PLACE YOURSELF in front of the fear.
You will be judged, you will die.
Place yourself in the center of the universe,
You earned that spot simply by existing.
Place yourself under obligation to God
However you understand or don’t understand God.
Place yourself on the path of holiness and joy and truth.
Bless and be blessed by HaMakom, the Place where we find ourselves.
REMEMBER
Remember what you did wrong
Remember what you did right.
Remember those who came before you.
Remember that you are responsible for those who come after you.
Remember your history.
Remember 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..
Bless and be blessed by Shaddai, remembering us.
DECLARE YOURSELF
Because the truly evil are already condemned,
The truly good are already blessed,
And then, there’s the rest of us.
It is said that 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. God decides your fate: life or death.
And the ten days until 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. are your opportunity to change God’s mind.
So don’t blow it.
This is a powerful day, a fantastic opportunity!
Declare yourself for holiness and joy and truth.
Bless and be blessed by ShekhinahThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine., listening.
NOW WE DECLARE
And as a congregation, we proclaim:
Let the holiness rise up!
On Rosh Hashanah it is written
On Yom Kippur it is sealed.
And let us declare together:
We understand nothing.
All that is physical ends.
We die.
But not today.
Except sometimes, today.
We fret about the past and worry about the future
And forget to live with where we are now.
And then we die.
We understand nothing.
But
Teshuvah, tefilah, & tzedakahCharity. In Hebrew, the word tzedakah derives from the word for justice. Tzedakah is not seen as emanating from the kindness of one’s heart but, rather, as a communal obligation.
Restore us to our place.
Teshuvah, when we return to our true selves;
TefillahLit. Prayer, when we stop time in holy conversation;
Tzedakah, when we transcend self;
And that’s when God decrees.
Bless and be blessed by RuakhLit. Spirit. Some new versions of blessings call God "Spirit of the World" (Ruakh Ha’olam), rather than "King of the World" (Melekh Ha'olam). Ha-olam, breathing mindfulness.
THE DAY IS HOLY
Listen to the shofarA ram's horn that is blown on the High Holidays to "wake us up" and call Jews to repentance. It is also said that its blast will herald the coming of the messiah. as it announces:
Awesome and sacred is this sweet day!
The world is filled with the Divine, we are surrounded!
Hear us, know us.
Love us, enjoy us.
Remember us, rouse us.
Forgive us, inspire us,
Bless and be blessed by Elohim, the Creator, the Created, Creating.
We place ourselves in front of the fear,
On the path of holiness and joy and truth.
Amen.
