Jewish Perspectives

A Once in 28 Years Ritual: Blessing the Sun

Temple Israel of Manchester — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:23:00 GMT

Imagine a commandment that one can fulfill only once in twenty-eight years! Judaism has such a ritual that marks the conclusion of an astronomical cycle and it will be observed this Wednesday morning, April 8^th in congregations around the world. We at Temple Israel will gather Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. to gaze upon the sun which has returned once more to its place at the time of creation, according to ancient rabbinic calculations, and to offer in the context of songs and prayers, a blessing to the Almighty who continues to renew His works of creation. April 8^th happens to coincide with the eve of Passover this year, so after morning services, the congregation’s rabbi, Edward Friedman, will also conclude a portion of study and hold a siyyum, a celebration of that accomplishment which allows all the participants, some of whom may be observing the fast of the firstborn, to join in a joyous meal marking the mitzvah, the fulfillment of a divine precept. Since the firstborn of Egypt were killed in the final plague at the time of the Exodus on the eve of Passover, the custom arose in medieval times for all Jewish firstborn to fast on this day in recognition of their unworthiness to have been spared and in thankfulness for God’s grace in keeping them alive. By tradition, the fast is canceled if one engages in a meal celebrating some joyous occasion such as the completion of the rabbi’s study.

As for the blessing of the sun, this 28 year cycle is based on a statement in the Talmud requiring one who sees the sun at the turn of its cycle on the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning following the spring equinox to recite a blessing acknowledging God as Creator. Why on a Wednesday? According to Genesis 1, the sun was created on the fourth day of the week, Wednesday. As for the delay following the equinox, which most of us already marked a couple of weeks ago on March 21st, that is due to the fact that the 3^rd century Babylonian sage Shmuel who calculated this event, used the common estimate of 365.25 days in a year. That rough figure is slightly high and results, after centuries, even when one adds one day for leap year every 4 years, in an accumulation of extra days. (Our Gregorian calendar which omits a leap year on the turn of a century every 400 years, helps somewhat in avoiding this problem.) In addition, Shmuel didn’t know about the calendar reform instituted by Pope Gregory and so the date is based on the old Roman (Julian) calendar as well. I might add that for us Jews who celebrate the New Year in the fall and consider that to be the season of the creation, it seems a bit strange to claim that the sun was created in the Spring. This, too, reflects an old rabbinic argument over exactly when the world was created, one sage claiming it was in the fall and another in the spring. For this purpose, clearly the one who argued for the spring won.

To my way of thinking, all of this inaccuracy in calculations and the questionable timing of the creation adds to the mystique of this event. In point of fact, we are not marking an observable astronomical event. There is nothing to see other than the same sun which, thank God, rises every day. We however, are different. We are entering mythical time, so to speak. We are imaging ourselves back to the time of Creation and recognizing the power of the Lord in bringing everything into being. We are also taking the opportunity to view history and particularly our own personal histories from an unusual point of view. In observing a commandment that occurs in most lives only 3 to 4 times at most, one is given an opportunity to recognize the passage of time and the changes that have come with each new 28-year cycle.

This is the third cycle that is beginning in my lifetime. The first time it occurred, 56 years ago, I was a child and was not aware of the event and did not mark it. Twenty-eight years later, I was already a grown man with a wife and young son and was serving as a rabbi in Dallas, Texas. I still have a file with copies of the service we read that morning as we searched for the sun among the clouds. I had dreams and expectations back then and was just setting off into my career in the rabbinate. Years have passed, our son as grown up and is on his own and the years have carried us to various places, most recently Manchester. I look back over the past cycle and see various accomplishments and changes. Some of the dreams have been fulfilled and others are still waiting to reach fulfillment. I remember many people who are no longer with us and I rejoice in new friends and acquaintances who have become part of our lives in the passing years. With God’s help, I pray that I may yet reach the beginning of one more cycle, 28 years hence, and have another opportunity, in old age, to look back on a life devoted to the Jewish community and our ancient tradition.

A number of books have come out in recent months preparing for this event. The Conservative Movement has created A Guide to Birkat Ha-Hammah: The Blessing of the Sun by Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser and Gary H. Kitmacher. They also have published a short booklet called Masechet HaHammah, the Tractate on the Sun which brings together a number of traditional texts as well as some reflection on the significance of the sun in our lives, particularly in our present-day world when the concern for global warming and alternative energy sources have brought us back to the sun in our search for answers to these problems. I've also seen at least four or five new or revised books published by the Orthodox community gathering the detailed laws for this traditional observance.

Rabbi Prouser gathers in his book a number of references to historic observances of this custom. Most interesting for American Jews is the mention of the arrest of a leading New York rabbi whose congregation gathered in Tompkins Square in 1897 to bless the sun. Apparently the police complained that no one had obtained a permit for such a gathering and they took the Yiddish-speaking rabbi into custody until they could figure out what this assembly was all about. We do not anticipate such a problem this week.

I invite anyone who wishes to join us to gather at Temple Israel at 66 Salmon Street on Wednesday, April 8th, at 6:30 a.m. and to help us mark this event.

Temple Israel Welcomes Cantor Sarra Spierer Home for Selichot Services

Temple Israel of Manchester — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:02:00 GMT

Cantor Sarra Spierer, daughter of Temple Israel members Mel and Rachel Spierer, has been invited back to Temple Israel this year to lead the Selichot services along with the Temple’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Edward Friedman, on Saturday evening, September 20^th at 10:00 p.m. The Selichot prayers of forgiveness open the High Holiday season leading into Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah, which begins this year on the evening of September 29^th, marks the beginning of the Jewish year of 5769. Cantor Spierer will also teach the congregation about the music of the High Holidays during a reception just prior to that service at 9:00 p.m. The congregation invites the entire community to join them for this special program and service.

Cantor Spierer, who grew up at Temple Israel, is a 2007 graduate of the unique Cantor/Educator program of Hebrew College in Newton Center, MA. In addition to her ordination as a Cantor, she completed her Master’s degree in Jewish Education at the same time. Her primary position is as Cantor/Pastoral Associate at Congregation Beth Elohim in Acton, MA. Temple Israel, however, has arranged for her to be guest cantor for the Manchester congregation for several special services throughout the year in addition to this Selichot service.

