sephardic tradition, prayers for the New Year are offered using food-related puns.
Tashlich
Tashlich is a symbolic act of ridding ourselves of improper actions and mistakes from the previous year. We do this by throwing bread crumbs into a body of water, allowing fish and birds to eat while giving us a true feeling of casting off.
- Isn’t Tashlich supposed to be done on Rosh Hashanah itself? Tashlich may only be performed on Rosh Hashanah when there is a body of water within walking distance of the synagogue. Since there is no lake within walking distance, we wait until after Rosh Hashanah has ended to perform Tashlich.
Kever Avot
It is traditional to visit the graves of loved ones before Yizkor on Yom Kippur. Maimonides also noted that visiting a cemetery before Yom Kippur would help us appreciate the gift of being inscribed in the Book of Life for another year.
Yom Kippur
“Kol Nidre”: Yom Kippur evening services, named for the first and most memorable prayer recited at that service
“Mincha”: Afternoon service, with Torah reading and, on Yom Kippur, the book of Jonah
“Ne’ilah”: The closing service of Yom Kippur, recited as the sun sets at the end of the day
- What should I wear? On Yom Kippur, we are not supposed to wear leather shoes. Many also have the custom of wearing white and/or of wearing a kittel (a special white robe some traditional Jews wear).