Yom Kippur traditionally ends with one long, loud blast of the shofar, a ram's horn with a primal sound.  If you have a shofar, blow it now!  If not, make some noise some other way to mark the end of this holy day. Belt out a song together or try a primal scream. Do what you need to do to feel a sense of release and readiness to embark on the journey of a new year.

It's said that Yom Kippur brings affliction to the comfortable and comfort to the afflicted. After a long night and day of fasting, we finally have arrived at the magic moment of breaking bread to end the fast and start the feast. Before all that, take a brief moment for gratitude for the meal we are about to consume.  בָּרוּךְ‭ ‬אַתָּה‭ ‬יְיָ‭ ‬אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ‭ ‬מֶֽלֶךְ‭ ‬הָעוֹלָם ‬הַמּֽוֹצִיא‭ ‬לֶֽחֶם‭ ‬מִן‭ ‬הָאָֽרֶץ Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam, hamotzi lekhem min ha-aretz. Blessed are...

Sure, food may be the first thing on everyone's mind at a Yom Kippur Break Fast. And, we can still make this night feel special and bigger than just the bagels.  Once your guests have had a chance to eat, invite everyone to join in these activities designed to help us cross the threshold from this holiest of holy days into the rest of the year.  Table Topics: The prayers at the end of Yom Kippur focus on gates that are...

Though it isn't traditional to end our Yom Kippur Break Fast meal by reciting a shehechiyanu blessing, it may feel appropriate upon reaching this moment of joy and celebration after coming through a difficult time. It's a way of saying, "we made it!" as we cross the threshold into the new year.  בָּרוּך אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וקְִיְמָּנוּ והְִגִיּעָנוּ לַזְמַן הַזֶה Barukh ata adonai elohenu melekh ha’olam, shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la’z’man ha’zeh Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler...

High Holidays in Five Senses  As the light and the weather shift in this sacred time of transition, we're invited to enter a new season and a new year. Take a deep breath as you consider how each of your senses connects to the High Holidays. 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...

For centuries, Sephardi Jewish families have gathered to celebrate a special Rosh Hashanah ceremony with a plate or meal of symbolic foods. Each food is eaten after requesting a specific kind of Divine blessing that sounds like the name of that food in Hebrew.  Before eating dates ( tamar ): May it be your will, God, that hatred will end. ( Tamar resembles the word for end, yitamu. ) Before eating pomegranate: May we be as full of mitzvot as the...