There are varying traditions in Judaism regarding the recitation of the prayers of forgiveness known as “selichot.” Among the Sephardic Jews, those of North Africa and the Middle East, these prayers are recited daily before the morning service throughout the month of Elul which precedes the New Year on the Jewish calendar. Those who follow the Ashkenazic, or Central and Eastern European, tradition do not begin these prayers until the week before Rosh Hashanah. Customarily the recitation for the first day begins in the middle of the night, after midnight, on the Saturday/Sunday before the Jewish New Year. In recent years many congregations like Temple Israel have chosen to start an hour or two before midnight which still may be considered part of the “middle of the night,” but is more convenient for people to attend. Subsequent Selichot services are traditionally held not late at night but early in the morning just prior to the synagogue’s morning worship services during this holiday season.

When Rosh Hashanah begins on Sunday or Monday night, as is the case this year, the tradition is to start the daily recitation of Selichot a week earlier to allow a minimum of four days of preparation for Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish New Year is also known as the Day of Judgment, a day on which all people are judged by God and therefore should reflect upon their sins and determine to seek forgiveness from the Lord. Forgiveness in ancient days often required the presentation of a sacrifice upon the altar. Four days were required for the inspection of animals that were to be offered before God to be sure they were free from all blemish and fit for sacrifice. Since the destruction of the Temple in the year 70, animal sacrifices are no longer offered, instead prayers are offered, what the prophet called “the bullocks of our lips” and, in a sense, we offer ourselves as true offerings before the Lord. Thus it is suggested that as Jews prepare to commune with their God at this season and offer their prayers for forgiveness, at least four days of preparation and reflection should be taken as was the case with the animal sacrifices. Thus developed the tradition of a four day minimum period for these Selichot prayers.

During the Selichot service one hears the distinctive melodies that will be repeated on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, ten days later, the day which culminates this period of prayer, repentance, and righteous deeds. Many of the same prayers repeated throughout the Day of Atonement are included in the liturgy of Selichot night and awaken us to the approach of that most solemn day of prayer and fasting.

One might guess from this description that the coming days are very solemn and mournful occasions for the Jewish community. However, on the contrary, Jews celebrate the New Year and the Day of Atonement as major festival with family gatherings and holiday feasting in joyful recognition of a merciful God who has assured us that when we come before Him with sincere prayer and good intentions, He will forgive us our sins and grant us a year of sweetness and blessing.

Those who may wish to join with the congregation of Temple Israel for the High Holiday services should contact the synagogue office at 622-6171 for a detailed schedule of services and to arrange for holiday seating.

Prayer Garments Create an Attitude for Prayer

Temple Israel of Manchester — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:57:00 GMT

Mark Twain noted that “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” Anyone who has been to a traditional Jewish worship service quickly notices that while people may no longer be attired as formally as they were in earlier times, the men nonetheless dress in special garb for the synagogue. Every man has his head covered usually with a small cap and, at a morning service, a prayer shawl is draped around his shoulders. On weekday mornings, a pair of leather boxes attached to leather straps are worn as well on the head and on one arm by many of the participants to complete the ensemble. Increasingly, in Conservative congregations like Temple Israel, women may also choose to wear some or all of these ritual garments during prayer, though we do not require them to do so. By dressing appropriately for prayer we hope to have some influence on ourselves and, perhaps, on the Almighty as well.

The most familiar of these prayer garments is the small cap known as a kippah (plural, kippot) or, by its Yiddish name, yarmulke. This cap may be made of satin or velvet or some other material. Some are crotcheted in solid black or more colorful hues or they may have decorations or Hebrew letters incorporated into a design. More recently, some enterprising folks have created a leather kippah in various colors, decorated for children with emblems of sports teams or various television cartoon characters like the Simpsons or the Sesame Street gang. In fact, there is no special requirement for the appearance of a kippah; it has no religious significance in itself. Rather it is required for its function, the covering of a person’s head as a sign of modesty and humility in the presence of God. In a pinch, I’ve seen paper napkins used to fill the bill. They have been twisted on both ends to create a hat and hastily placed on a person’s head. In Israel, a box of black cardboard kippot, frequently will be found at the entrance to sacred shrines for the use of those who do not already have a head covering.

Some people, particularly rabbis and scholars, though not exclusively, may choose to show deference to God at all times, by constantly covering their heads, while others wear the kippah only during times of prayer and religious study or when entering into the synagogue or other sacred space. Since it has no intrinsic religious significance, we do ask non-Jewish male visitors to wear a kippah when they come to the synagogue as a sign of respect to God and the congregation. Any hat will do, but in the synagogue, the kippah is the least conspicuous hat for a stranger to put on.

We do not, however, ask a non-Jewish visitor to wear a tallit (plural tallitot) or prayer shawl. This garment does have religious meaning and is only to be worn by Jewish people as a reminder of our obligations to fulfill God’s 613 commandments. The practice of wearing a tallit is mentioned in the book of Numbers where Moses instructs the Israelites to put fringes on the corners of their garments. The Israelites are to include a blue thread along with the other white threads. God tells them that when they see the fringe they will be reminded to fulfill the commandments of the Lord and not go astray after their eyes and hearts. The blue thread is missing from most modern tallitot since, for centuries, it was uncertain exactly which mollusk produced the special blue die required that was known as techelet. In recent years, scholars and archaeologists have determined precisely which type of snail was used for this purpose, but after so many centuries, few modern Jews are running out to purchase blue fringes for their tallitot.

The blue dye, we are told, is to remind us of the sea and the heavens and God’s throne of glory and thereby encourage us to show obedience to God as do the waters of the sea and the heavenly bodies above and thereby lead us to cleave to God’s throne. Without the techelet, however, we still can remember our obligations. The fringes on the four corners of the tallit, known as tzitzit, utilize a sacred macramé to remind us of the commandments. Each Hebrew letter has a numerical value and together the five Hebrew letters of the word tzitzit total 600. Adding to that the eight strings and five knots used in the fringe on each corner of the tallit, we get 613, the traditional number of commandments in the Torah. So when we look at a fringe, we remember all the commandments of the Lord. Not only this, but the longest thread on each of the four tzitzit is wound around the other threads a specific number of times in the four spaces between the five knots. The specific number of windings is 7,8,11, and 13. These numbers put into Hebrew letters produce the message, “Adonay echad,” the Lord is one, the fundamental teaching of Judaism.

God Himself is pictured by the rabbinic sages as wrapped in His own tallit, a prayer shawl made of the very heavens. Standing in prayer with a kippah on his head and a tallit around his shoulders, a Jew should feel as if he is enveloped in the Divine Presence while engaged in prayer.

