Holidays
High Holy Days Service Celebration 2026
With Orit Tabachnik
Prayers for Rosh Hashanah
Light candles for Shabbat or Yom Tov
Ba-ruch A-ta Adonai E-lo-hey-nu Me- lech ha-o-lam
a-sher ki-d-sha-nu b-mitz-vo-tav v-tzi-va-nu
l-had-lik ner shel Sha-bat (v-shel Yom Tov).
Praised are You, Adonai
Our G-d, Sovereign
Of time and space,
Who teaches holiness
Through ceremonies and
Instruct us to perform the mitzvah of kindling lights to welcome the Sabbath (and the Yom Tov)
Shehecheyanu blessing
Ba-ruch A-ta Adonai,
E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech ha-o-lam
She-he-che-ya-nu v-ki-y-ma-nu
v-hi-gi-a-nu la-z-man ha-zeh
Praised are you, Adonai our
G-d, Sovereign of time and
space, who has kept us in life
sustained us, and enabled us
to reach this season
Halleluyah! Psalm 150
Ha-l-lu-ya Ha-l-lu-ya
B-tzil-tz-ley sha-ma
Ha-l-lu-ya Ha-l-lu-ya
B-tzil-tz-ley t-ru-a
Kol ha-n-sha-ma t-ha-leyl ya
Ha-l-lu-ya Ha-l-lu-ya
Wisdom from the Jewish tradition for a fresh beginning
Our Souls cannot be broken that they should need repairs,
nor deficient that they should need anything added.
Our souls need only to be uncovered and allowed to shine.
-Rebbe Menachem Schneerson
The High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are designed to help us uncover our souls and allow them to shine. If our day-to-day experiences wear us out, the new year is the time to lift the burden so we can start fresh and anew. This is a special time that is set aside for us to wake up and move closer to fulfilling the purpose of our lives.
Wake up to life
Oblivious to nature's majesty, we walk half “asleep” on the face of the earth, noticing when things do not go our way. Life is a training ground for us all. To realize the spark within the mundane. To notice the good within ourselves and others. Instead of focusing on our shortcomings and those of others, may we be able to uncover that which is holy in each of us, in all of us.
Elul
The Jewish holidays are designed to help us go through a process of transformation. Judaism believes in our ability to grow and improve and become the best version of ourselves. It urges us to take an active role in shaping our circumstances.
The month of Elul is the time to take personal inventory.
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What are my strengths? How can I share them with others?
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What are my weaknesses/limitations? How can I overcome them?
It is not about personal criticism. It is an honest evaluation so we can get clarity about the work that is cut out for us. We may know in our head what we’re supposed to be doing but find it difficult to implement. In the month of Elul, we get extra divine help to assist us in finding clarity about our purpose and the way to fulfill it. This gift of transformation is available to everyone yet, we are more likely to experience it when we engage in personal introspection.
As we start the new year:
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What is one thing you want to leave behind?
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What is one thing you want to bring with you?
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What is one thing you want to start?
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Recall a person in your life that has/had a big influence on you. Remember to thank him/her/them.
The Story of the Green Notebook by Tal Tahar
She found it when she was looking for something else. Between piles of papers, receipts, forms, little notes saying “Mom, I love you,” and leftover stickers - there, at the bottom of the drawer, was the green notebook.
It wasn’t a particularly important notebook. Just one she had once started writing good things about herself. Three sentences a day - that was the idea. Something she had heard in a lecture about caring for the soul.
She flipped through it. At first, it was full - “Gave myself credit for how I handled an unpleasant situation at work,” “Took a breath before I answered the kids,” “Managed to say no - without guilt.” And then….the pages started to thin out.
She paused for a moment. Not because nothing had happened since then - on the contrary. She had simply forgotten to look inward, to reflect, to appreciate herself. She closed the notebook, took a deep breath, and held it close to her heart for a moment. Then she opened a new page. She wrote:
“I’m back. Maybe I fell, maybe I got swept away - but I’m here. This is the moment I choose myself again.”
High Holy Days Customs
For the purpose of uncovering our souls and starting the new year fresh, the Rabbis designed some customs/practices. Each practice is an important component in a powerful process of transformation.
Teshuva - reflecting on our past year’s behavior, and trying to understand what is holding us back from being the best version of ourselves. Teshuva also instructs us to ask for forgiveness from other people, ourselves, and G-d.
Teffila - calls for praying for Divine assistance. It is a great reminder that there is a greater Universal wisdom and energy from which we can draw when we are feeling tired, spent, or confused about how to proceed in life. Ask for help, guidance, and blessings, and listen to the answers in moments of quiet and solitude.
