This is an interpretive TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. experience for Rosh HashanahThe Jewish New Year, also considered the Day of Judgment. The period of the High Holidays is a time of introspection and atonement. The holiday is celebrated with the sounding of the shofar, lengthy prayers in synagogue, the eating of apples and honey, and round challah for a sweet and whole year. Tashlikh, casting bread on the water to symbolize the washing away of sins, also takes place on Rosh Hashana., incorporating Hagar’s story from the Torah reading on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and the Akedah, which we read on the second day. This is designed to be read aloud by two people, each taking one of the parts below.
SarahThe first matriarch, wife of Abraham, and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is considered holy, beautiful, and hospitable. Many prayers, particularly the Amidah (the central silent prayer), refer to God as Magen Avraham – protector of Abraham. Many Jews now add: pokehd or ezrat Sarah – guardian or helper of Sarah. and HagarAbraham's concubine and the mother of Ishmael, the patriarch of Islam. In the book of Genesis, when Sarah cannot conceive, she suggests that Abraham takeher servant Hagar as a concubine in order to conceive a child, which she promptly does. Feeling threatened by Hagar and her child, Sarah convinces Abraham to banish them from their home. God saves Hagar and Ishmael from dying in the desert., together: My child nearly died.
Hagar: Sarah sent us into the wilderness. AbrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham. spoke the words but it was her voice in his throat. I’ve never forgiven her.
Sarah: I woke up to an empty home. My heart roared and there was a metallic taste in my mouth. Abraham and IsaacAbraham and Sarah's much-longed-for son and the second Jewish patriarch. Isaac is nearly sacrificed by his father at God's command (Genesis 22). He is married to Rebecca and is the father of Esau and Jacob. His Hebrew name is Yitzchak. were climbing the mountain.
Sarah and Hagar: I was alone.
Hagar: There was no water. I lay my child down beneath a tree. I couldn’t bear to watch Ishamel die.
Sarah: Isaac knew something was wrong. He asked about the lamb for the sacrifice. “God will see to the offering,” my husband said. They walked on together.
Sarah: Min hametzar karati YahA name for God, as in "halleluyah" – praise God. Some people prefer this name for God as a non-gendered option.
Hagar: anani bamerkhav Yah
Sarah: I called out to God from the narrow place
Hagar: And God answered me. God showed me a well. The water saved my child from death in the wilderness.
Sarah: I never heard God’s voice, but I know God saved my child from my husband’s hand. Abraham would have done it. I’ve never forgiven him.
Sarah and Hagar: I loved Abraham but he abandoned me.
Hagar: My son and I survived. God never broke the promise.
Sarah: I died when I heard what happened. But God never broke the promise. Isaac
Hagar: and Ishmael each became
Sarah and Hagar: a great nation.
Hagar: You remember me on Rosh Hashanah
Sarah: My voice echoes in every generation on Yom KippurThe holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of a season of self-reflection. Jews fast, abstain from other worldly pleasures, and gather in prayers that last throughout the day. Following Ne'ilah, the final prayers, during which Jews envision the Gates of Repentance closing, the shofar is sounded in one long blast to conclude the holy day. It is customary to begin building one's sukkah as soon as the day ends..
Sarah and Hagar: We are the shofar’s cry.
Sarah: Wailing, like I did when I learned the truth.
Hagar: Sobbing, like I did when God called back to me, and I knew my child was safe.
Sarah and Hagar: Tekiah Teruah Shevarim
Sarah: Broken
Hagar: Triumphant
Sarah and Hagar: And free.
