Kol Nidre By Kohenet Rev. Dr. Claudia Hall   Person says (individually or in unison)     Every year. Every year I make so many promises.  Promises to myself: to lose or gain weight, to eat better, sleep enough. The list is endless.  Promises to others: to be kinder, to express love more, to get angry less. The list is endless.  Promises to God: to be a better Jew, a better human being, that this is the year I will get my act together...

Ilui Neshama: Elevation of the Soul  By Ariele Mortkowitz   On Rosh Hashanah, I saw holiness in the sanctuary. It was a most beautiful moment in its rawness, its honesty, its sincerity. As we waited as a kehillah, a collective, to hear the final shofar blasts, we paused for the recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish. The individual voices of those amongst us who had felt the realness in the words of U’netaneh Tokef…. “בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן, וּבְיוֹם צוֹם כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן. כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן,...

High Holy Days in Pandemic Times: Finding Awe in the Unravel (Excerpt) By Kohenet Dori Midnight, in collaboration with Elan/a June Margolis and Annie Rose London 5780 has been wrought with profound change, loss, upheaval, disorientation, hope, resistance, and resilience. Many of us find ourselves at sea, overwhelmed and longing for connection. In this time of social, racial, and economic uprising, of global pandemic, how do we engage with the beautiful, ancestrally-guided work we are called to do? This year, we...

No matter what temper tantrum or adolescent rebellion marked the week that is past, we take a moment to place our hands on our children’s heads and to offer them words of pure love. We offer blessings taken from Jacob's blessing to his grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe, who are the first pair of siblings in the Bible who love each other rather than fight each other. We invoke the memory of our four matriarchs — Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. And...

Blessing for seeing large-scale wonders of nature such as high mountains, vast deserts, seas, major rivers, shooting stars and the sunrise: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, oseh maasei v'reishit. We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who makes the works of creation. Blessing for seeing smaller wonders of nature such as beautiful trees, flowers and animals:  Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, shekacha lo be’olamo. We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, who has such beauty...

In the 16th Century, Jewish mystics created the ritual of ushpizin (Aramaic for honored guests), inviting seven different Biblical figures into the sukkah during the holiday. The traditional list includes Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Modern feminists have added Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Avigail and Esther.  Think of seven people - historical, fictional, ancestral, or  virtual (those you wish you could celebrate with this year). For each night of Sukkot, spend a few moments thinking about one...

בָּרוּךְ‭ ‬אַתָּה‭ ‬יְיָ‭ ‬אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ‭ ‬מֶֽלֶךְ‭ ‬הָעוֹלָם ‬הַמּֽוֹצִיא‭ ‬לֶֽחֶם‭ ‬מִן‭ ‬הָאָֽרֶץ Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam, hamotzi lekhem min ha-aretz. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

Each year, the first time we eat a fruit that only grows at a certain time of year, or when we do something for the first time in a while, we say a special blessing, the shehecheyanu, on this new experience.  בָּרוּך אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וקְִיְמָּנוּ והְִגִיּעָנוּ לַזְמַן הַזֶה Barukh ata adonai elohenu melekh ha-olam, she-hechiyanu, v’kiy'manu, v’higi'anu la-z’man ha-zeh Blessed are You, the One who has kept us alive and sustained us so that we could reach...

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam,borei p’ri hagafen. We bless You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.