Tzedakah - making amends - usually it means giving money to people in need. However, money is not the only means of Tzedakah. Giving of your time, attention, sharing your talents, gifts, and expertise are all valid and needed aspects of Tzedakah.
Send Greeting Cards - Before Rosh Hashanah and all the way to Yom Kippur, the custom is to send greeting cards to family members and friends to recognize them and thank them for the role they play in our lives.
Hearing the Shofar - “Hearing the high-pitched blasts of the shofar is also one of the holiday customs. It is an urgent sound that seems to say, “wake up! Think! What did you do last year? What will you do this year?” The shofar also expresses feelings that cannot be put into words: feelings of wanting to change and being excited by the chance to do so, but also of being afraid of changing. Like a baby’s cry that proclaims new life, the shofar may be the cry of the new self that is born on Rosh Hashanah.” (The Family Treasury Of The Jewish Holiday by Malka Druker, Illustrated by Nancy Patz)
With these customs, we set an intention and initiate the process of change and transformation. It is important to remember that we are not alone in our endeavor to change. There is a force far beyond our capacity to understand that is longing to join our team and support us (Ha -Tov
Ve- Ha Me Tiv / the good and the benefactor). Our role is to make room for it. On Rosh Hashanah, we are instructed to crown (le-ha-m-lich) G-d, which means to acknowledge G-d’s existence and choose G-d to be our guide.
A Jewish proverb declares, “Open a hole as tiny as the point of a needle, and I will open the whole world for you.” By opening up to the possibility of G-d’s existence, we open a door for divine assistance.
Shofar Blessing
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר
Blessed are You, Ruler of the World, who has made us holy with commandments, and who has commanded us to hear the voice of the shofar.
(Orthodox and conservative Jews do not blow the Shofar on Shabbat)
Shofar Blow 1: Tekiah, Shevarim, Teruah, Tekiah
Psalm 93 Stephen Mitchell (trans)
G-d acts within every moment
And creates the world with each breath.
G-d speaks from the center of the universe,
In the silence beyond all thought.
Mightier than the crash of the thunderstorm,
Mightier than the roar of the sea,
Is G-d’s voice silently speaking
In the depths of the listening heart.
Shofar Blow 2: Tekiah, Shevarim, Tekiah
Priestly Blessing
יברכך יהוה וישמרך
יאר יהוה פניו אליך ויחונך
ישא יהוה פניו אליך
וישם לך שלום
May G-d bless you and guard you.
May G-d’s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May G-d’s face turn toward you and grant you peace (Numbers 6:24-26)
Shofar Blow 3: Tekiah Teruah, Tekiah
Ose Shalom Bemromav
עושה שלום במרומיו,
הוא יעשה שלום עלינו,
ועל כל ישראל
ועל כל יושבי תבל
ואמרו אמן
The One Who makes peace on high,
May G-d make peace upon us
And upon Israel
And upon all who dwell on earth
And say Amen
Shofar Blow 4 : Tekia, Shevarim, Truah, Tekia Gadolah!
Avinu Malkeinu
Avinu Malkenu, Khonenu Va'anenu
Avinu Malkenu, Khonenu Va'anenu, Ki en Banu Maasim.
Ase Imanu Tzdaka Vakhesed. (2x)
Vehoshienu.
אבינו מלכנו חננו ועננו
כי אין בנו מעשים
עשה עמנו צדקה וחסד
והושיענו
Avinu Malkeinu, inscribes us for blessing in the book of life.
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Avinu Malkeinu, let the new year be a good year for us.
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Avinu Malkeinu, fill our hands with blessing.
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Avinu Malkeinu, be gracious and answer us, for we have little merit.
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Treat us generously and with kindness, and be our help.
Ki en Banu Maasim-we have no good work of our own. Traditionally, during Rosh Hashanah, there is a big emphasis on our shortcomings. I think it is essential for healthy change to take place to do exactly the opposite and notice all that we are doing to better our lives and the lives of others. So, when I tap on my heart during the prayers at the shul, it is for the purpose of awakening it. Not scolding it.
Kol Nidre service
“On Yom Kippur evening, after the meal that starts the fast, Jews go to the synagogue to hear The Kol Nidre Service. Everywhere you look, you see the color white, symbolizing freshness and simplicity. The Kol Nidre, which means All Vows, is chanted three times, clearing the slate between each person and G-d: all promises that could not be kept during the year are now forgotten. It is time to start again.”