On weekdays, at our morning services, many of the men wear tefillin, sometimes translated as “phylacteries,” an archaic term which is not terribly helpful in describing these ritual items. Tefillin are two leather boxes held in place by leather straps. One box is attached to a fixed loop which rests on the forehead with the box centered at the hairline, the knot of the loop resting opposite on the back of the skull, and the ends of the straps hanging down and then draped over the shoulders in front. The second box has an adjustable leather loop which runs through the top of the box and is tightened on the lower part of the left bicep with the remaining strap wrapped seven times around the lower arm and then several times around the hand and fingers. These boxes contain small strips of parchment inscribed by hand like Torah scrolls with four biblical passages that each include the instructions “you shall bind these words upon your hand and place them as frontlets above your eyes.” The passages, two from Exodus and two from Deuteronomy, speak of the unity of God, the responsibility of observing His law, the importance of remembering the Exodus, and the significance of dedicating ourselves to God’s service. The four passages are written in biblical order on a single scroll and placed in the box on the arm. The box on the head has four compartments and each passage is written again on a single slip of parchment and placed in order in one of these compartments. The idea is to consciously subjugate one’s mind, heart, and strength to the service of God. As one wraps the end of the strap around one’s finger three times, one recites a verse from Hosea that speaks of God’s symbolic betrothal to the Jewish people. As we bind the tefillin on our bodies, we imagine ourselves bound tightly to God Himself.

As with the tallit, so with the tefillin, the early rabbis pictured God attired in a pair of His own. His tefillin, however, do not contain biblical passages to remind Him of His own unity, but rather they include verses that speak of the unique relationship God has established with the Jewish people. When Moses asks to see the Divine Presence after the Lord has forgiven the people for the sin of the Golden Calf, God tells him that no one can see the face of God and live. Instead, the Almighty places Moses in a crevice on the mountain and passes by so the prophet can see “His back.” The rabbis claim that what Moses saw at that moment was the knot on the back of God’s tefillin.

Some Jews wear tzitzit not only in prayer, but throughout the day on a smaller tallit known as the arba kanfot (the four corners) or a tallit katan (a small tallit). This cloth poncho has the same four fringes that the larger prayer garment has, but it is worn under one’s shirt with the fringes tucked into the trousers. In some communities the fringes are worn outside the pants and in others, the entire garment is worn over one’s shirt. However one chooses to wear the tallit katan, it is intended to help one remember one’s commitment to the commandments throughout the day. In earlier times, some Jews wore the tefillin throughout the day as well, particularly those who were engaged in all-day study of sacred texts. Nowadays, the vast majority of Jews who wear tefillin do so only at the weekday morning service. On the Sabbath and major holidays, tefillin is put away, since the holiday and the Sabbath serve the same function of binding us to God on those special days.

Women were traditionally exempted from the wearing of tallit and tefillin since they were among the positive commandments performed at a particular time of day, from which women were relieved in order to allow them to take care of their homes and their children. Some of those positive commandments women never gave up, while tallit and tefillin remained a man’s practice for the most part. In recent years, however, female rabbis and cantors have taken on the practice of wearing tallit and tefillin and some women among the laity have joined them in one or both of these practices as well.

As with all ritual items, these prayer garments help us to focus our attention on the purpose of prayer and place us in the proper frame of mind to enter the presence of God and offer our praise and thanksgiving and humbly seek our needs. We stand in humility, surrounded by God’s presence and reminders of our obligations to the Lord, literally bound to the Almighty and His sacred Word.

Purim and Easter Weekend

Temple Israel of Manchester — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:29:00 GMT

Most years our neighbors’ Easter celebrations coincide with the holiday of Passover on the Jewish calendar. As I explained in an earlier column, because of the Jewish leap year, Passover is “late” and starts a month after Easter this year. This means that the most significant of the Christian festivals occurs not during our Feast of Freedom as usual, but instead on the same weekend that Jews observe a rather raucous, carnival-like, holiday of Purim, with activities somewhat resembling Mardi Gras festivities. In earlier times, when this happened, Jews frequently toned down their activities a bit lest it appear that we are in joyful celebration in response to the death of Jesus on the cross which Christians mark that very same day as Good Friday prior to the Easter celebration. There was fear in medieval times that a too exuberant Purim holiday might provoke anti-Semitic outbursts from people who thought that the Jews were mocking them and rejoicing in the death of Jesus.

In fact, of course, Purim has nothing to do with Good Friday or Easter. It is a holiday established centuries before the Christian era, in the ninth chapter of the Book of Esther. It celebrates the defeat of Haman, a Persian official who sought to destroy all the Jews. His nefarious plan was exposed to the Persian King, Ahasuerus, by his Jewish Queen, Esther, and her cousin Mordecai. The Jews were then allowed to defend themselves against their enemies and win a great victory. Haman and his ten sons were ultimately hanged and an annual festival was declared on the 14^th of the Hebrew month of Adar which was last Thursday night and Friday. The holiday is known as Purim which means “lots” as in a lottery. Haman chose the day for the attack on the Jews by casting lots. Much in the Purim story in the Book of Esther seems at first glance to depend solely on chance and coincidence, on the casting of lots as it were. God’s name never appears in the book, He seems to be absent. Nonetheless the Divine Hand is clearly operating behind the scenes throughout the story to bring about the salvation of the Jews as we come to realize that nothing is really left to chance. All is in the hands of our Heavenly Father even when His face and name seem to be hidden from view.

There is much controversy about the historicity of the biblical story of Esther. The background details about the Persian court seem very authentic, but historians question many of the events mentioned in this satirical book. Ahasuerus the King is generally identified with the king known in Greek as Xerxes. His Persian name apparently is much closer to “Ahasuerus.” However there is no indication from our knowledge of ancient Persia that Xerxes ever took a Jewish queen and many other details of the story do not jive with what historians have uncovered about Persia of that time. It may be that Esther is just an historical novel or a fantasy of what might have been if only the Jews had gained power back then. Regardless, religious history, as usual, demands that we not be confused by the facts. We are more interested in the theological lessons to be drawn from the story whether or not it occurred precisely as described in the Bible.

