High Holidays in Five Senses  What do the High Holidays smell like?  They smell of freshly-baked sweet challah, the vanilla-y pages of an old book, your grandfather’s aftershave, the tang of the etrog and the perfume of lulav branches. What do the High Holidays feel like?   They feel like fists beating on chests, shifting your tush on a wooden pew in an unairconditioned sanctuary, running your fingers through the fringes of a tallit, dropping crumbs into the water as you cast...

There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we read the traditional confessional prayer, the Vidui, which has two parts: Ashamnu and Al Chet. Both are written in the first person plural. No matter who surrounds us, we share the responsibility for what we have done wrong and the obligation to do better in the future. Recently, positive versions of the Ashamnu have emerged, helping us appreciate where we have done well in the past year.  These modern interpretations can help you to...

Kol Nidre means “all vows,” and this hauntingly beautiful prayer is also a legal ritual, releasing us from all our broken promises from the past year. Once we declare these collective failures nullified, we are able to move into the rest of Yom Kippur together.  All vows and prohibitions and oaths … that we may vow or swear or prohibit upon ourselves from this Yom Kippur until the Yom Kippur that is coming upon us for goodness— regarding all of them,...

Yom Kippur includes a dedicated moment, called Yizkor, to collectively remember lives lost. We ask that our loved ones find mercy and peace in their eternal rest, and by doing this we keep their memories alive even as they no longer take breath.  Traditionally, a memorial yahrzeit candle lasts for the full 24 hours of Yom Kippur, but you can use any long-burning candle. Stare into the flame and hold for a moment the memories of those who no longer walk...

Nearly all Jewish holiday begin with lighting candles, and so this one will, too. After we light the candles we wave our hands in three big horizontal circles to symbolically bring the light closer to us, and then cover our eyes while we say the blessing. When the blessing is over take a moment of silent reflection with your eyes covered, and then open your eyes and enjoy the beauty of candlelight, bringing you into the new year. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ...

The shofar is our ancient, animalistic alarm clock. Hearing it tells us to wake up and it's a mitzvah, a commandment to hear its call. We say the first blessing before the shofar is sounded, then we say shehecheyanu, the blessing for milestones, to mark the occasion.   Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lishmoa kol shofar. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy with commandments, and who has commanded...

And G!d says: "You cannot do the work every single second of every single day, which is why we've set aside this night-and-day in the middle of the Big Week just for you. To sleep unhurried, to eat well and bask in familiarity, because this is where the community happens. This is where we are born, each and every week, where we hold each other. There is no work without holding each other." And G!d says: "That in the days between...

And G!d says: “And if you have lost this year; if you have known grief newly, if you suffer the ache of old mourning come back, and back, and back, then we have made a place for you to mourn. Here, in the middle of the day, inside these walls: a container. We will hold your grief for you, so that you may continue the work. It will be there when you leave, yes, but for now, set your grief in...

Yom Kippur is the ultimate to do list. It is the moment when we leave behind our everyday lives and get deep in our relationship with the Divine. Before we can just be, we have a few final things to do.  Give to charity. Start tapering off that caffeine. Make amends. Select an outfit of white clothing. Reflect and pray. Eat a big meal, but not too big. Return to your altar and light a memorial candle for your ancestors.  Use...

Ritual to End Yom Kippur  After 24 hours of asking, Yom Kippur ends with a declaration and a shout. We make a proclamation, then consider it done. Write three intentions you have for the year ahead, then read them out loud. You can recite them multiple times. The traditional formula is 1, 3 and 7.  Intention #1 1x Intention #2 3x Intention #3 7x  Then the shofar is sounded one final, long, loud blast. If you cannot hear a shofar, shout...