(The Family Treasury of The Jewish Holiday by Malka Druker, Illustrated by Nancy Patz)
Symbolic Foods for Rosh Hashanah
Beet (Selek) resembles the Hebrew word silek, remove.
May it be Your will, G-d, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors that our adversaries be removed.
Carrot (Gezer) resembles the Hebrew word gezerah, decree.
May it be Your will, G-d, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors that you decree on us only good decrees.
Head of a fish (Rosh Dag) from Deuteronomy 28:13 “And G-d will place you as a head and not as a tail.” - May it be Your will, G-d, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors that we be as the head and not as the tail.
Pomegranate (Rimon) - A pomegranate has many, many seeds.
May it be Your will, G-d, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors that our merits increase as the seeds of a pomegranate.
Apple Dipped in Honey symbolizes a sweet year.
May it be Your will, G-d, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors that we will have a sweet year.
Kiddush - Blessed are You Adonai our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.
Hamotzi - Blessing over Bread - Blessed are You Adonai our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.
SHANA TOVA U’METUKAH - Good and sweet year.
GEMAR CHATIMA TOVA – May you be signed and sealed in the Book of Life
A common greeting on and before Yom Kippur.
O-seh sha-lom bim-ro-mav
O-seh sha-lom bim-ro-mav,
Hu ya-a-she sha-lom a-lei-nu
V’al kawl Yis-ra-eil
V’al kawl yosh’vei tei-vel
V’imru: A-mein
Amen Can Ye he Ra-tson & Shana Tova
Pesach 2026 with Orit Tabachnik
Partners in Creation
Spring is all about renewal, and the Passover rituals are there to show us how to renew our lives.
In preparation for the Passover holiday, we are instructed to do a major cleaning - time to clear the chametz. Whether it’s grains of wheat or sour (chametz) ways of thinking or behaving, the assignment makes us pay close attention to every aspect of our lives. It is time to make room. Spring is here, and we want to clear any form of stagnation and organize our surroundings in a way that will support us to get ready for the tasks ahead of us.
Then all the way from Passover to Shavuot, we do an internal cleansing. We prepare our soul for receiving the Torah (part of the meaning of the word Torah is ho-ra-ah: to teach or to instruct). We are getting ready to receive instructions. For 49 days, we count the Omer, Sfirat Ha Omer, and examine which character traits need some modification in order to be ready/capable of receiving the Torah. I believe that even today when we manage to make room and quiet our minds, we prime ourselves to more clearly hear instructions regarding the best way to live our lives.
You’ve all heard the expression Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. No one can do it alone. The Torah and the Jewish holidays show us how to shed the things that hold us back and get ready for our personal assignments. They guide us to become engaged partners in the creation of the world we want to live in. Whether we do something big, small, or even minute is totally up to us. The important thing is that we all participate.
This cleansing process is here to support us. Yet if just the thought of it overwhelms you, it’s important to remember that every effort counts. If you just clear out one small thing, Dayenu. One small step usually leads to another small step and before you know it, you’ve opened the passageway for new things to enter your life.
Whether you clear a space or let go of that grudge you’ve been holding, you are making the room necessary for this renewal.
Be-hats-la-cha.
Judaism is a dynamic faith
It is not some old scripture that collects dust on the shelves, but rather a wealth of wisdom that can be put into action and serve us on a daily basis. The Jewish perspective calls for questioning, learning, and growing from every experience we, and our ancestors, have.
Often in life, we can’t see the big picture. We don’t understand what our experiences are preparing us to be. What do we need to overcome in order to be strong and capable of the task ahead of us? What sensitivity do we need to develop? What strength and sensitivity are required to reach our goal? Every day experiences that take place seemingly at random are our training field for the purpose we intended to accomplish.
At the Passover Seder, we are instructed to relive the experience of coming out of Egypt, and to question what it means to be a free person. I believe that the answer to this question is slightly different from person to person. The Mussar movement talks a lot about the personal curriculum, which says that we aren’t all placed on this earth for the same purpose or the same lesson. Where one person needs to pull themself together and be more proactive about their life affairs, another needs to slow down and take a break from all that they are doing. One person needs to learn to listen more, another person may need to speak up for themselves to show that they value who they are. Some people would benefit from sharing more of their time, attention, or finances whereas others would benefit from being more mindful and restricting their tendency to constantly give their resources away. And of course, at different times in our lives, different actions are called for. These Passover rituals allow us to question what we are doing now and encourage us to try something new.