Haman is linked in our tradition with Amalek, a descendant of Esau, whose people attacked the Israelites unprovoked as they departed Egypt. The Torah tells us that we must blot out the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens. Thus in every generation we struggle against the forces of evil that try to attack us be they named Amalek, Haman, Hitler, or, if the shoe fits, Ahmedinajad. If Haman is a fictional character, he represents all too many real historic figures down through the ages who were much more successful in their efforts to kill Jews. Esther and Mordecai represent the power of faith in the Almighty and the uniting of the community to face the enemies who rise up in every age. This dark struggle is masked in black humor and hilarity as we read the Book of Esther somewhat melodramatically on Purim night and again on Purim morning. Congregants, particularly the children, drown out the name of Haman with their noisemakers, their graggers. In our congregation this year, one member dressed up villainously like Haman and tried to sneak out onto the altar while I was reading the Megillah, the book of Esther, but he retreated in haste into an alcove every time the noisemakers went off. The kids ate it up and had a great time.

On Purim, people put on masks and costumes thus symbolically hiding their faces as does God Himself in the Megillah. We are encouraged to send gifts of food to one another (shalach manot) and gifts to the poor. A feast is to be held on Purim day at which time one is urged, uncharacteristically for Jews who usually prefer food to drink, to get high on wine and liquor. We are to be so intoxicated that we can no longer distinguish between “Blessed is Mordecai” and “Cursed be Haman.” Since much of the Purim story takes place under the influence of strong drink, the drinking tradition of Purim mimics that custom. In some places, Purim songs are sung, Purim spiels (plays) are performed, and detailed parodies of rabbinic discussions are held. Nothing is sacred on this day of joy and celebration, it seems. It is truly a carnavale. It has been suggested that we numb our reasoning faculties on this day to appreciate the fact that God’s grace transcends the rational and, in spite of our sins and failures, He is there for us and ready to save us from our enemies.

We move now from Purim in the next weeks toward the great redemption of Passover and begin our preparations for a week of that major holiday next month and for our Seder meals. This week is Shabbat Parah, the Sabbath of the Cow, on which we read of the purification rites involving the ashes of a red heifer necessary before one could offer a sacrifice in the ancient Temple. As we read this arcane passage from Numbers, we remind ourselves of the need to purify our hearts and minds for the upcoming holiday on which we hope to renew ourselves as a people.

Taking Time to Stop

Temple Israel of Manchester — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:22:00 GMT

We often hear how important the Ten Commandments are in our society as the foundation of Western Civilization. While many people talk about keeping these basic laws, one wonders how many people actually are able to live by them. Aside from the very difficult commandment against coveting (a topic for another time, perhaps), I’m thinking, in particular, of the fourth commandment about the Sabbath, which appears in two different versions in the Bible.

In Exodus 20, we are told:

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six day you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God: you shall not do any work – you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Here we are told to “remember the Sabbath day” and the reason given is that God rested from creation on the seventh day, blessed it and made it holy. We keep it holy by remembering it and by not laboring on it.

In Deuteronomy 5, Moses recalls the events at Sinai forty years earlier and repeats the Ten Commandments, but when he gets to the fourth one he states it somewhat differently, as follows:

Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; you shall not do any work – you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the stranger in your settlements, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Now the commandment is not “remember” but “observe”. The reason given for the commandment is not the remembrance of the Creation story, but the application of the lessons of the Exodus story to those who serve us now. When we observe Shabbat properly, we maintain the dignity of all of the creatures on the earth in remembrance of the Exodus. It is a completely different version of the fourth commandment.

Was Moses having a senior moment and, failing to recall the original version of the fourth commandment, decided to wing it? Our Jewish sages say “no.” Both versions of the biblical text are valid, both are the word of the living God. In fact, they believe, God said both versions at the same time, just as we sing in the hymn L’cha Dodi at our Friday night service, “Shamor v’zachor b’dibur echad hishmianu El hameyuchad.” “’Observe’ and ‘Remember’ in one commandment did the one God cause us to hear.” When we sanctify the Sabbath day over a cup of wine at home on Friday evening, we assert that the Sabbath is both in remembrance of the works of creation and also a memorial of the Exodus from Egypt. These two central events are inextricably linked to the Sabbath day.

In the Creation story, we are not told that God “rested” on the seventh day, but back in Genesis, it says “vayishbot,” from the same root as Shabbat, the Sabbath. God “stopped” on the seventh day. He could have continued, He could have perfected the world, He could have got it right with no war, no dissension, no inequities, but He intentionally chose to stop and leave room for human accomplishment, to allow us to take up the role of partners in creation. The Creation story ends with the words, “For on that day God stopped all of His labor which He had created to be done.” He made a world crying out for more things to be done by us to make it better. The Sabbath day is a day for us all to stop and look at the world that God has created, to appreciate all the beauty of nature, and give thanks for the wonder of His handiwork, as we contemplate the work that we have before us in the days ahead.

One of the areas God left unfinished was the area of human relationships. He brought the people of Israel first into slavery in Egypt and then later redeemed us from that state in order to sensitize us to the plight of the stranger, of the unfortunate, to open our eyes and ears to the needs of the lowest elements in society. We are always to remember the stranger, for we were strangers in Egypt. The Sabbath day is also intended to be a day when we experience a taste of that ideal society when all will live in harmony and in peace, the third central event, the one yet to come, the Sabbath day of the Messianic era. On the Sabbath, the people of the world are called upon to stop for the day and take note of our common humanity and our common task to complete the work of creation during the six other days of the week.

For Jews, the two versions of the fourth commandment complement one another by emphasizing both the positive and negative aspects of Sabbath observance. On the positive side, we are to “remember” Shabbat by preparing our homes as if to greet a special guest each week. We dress for the occasion, we set a special table with our best china and silver, we prepare a feast, and the whole family makes time to dine together. Candles are lit, blessings are bestowed upon the children, the day is sanctified over a cup of wine and braided loaves of challah bread. We are to speak words of Torah, sing Sabbath songs and conclude the meal with a rousing chorus of the grace after meals, birkat hamazon. The day continues with times for prayer and study, two more special meals, and periods of rest and relaxation. At the conclusion, we send off the Sabbath with the Havdalah ritual over wine, spices, and a braided candle. This is how we remember the Sabbath.

As for observing the day, that is equally important. How in our busy 24/7 schedule can we find time for such a special observance unless we declare a moratorium on creative labor during that time? For that one day each week, we are to do no work. The sages, seeing how the Torah connects Shabbat to the instructions on building the desert Tabernacle, determine that 39 categories of labor involved in creating that sacred structure, a miniature universe as it were, are the same types of labor which are prohibited on Shabbat. When we avoid those labors, we create what Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel called a “sanctuary in time.” We literally carve out of the time allotted us on earth, a place where we can experience the joy and relaxation of the Sabbath day.

