Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe). It weds seriousness with celebration and begins the 10 days of repentance that culminate in Yom Kippur. The new year focuses our attention on themes of judgment, repentance, memory, and the divine presence in the world. At the same time, Rosh Hashanah invites us to celebrate birth and creation on many levels. The liturgy suggests that Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world. Family-oriented services often include a birthday cake for the world—a big hit for kids of all ages! We dip apples in honey to emphasize the sweetness of starting the cycle of seasons once again, and eat round challot to remind us of the cycles of life. The Torah and Haftarah readings for the holiday also address birth and the preciousness of all human life. These stories remind us that the arrival of every child—each and every one of us—is a promise for a renewed world. We renew ourselves at Rosh Hashanah in order to reconnect with this promise and to help ourselves fulfill it in the year ahead.

Latest Rituals

Selikhot ritual connected to the four directions
woman with long straight brown hair shown from behind looking toward body of water and shore of wheat and sky of clouds in pink and yellow and grayish.
“This year may I drink myself full”
woman with light olive skin and short dark hair in black tank top with colorful pattern smiling, eyes closed, in a field of tall flowers, with yellow petals raining down
“we wander in the wilderness of our minds / Searching for the illusive path”
silhouette of woman standing before lake with dark trees in the background reflected in the lake. her arms are spread wide.
“Clear the channel; become hollow / as a bone”
sun in the sky shown from the perspective of looking straight up - sky is framed by tops of trees with green leaves and yellow leaves
“You are the blessed and the blessing”
multicolored sunset at the beach with person standing at the shore with arms open in silhouette
“the earth is my holiest holy”
light brown skinned woman with dark hair in pink t-shirt sitting in meditation position in brightly lit green field overlooking sunrise and mountains in the distance
“Who is responsible for my hurt?”
person wearing white shirt out in a field with palm on their own heart
“Pay attention. This is not a test.”
person in silhouette blowing shofar against white curtains
Acknowledging the loneliness of being unable to pray in community
person in red hoodie walking through field of tall wheat looking out to sunset in the distance
“Blessed are you for bending time”
half moon titled in blue purple sky

The Reconstructionist Network

Learning to Say "We": Writing Identity

In this immersion, we will reflect and expand on our personal experiences of identity, using writing exercises and in-depth discussions to think about, challenge, discover, explore, and experiment with different ways to identify ourselves, to consider how those ways connect us to and separate us from others, and how they represent and misrepresent aspects of who we are.

Four sessions, starting June 15th

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