The High Holy Day prayerbook (in Hebrew, the machzor) is like some of our basements and attics. In things go at various points in our history, and there they sit for occasional review, and never come out. Once upon a time the prayerbook for everyday use, Shabbat, and holidays was a single volume. As things were added and never removed, the book became too large to carry. Thus the siddur and the machzor became separate volumes. Our Reform tradition has carried forward that practice. The slim Union Prayer Book has evolved into separate versions of Mishkan HaNefesh for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Things become a tradition, and they never change. What goes into the book stays there, looked at occasionally or glossed over completely.

As the High Holy Days approach and we again pick up the machzor, I encourage you to take advantage of the richness that is at your fingertips during the service. Our Mishkan HaNefesh has all of the traditional prayers plus a vast array of commentaries, meditations, and supplemental readings. Let your mind wander across the page, going back and forth between the traditional and the contemporary. Find inspiration wherever it might be so that when you return the book to its shelf some of its contents will remain with you. Spend some time this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur exploring your Jewish attic and basement – you never know what you’ll find. Below is a beautiful example.

PERSONAL PRAYER: KNOW BEFORE WHOM YOU STAND by Rabbi Norman Hirsh

You can’t rush a prayer to God,

If it comes from the heart

It will rush out on its own

Speed through receding galaxies or

Silences in the soul,

And God will hear.

Honesty with all, but

Speaking to God is different.

Mine the soul

For your coal and gems and regular earth,

No pretense,

And God will hear.

Don’t force the prayer

Or string words together,

Pause, perhaps

Better not to pray,

Silence will be a message of awe,

And God will hear.

Now step of into the very deep,

Beyond the way of prayer:

We glimpse unknown magnitudes of God,

No more, or we would be stunned into silence.

Except that Love makes itself small,

We could not pray at all.

(Page 41 of Mishkan HaNefesh for Rosh Hashanah)

by Julie Zorn

Cooking as a family or with friends and loved ones brings us together because we are able to share our culture and heritage through food and give each other nourishment. Coming together and sharing a meal is the most communal and binding thing in almost every place in the world. Being able to make a dish and share that with the people you love is one of the most universal concepts because it's at the root of our survival. We all have to eat and being able to learn how to make a recipe from your mother is one of the oldest traditions of mankind. It feels really good to learn and hone a technique from your parents and pass it down to your kids. This idea of carrying on the legacy and sharing recipes that have been in our family for generations is something that is so incredibly special.

In our Jewish tradition, this is all certainly true. Our recipes for chicken soup and brisket are as celebrated and cherished as our simchas. The time spent preparing the food and even washing the dishes together in the aftermath of the holidays are almost as memorable as actually consuming all the delicious concoctions you worked so hard to make absolutely perfect.

Registration is now open for the Chadash 2022/2023 school year. You can register by filling out our online registration form through the Temple Israel website or the Chadash website. Below are some important dates to remember, and the complete school year calendar is available at both websites, as well.

Sunday, September 11 - 1^st Day of Chadash

Sunday, October 2 – Chadash meets off site at the Alliance Cemetery

Sunday, October 9 – Chadash Sukkot celebration

Temple Israel: www.templeisraelcanton/chadash

Chadash: www.chadashcanton.org/forms

For more information, please contact Chadash director, Julie Zorn, at chadash@jewishcanton.org.

(click for directions)

We hope you will join Shaaray Torah and Temple Israel Sisterhood on Sunday, November 13 for Donor 2022. Details to follow.

When: November 6, 2022

Where: North Lawn Cemetery

Time: 10:00 AM -12:00 PM