Our Christian neighbors instituted a “Lord’s Day” on Sunday rather than keeping the Jewish Sabbath that Jesus observed. They tried to make it into a Sabbath-like day. There were in the early days of this country and there still are in some places, people and congregations that adhere to that old-fashioned Sabbath, who maintain the holiness of the Sabbath, but on Sunday instead. In recent years, however, we see that Sunday has once again become rather secular for the vast majority of our society. Yes, church services are held in the morning, but then just about any other activity is permitted. The shopping malls are open, many businesses run seven days a week, and Sunday has become like any other day for many people in our community. People who are off from their regular jobs, continue to do other forms of work. They use Sunday as a day for mowing the lawn, doing household chores, or running off in many different directions. Sunday as family day, is no longer what it used to be for gentile or Jew.

Unfortunately, Friday night and Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, also is too often completely forgotten, or observed only in the most superficial manner. It is wonderful that there are still some people who have adopted the traditional Friday night meal as a part of their family life. I wish there were many more. Yet for too many, once the dinner plates have been removed from the Friday night table, the Sabbath comes to an end for them. They’ve made a great beginning, but the rest of the day is often spent in totally secular pursuits without any attempt to maintain the sense of Sabbath holiness with which they began. In our hectic society, I feel, the Sabbath is needed more than ever and yet, unfortunately, it is ignored more than ever.

It is for this reason, that annually Jewish congregations across the United States and Canada have signed onto the Shabbat Across America project. We invite Jews to join in a Friday night service which will be explained as it proceeds and then to stay on for a traditional Sabbath dinner that follows. Several synagogues in New Hampshire, including Temple Israel in Manchester, are participating this week in Shabbat Across America. It is an opportunity once more to “Remember the Sabbath day” in the hopes that more of us may come to “Observe” it week after week.

Everybody Counts

Temple Israel of Manchester — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:44:00 GMT

Most boards and organizations to which I have belonged over the years have rules about a quorum necessary to conduct business. A certain number or percentage of the membership is required before a motion can be passed or any other important affairs can be conducted. It is not surprising that synagogue boards have similar rules, but it may surprise some to note that synagogue services also have a requirement for a quorum. Traditionally ten adult men (above the age of bar mitzvah, i.e. 13) were required for a "minyan," a prayer quorum, for certain prayers to be said and for the Torah to be read publicly. In recent years, more liberal congregations, including ours, have included adult women (above bat mitzvah age, i.e. 12) in the ten needed.

This does not mean that one cannot pray without a minyan. Individuals can certainly pray on their own, though when they do so they should omit the communal prayers that require a quorum. In our synagogue, if there are fewer than ten, we still pray together omitting those elements until the tenth person arrives. The ancient rabbis teach in the Talmud, the great compendium of Jewish law and lore, that the recitation of any prayer of sanctification requires a minyan. These include the Kedushah prayer which calls on us to sanctify God’s name in the world, just as He is sanctified on high by the angelic chorus which sings: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts." It also includes the Kaddish prayer, an Aramaic text which asks the congregation to offer praise to God. Both of these prayers require congregational responses to the prayer leader. In the absence of a congregation, i.e. a minyan, we don’t say them. The Kaddish prayer appears numerous times in the service, sometimes recited by the leader alone to mark the end of a section of the worship service and other times the leader is joined by any mourners present who traditionally say this prayer during the year of mourning for a parent or other relatives and on the anniversary of the death of a loved one. This tradition of the Kaddish as a mourner's prayer adds an additional urgency to the effort to gather a minyan regularly so the mourners can fulfill their obligations.

Aside from these omissions, when there is no minyan, the Amidah, the main prayer of the service, which is generally recited silently first, then repeated aloud for the benefit of those in the congregation who cannot read it themselves, is said silently only. There is no call to prayer (Barchu), when there is no minyan to call together. When we have no quorum, we do not take out the sacred scrolls of the Torah and read from them, though one may always study scripture privately from the printed Bibles. There are a few other minor adjustments we must make in our worship when there is not an official congregation present.

Where does this tradition of the minyan of ten come from? Is not God present no matter how many or how few turn up for services? It is true that the Talmud finds prooftexts for God’s presence not only with the ten who gather for prayer, but also with the three sages who sit as a tribunal to judge a case, and with two students who study the sacred texts together, and even with one single individual who mentions God’s name. However for these "matters of holiness" that I’ve enumerated above, the Talmud requires that we bring ten adults together as a quorum.

Some have suggested that we might derive the number ten from the story of Abraham’s negotiations to save the city of Sodom from destruction. When God reveals His plans to the patriarch to annihilate the inhabitants of that wicked city, Abraham objects to the killing of the righteous together with the wicked. "Suppose there are fifty righteous men in the city, would you still destroy it?" he asks the Lord. God says that He would not destroy the city if there were fifty righteous men. Abraham then proceeds to negotiate and God concedes on each point that He would not destroy the city if He could find 45 or 30 or 20 or even 10 righteous men in Sodom. The discussion ends at ten and we can only assume that this is an indication that, in a city where there are at least ten righteous people, there is still hope for it to be saved. So we too search for ten righteous each morning for our daily prayers in the hopes that we may save the soul of our city too.

The Talmud itself uses a more technical argument to reach the number ten. Since God says in Leviticus, "I will be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel," we look for another place in Scripture where the same expression (in the midst) occurs to find out just how many people are required. In Numbers, in the story of the spy mission, the Israelites are ordered to "separate from the midst of this evil congregation" referring to those spies who have come back from Canaan with their negative report. Since there were ten members in that "evil congregation," we learn that any congregation, wicked or righteous, requires ten people to conduct any matter involving the sanctification of God’s name. This derivation, though not as pretty as the story of the righteous ten who might save a city, is reassuring for us who may not consider ourselves on the level of the righteous. We learn that even a congregation of sinners can invoke God’s name and proclaim His holiness. There is hope for all of us.