As we read the Haggadah, with each cup of wine, we will focus on a different aspect of what it means to be a free person.
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Who is responsible for liberating us?
When the Israelites were about to cross the Red Sea, the water was in front of them, the Egyptians were behind them, and they were crying for help. But it was only after Nachshon took a leap of faith and stepped into the gushing water that the Red Sea parted. This story teaches us the lesson that it’s up to us to do whatever we can to overcome our Maitzarim (limitations, a narrow place, a place where we are stuck). No one is going to save us if we don’t take an active role. Each one of us needs to take the initiative to break through our own Maitzarim. Sometimes our Maitzarim are in the way we approach or think about our challenges. Other times they are habits that we acquire along the way that no longer serve us. What are your Maitzarim? We can’t figure out how to liberate ourselves until we figure out the things that are in our way.
2. We have a mighty Partner on this path.
The Haggadah instructs us “In every generation, even today, everyone must feel as if Hashem personally took him or her out of Egypt and freed him or her from being a slave. It is not only our ancestors who were enslaved, but Hashem brought us out of Egypt,” and Hashem keeps doing it at every moment of our lives. Sometimes, we are so caught up in the story of all the things that did or didn’t happen to us that we can’t move forward and live in the present moment. We don't see the daily miracles on our path. The Passover story tells us that with just our own willpower, we are unable to be completely free. Only when we draw strength from the source of all things do we have what it takes to overcome our shortcomings and limitations. Recall a Hashgacha Pratit (personal miracle) that took place for you recently.
A Jewish proverb declares, “Open a hole as tiny as the point of a needle, and I will open the whole world for you.” We are not alone in our endeavor. There is a force far beyond our capacity to understand that is longing to join our team and support us (Ha -Tov Ve- Ha Me Tiv / the good and the benefactor). Our role is to make room for it. Passover preparations and all the rituals up to Shavuot can guide us on how to make room.
Psalm 93
G-d acts within every moment
And creates the world with each breath.
G-d speaks from the center of the universe,
In the silence beyond all thought.
Mightier than the crash of the thunderstorm,
Mightier than the roar of the sea,
Is G-d’s voice silently speaking
In the depths of the listening heart.
- Stephen Mitchell (trans)
Nachson Minyan Prayer Book
3. The things that give our lives purpose and meaning.
When we are not engaged in activities that feed our souls, we may find that acquiring money, stability, and social status can leave us feeling drained and empty. On the other hand, when we do things that we are truly passionate about, usually they involve helping or supporting others, we find that they give our lives purpose and meaning. This may or may not be the work you do for a living. These are things that are in your heart, that you feel called to do. Those things inspire us, help us overcome challenges when they arise, and give us the energy to carry on. What are the things that feed your soul?
4. Does freedom mean doing what I want when I want or acting within boundaries?
“Never take freedom for granted. It needs a hundred small acts of self-control daily, which is what halakha, Jewish law, is all about. - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas, pg. 75. Many of the laws that are in Judaism that seem so restricting are there to help us feel more secure and free, and to assist us with our tasks here on earth. What boundaries, disciplines or routines could serve you on your personal path?
A free person knows how to adapt to changes, get organized and disciplined when needed, and also how to unwind, rest, and make room for new things to emerge. A free person knows how to pause between stimulus and action.
In her book, I’ve Been Thinking, Maria Shriver wrote about The Power of the Pause (pg. 39):
As everybody else is rushing around, like a lunatic out there, I dare you to do the opposite. I dare you to pause. Pausing allows you to take a breath in your life.
I am asking all of us to learn how to pause—-especially now, because while I believe the state of our communication (our lives) is out of control, I also believe the power of the pause gives us the opportunity to fix it.
What does a pause look like in your life? Is it journaling, taking a hike, doing arts or crafts, meditating...? Keeping the Shabbat is a weekly practice in pausing. Stopping everything we do once a week is the hardest thing to do. Yet, when we manage to slow down and quiet the busyness of our mind/life, we give ourselves a chance to capture the whisper Hashem sends our way.
May you all be blessed with a listening heart.
May you follow the whisper that is meant especially for you.
May you learn to pause and free yourself and others from the chaos that surrounds us.
May you gain clarity and understanding of your purpose in this world.
May you awaken to the possibilities that are right in front of you.
May you do your share to make this world a place where everyone can thrive.
May you find joy in all that you do.
Amen ken ye-he Ra-tson
Have a happy, meaningful Pesach Seder,
Orit Tabachnik
