Hineini for the Individual

It is tradition for the shaliakh tzibur, the prayer leader, to recite a personal prayer called Hineini (based on the famous biblical phrase, “Hineini,” “Here I am”) in front of the entire congregation before beginning the MusafThe additional prayer service recited on holidays and on Rosh Chodesh, symbolizing the Temple sacrifice offered on those occasions. service on 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. and 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.. The prayer expresses a leader’s sense of unworthiness in leading a community in prayer during the High Holy Days such that God would be moved by their prayers for forgiveness. They ask that their supplication be accepted “as if it were uttered by one worthy of this task.” I’ve always loved singing Hineini when leading services, but I wanted one of my own for the times when I’m not. I also wanted to rewrite it to express some of the self-worth this prayer actually conveys for those who dabble too much in self-doubt. This poem/prayer can be used by individuals during a formal prayer service or as a way to enter into the yamim nora’im, the Days of Awe, in general.