Even in earlier generations when we imagine our ancestors praying regularly with great fervor, small congregations did not always get the requisite ten for a minyan. The Talmud says that when God arrives in the synagogue and does not find ten, He get angry and quotes Isaiah (50:2), "Why, when I came, was no one there, why, when I called, would none respond?" Rav Huna, a third century teacher, suggests that one might try counting the ark with its Torah scrolls in place of a tenth person, if you have nine already. When his contemporary, Rav Nachman, objects to this and points out the obvious, that the ark is not a person, Rav Huna backs down and suggests that we could perhaps count nine who appear to be ten either because they are spread out in the synagogue or clumped together. These suggestions are all rejected, though some synagogues have been known to count a Torah scroll on occasion as the tenth "man." There is also a tradition that a boy who has not yet reached Bar Mitzvah, but knows to whom we offer our prayers, may be counted in a pinch. Usually, the synagogue officers hand him a Bible to hold and he becomes an honorary "adult" temporarily. The justification for this leniency is that if we wait long enough, he will eventually take his place among the minyan of adults and so we may count him now provisionally. Since we’ve begun counting women as well, I have allowed a young girl to serve in the same capacity when needed. The rabbis who permit this do so only for the tenth person, while all the others must be adults already.

One hopes, however, to resort to such strategems only on rare occasions. The idea of requiring a quorum for certain communal prayers and for the reading of the Torah places an obligation upon every member of the community to shoulder the responsibility for maintaining the daily minyan. Though our doors are always open to guests and we encourage non-Jewish visitors to stop by, we really need ten adult Jews to make the minyan and it is them in particular that we invite to join us daily at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, 9:30 a.m. on weekends and major holidays and Friday nights at 6:00 p.m. to make a minyan at Temple Israel at 66 Salmon Street, in Manchester. Saint or sinner, all are welcome, just maybe if we have the right numbers we might save the city with our prayers or, at least, begin with ourselves.

Phantom Holiday Syndrome

Temple Israel of Manchester — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:00:00 GMT

From time to time, as a relative newcomer to Manchester, I’ll find people giving me directions like this, “Head down Elm Street till you get to where Leavitt’s used to be and then take a left and you can’t miss it!” I ignore the worthless information, take down the address, plug it into my computer, and thank them for their trouble. This nostalgic manner of navigation is not unique by any means to New England; people used it all the time when I was living in the South, in Charleston, SC, as well. People would guide you by the landmarks of yesteryear as if you could still sense these historic places lurking behind the facades of the banks and fast food joints which had replaced them years ago.

I thought of this phenomenon as I looked at the Jewish calendar for this week. Wednesday and Thursday are designated as “Purim Katan,” literally “the Little Feast of Lots, the Little Purim,” days when certain penitential prayers are omitted from our daily service simply because we would have been celebrating a holiday this week if only the lunar calendar had not been “intercalated” this year. By intercalation, I’m referring to the fact that the Jewish calendar is adjusted periodically (every two or three years) to put our holidays back in synch with the seasons. To accomplish this, we have added a thirteenth month to the Hebrew calendar this year. Consequently all of the Jewish holidays will be 19 days later than last year rather than 11 days earlier as is usually the case because the lunar year has only 354 days, not 365.

The Roman Catholic Church as well as most Protestant churches, which normally celebrate Easter during the week of Passover, do not follow us in this adjustment, so Easter is “early” and Passover is “late” this year. Our Festival of Freedom comes four full weeks after Easter Sunday unless you're a member of the Orthodox Church. This year instead, Easter comes right after Purim, the Feast of Lots, a joyous biblical holiday celebrating the victory of Mordecai and Esther in ancient Persia, foiling the plot of the wicked Haman, the villain of the Book of Esther. By drawing lots, Haman chose the 13th day of the Hebrew month of Adar as the date to destroy all the Jews. Instead, God quietly intervened on our behalf and there was a great victory by the Jews over their enemies on that day and Haman and his 10 sons were hanged. Since the days of Queen Esther, we celebrate the victory on the next day, the 14th of Adar, or in cities like Jerusalem, which had a wall back in the days of Joshua (a whole other story), the feast comes on the 15th of Adar.

The 14th of Adar, the holiday of Purim, happens to fall on Good Friday this year, four weeks from now, as the calendar unfolds. Thus this week instead, almost like an amputee sensing his phantom limb, we mark when Purim would have been, if only we had left the calendar alone. Muslims, who also use a lunar calendar, don’t make these kinds of radical adjustments to their schedule and thus their holidays simply circle around the year, moving earlier and earlier, year by year, as their religious calendar continues to lose 11 days with respect to the solar calendar with each annual cycle. Many of the Jewish holidays, however, were originally agricultural festivals and thus do not make sense if we allow them to slip out of their proper season. Passover is a spring festival and must come near the wheat harvest so we can make matzah. Sukkot has to come in the fall after the ingathering of the harvest because it is the Feast of Ingathering. To avoid dislocation of these holidays, seven times in a nineteen year cycle, we simply double the month before Passover, creating two months of Adar: Adar I and Adar II.

For most purposes, Adar II serves as the “main” month of Adar during the leap year. Not only is Purim celebrated in the second month, but a boy born in Adar in a regular year, celebrates his Bar Mitzvah in Adar II, if his thirteenth year happens to be a leap year. Only children born in Adar I in a leap year get to celebrate in the first Adar. Conversely, in a regular year, we celebrate bar mitzvahs for children born both in Adar I and Adar II in the regular month of Adar. Thus it is possible for a child born, say, on the 5th of Adar II to have his bar mitzvah ten days earlier than a child born twenty days before him, on the 15th of Adar I, when their thirteenth birthdays come in a regular year and the two months collapse into one.

Purim is celebrated in the second Adar because the rabbis of old wanted to link the redemption of that time with the great redemption of Passover in the next month, Nisan. They note that Haman was executed on the second day of Passover, thus the two holidays are linked together. Another connection that is made is the tradition that Moses died in Adar. When Haman drew lots and came up with Adar, he decided he would be victorious over the Jews since this was the month in which Israel’s redeemer, Moses, had died. Little did he know that it also was on the same date, Adar 7, that Moses was born and with him was born the redemption of the Jews.

We are instructed to increase our joy once Adar begins and, some would say, in a year of two Adars, we should double our joy. Though our celebration of Purim is deferred one month this year, nonetheless the dates where Purim would have been are still days of joy and celebration. We begin already to anticipate the spring festivals which will follow in only a few more weeks. On Purim Katan, these two days which mark where the holiday used to be, these “Phantom Holidays” so to speak, we show our joy by omitting the Tachanun prayers of supplication, by not fasting or giving offiicial eulogies when there is a funeral, and by enjoying ourselves “just a tad” with a bit more food and drink than we might have ordinarily had on a regular day. Be happy, it’s Adar! Celebrate, it’s Purim Katan!

