Note: This is a written to be a responsive reading
As the stars twinkle high in the heavens,
Our view is fractured by the schach over our heads.
We see the universe in bits and fragments,
And realize that we too have parts gone missing.
Adonai, why is this so?
Adonai, we know there must be a reason.
In this season of harvest,
We find more than just fields and crops.
In this season of harvest,
We gather into ourselves, parts which seemed just beyond reach.
Adonai, we know this is so.
Adonai, we know you have Your reasons.
After seeking Your forgiveness,
After asking for Your mercy,
After needing the protection of Your sheltering wings,
We find that true redemption comes from return.
Adonai, we have successfully found our way home.
Adonai, we are trying to reintegrate what has been torn asunder.
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. we found our way back to You.
On SukkotLit. Booths or huts Sukkot is the autumn harvest Festival of Booths, is celebrated starting the 15th of the Jewish month of Tishrei. Jews build booths (sukkot), symbolic of the temporary shelters used by the ancient Israelites when they wandered in the desert. Traditionally, Jews eat and sleep in the sukkah for the duration of the holiday (seven days in Israel and eight outside of Israel). The lulav (palm frond), willow, myrtle, and etrog fruit are also waved together. we bring our disparate parts back to ourselves.
Under the broken sky, we admit that we too are broken.
Under the broken sky, we search for our lost pieces.
Adonai, You know our stumbles and misdeeds,
Adonai, You have given us this place of awakening.
Adonai, You show us the road to becoming whole.
Adonai, You never fail to find ways to reveal the holiness in us all.
Amen.