A New Year for Trees

Temple Israel of Manchester — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Somewhat like the Ground Hog Day observance at the end of next week, Jews also are looking forward to the warm weather of Spring as we celebrate the New Year for Trees known as Tu BiShvat this week on January 22nd. This little known holiday in the midst of the winter is an opportunity to celebrate trees and their fruit at a time when, in our part of the world, most trees are bereft of both leaves and fruit and covered over with a mantle of snow.

Tu BiShvat is Hebrew for the 15th day of the month of Shvat, the fifth month of the Jewish calendar. "Tu" is an acronym for the number 15 represented by the combination of the Hebrew letters tet, which has the numerical value of nine, and vav, which has the value of six, adding up to fifteen. We don’t use the letters yud, which equals ten, and hay, which equals five, since they spell out one of God’s names, Yah, as in Halelu-Yah, Praise the Lord, which would be disrespectful to use for such a secular purpose. The early rabbinic law code, the Mishnah, speaks of four new years in the Jewish calendar for various purposes, not unlike our own secular fiscal years, academic years, and legal years, which may occur on different dates in our calendar. The date of the new year for the reckoning of the tithes on the fruit of trees and other laws regarding fruit trees is disputed by two ancient rabbinic schools. The School of Shammai sets it on the first of Shvat while that of Hillel places it on the fifteenth. The latter opinion was accepted and any fruit whose blossoms appeared before the 15th of Shvat, when most of the rain of the Israeli rainy season had fallen, would be taxed in the outgoing year, while later fruit would be included in the next year’s tally.

These laws of fruit trees and their tithes applied only in the Holy Land. When Jews were scattered around the world after the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 by the Romans, the New Year for Trees lost its practical significance. Instead it became an annual reminder of the love the Jews had for the land of their ancestors and a poignant day of remembering the ancient homeland. Over time, the custom arose of eating fruits and nuts from Israel on this day or, if they were not available, of eating fruits and nuts that were mentioned in the Bible. The sweet tastes of figs and dates, carob and raisins, reminded Jews of their longing for Zion, already enshrined in the daily prayers.

Kabbalistic mystics of the 16th and 17th century created Seders as on Passover which included the eating of as many as 30 varieties of fruits and nuts and the tasting of four cups of wine. They mixed red and white varieties in combinations from pure white to pure red during the course of the meal. Reference was made to the ten divine sefirot, various aspects of God’s power felt in the world. Participants ascended through the four levels of existence described by the later Kabbalists which were linked to four different types of fruits tasted at the seder: those with tough outer shells, those with hard inner pits, those that were almost totally edible and finally the spiritual fruits of Torah which have no physical substance. The Tu BiShvat Seder became a regular observance particularly for Jews in the Mediterranean area and North Africa where a variety of fruits could be obtained even at this season.

In the late 19th century when the Zionist Movement arose and pioneers returned to the land to reclaim its soil, the planting of trees became an important part of that work. Fruit trees were planted in many areas. Other places where the goats of the Bedouin had destroyed the native trees needed to be reforested. Eucalyptus trees were imported to help drain the swamps which were at that time breeding grounds for malaria. One could literally see the boundaries of the land as the planting of trees created what came to be called the Green Line. Around the Jewish world the Jewish National Fund distributed blue boxes for the collection of coins to support the planting of trees and the reclamation of the soil. In religious schools in the Diaspora, cards were distributed to the students with slots for their quarters which, when filled, added up to the few dollars necessary for planting a sapling in Israel in honor or memory of a loved one.

In Israel itself, each year, school children would go out and plant those saplings with their own hands. During the Sabbatical year (as is the case this year) planting of trees is forbidden by Jewish law, so instead there are nature walks arranged for children and adults to appreciate the beauty of nature, to enjoy those trees that cover the face of the land.

In recent decades, Tu BiShvat has been rediscovered by those concerned with saving the environment. Provisions in Deuteronomy and elsewhere in the Bible which encourage environmentalism are re-read and emphasized from the pulpit. The Tu BiShvat Seder in revised and simplified form has taken root in many American congregations. Temple Israel here in Manchester had a Tu BiShvat seder last Friday night after its Sabbath services. We used a booklet of prayers, songs, and reading compiled by Rabbi Edward Friedman which included opportunities for drinking four cups of wine: white, pink, red, and purple, and tasting fruits and nuts from the four different categories mentioned above. In so doing, we took time to appreciate God’s gifts to the world, both the physical fruits and nuts of the trees as well as the spiritual gifts referred to in Scripture as a Tree of Life to those who hold fast to them.

Among the texts that we read was a Talmudic passage which stated that if one is planting a tree and hears that the Messiah has come, one should finish planting the tree first and then go out to welcome the Messiah. Even in the days of the Messiah, we will still need the fruits of the trees to sustain us.

For those of us whose primary winter sport is snow-shoveling, we celebrate Tu BiShvat in the hopes of the early arrival of Spring. We are praying that the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow next week and that just maybe Spring is around the corner.

Temple Israel to Receive Large Outdoor Menorah Just in Time for Chanukah

Temple Israel of Manchester — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:22:00 GMT

For the past several weeks, Temple Israel member Steve Saulten has been working on a special wood-working project. In recent years, as a hobby, Steve has been creating decorative boxes, clocks, and other small objects out of wood. Some of these items have been exhibited in local crafts fairs in New Hampshire.

Having seen Steve's work, Rabbi Edward Friedman, the Temple's spiritual leader, suggested that it might be nice if Steve could come up with a design for a large wooden outdoor menorah to help celebrate the holiday of Chanukah. Steve graciously agreed and came up with a plan which has now been completed. The new menorah will be set up in front of Temple Israel at 66 Salmon Street in Manchester this afternoon and lit for the first time at 4:30 p.m. with a number of Temple members in attendance. We welcome anyone else in the community who might care to join us at that time.

Part of the Chanukah holiday involves "pirsumei nisa" publicizing God's miracles in the world. Thus traditionally the small household menorahs (candleholders) were placed in the window or doorway where people passing by might see their flickering lights and remember the miracles of Chanukah. In Israel, electrified versions of the Chanukah menorah or Chanukiah, are placed atop many public buildings all across the country. In recent years, many of the synagogues and temples, Hillel houses and Jewish community centers in this country have emulated this Israeli practice and made public displays of the Chanukah lights on their grounds.

Each night of Chanukah an additional light is added to the menorah until eight lights are burning on the final night of the holiday. In this way, the rabbinic teachers of Judaism hoped to emphasize the idea of increasing the light of the world throughout the holiday at this season of darkness. Light, of course, symbolizes holiness, knowledge, commitment, and purity among other things. The Torah is compared to light and a commandment to a candle. The Bible says that our souls are God's candles. "One must constantly work to add to holiness and not diminish it," states the Talmud, the major source of rabbinic teaching.

Chanukah begins tonight, December 4th, at sundown and continues throughout the week ending next Wednesday night, December 12th.

The Temple is planning a special holiday observance on Sunday morning, December 9th, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to which the entire community is invited at no charge. There will be holiday arts and crafts and games for children at 10:30 until noon. At noon will be the annual Braverman fund Chanukah lunch including the traditional potato latkes (pancakes) with sour cream and/or applesauce. A sing-along of favorite Chanukah songs will follow and then at 1:00 p.m. Boston storyteller Cindy Rivka Marshall will perform a special Chanukah program. All are welcome, but we urge people to RSVP to the Temple office at 622-6171 so that adequate food may be prepared.

Chanukah Begins Next Week

Temple Israel of Manchester — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:02:00 GMT

Chanukah, because it occurs in December, is often compared to Christmas. Indeed, in its American incarnation, Chanukah has taken on many of the trappings of the December holiday season: gift-giving, decorations, and parties, none of which are essential elements of either holiday but which add much fun to the season. When we look at the meaning of the two festivals, we may be surprised to see that Chanukah has more in common with Thanksgiving than with Christmas. The main observance of this Festival of Lights is the lighting of the nine-branched candlelabrum, the menorah (the generic term for a lamp in Hebrew) or chanukiah (the more specific name for a Chanukah lamp). The prayers recited at the time of lighting the candles state that this is done "in order to give thanks and praise to God for His miracles, wonders, and saving deeds." Simply put, we light the candles as a sign of thanksgiving. Each day of the holiday we add psalms of praise to our morning service and recall the offerings brought by the princes of the tribes of Israel at the time of the dedication of the desert tabernacle in Moses’ day. Some people suggest that these ancient gifts to God are recalled to a degree in the modern-day gifts that we exchange with family members and friends.

Since the Jewish calendar, like that of the Muslims, is based on the moon but, unlike the Muslim calendar, is adjusted periodically to the seasons of the solar calendar, the date of the first Chanukah light moves back and forth within a 30 day range from late November to late December each year. This year, we begin the eight-day festival on the evening of December 4th and continue until nightfall on the 12th. Each night we add to the light of the chanukiah. One candle is lit on the first night and then two on the second and one more is added each successive evening until eight are lit on the final night. Since the candles are considered holy and may not be used for any secular purpose, but only as a sign of thanksgiving and praise, an additional candle is required, the shamash, by whose light one may perform other tasks. The shamash is also used to light the other candles. In some traditions, I’ve learned, two extra candles are lit, one to provide additional light and the other to light the other candles.

The original miracle of Chanukah in the story of the Maccabees involved the Temple lamp which utilized pure olive oil. Because of this some people make a point of lighting olive oil lamps instead of wax candles. To distinguish the extra lamp from the eight olive oils lights, however, many folks use a wax candle as the shamash.

Everyone agrees that Chanukah is a season of miracles, but what exactly was the miracle of Chanukah? Some see it as the victory of the tiny army of the Maccabees against the mighty forces of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV. Others believe the miracle occurred once the Maccabees began cleansing and rededicating the desecrated Jerusalem Temple. When they tried to relight the seven-branched menorah, they found only a small container of oil, enough for but one night. Miraculously, we are told, this small quantity of oil burned for eight nights. The fact that this story is first told centuries after the events, leads many to see the miracle of the oil as more symbolic than factual. Light stands for holiness, Torah, God’s commandments, learning, spirituality, the human soul, the essence of Judaism and all other good things. It is this positive force in the world, no matter how small its flame may be in any generation that continues to grow and flourish and bring comfort to a world in need of God’s presence. The miracle was the survival of the flame of Torah in the face of the majority culture which threatened to overwhelm it. It is this flame that each generation must watch over and add to.

The additional candle of the chanukiah, the shamash, is a humble servant, used for secular purposes. However, over time, its role was seen by our teachers as one of holiness as well. After all, we ask, who served as the shamash to light the menorah in the ancient Temple? Was it not the holy priests who served before God? When we light the candles on each night of Chanukah we remember that we are part of "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" and therefore each of us plays an important role in bringing light to this world. Each of us serves as God’s own servant to increase the light, the holiness, in our own household and to bring more light to all people throughout the world.

Chanukah is primarily a holiday celebrated in the home. The minimum requirement, say the ancient rabbis, is for each man and his household to light a single lamp each night. Only if one is able to afford the oil or candles does one follow the practice of adding more and more candles each night. The emphasis in either case is on lighting in the home. Even so, there is a communal aspect to Chanukah as well. It is also appropriate to light candles in the synagogue each night. This year at Temple Israel, a new large wooden menorah is being built by our member Steve Saulten. This electric menorah will stand outside the front door of the Temple at 66 Salmon Street, proclaiming the celebration of Chanukah throughout the week.

We have planned several special events marking the weekend of Chanukah. On Friday evening, December 7th at 6:15 p.m., we will be gathering for our monthly Shabbat on the Road service. This time we’ve decided to hold it at Courville Nursing Home at 44 West Webster St. in Manchester. Congregants will join residents in celebrating Chanukah with a special service and a potluck Shabbat and holiday dinner. Participants are requested to RSVP to the Temple office, 622-6171. Members of the community who have Jewish family members residing at Courville may wish to join us.

On Sunday, December 9th, the entire community is invited to join in a celebration of Chanukah at the Temple from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There will be games and arts and crafts projects for children from 10:30 to 12:00. At noon, adults will join the children for an annual Chanukah lunch sponsored by the Braverman fund and for a singalong of all the familiar Chanukah songs. At 1:00 p.m. Boston storyteller Cindy Rivka Marshall will join us with Chanukah stories for young and old. There is no charge for this event, but we ask that people call the office to reserve a place for lunch.

Offerings of Thanksgiving

Temple Israel of Manchester — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:54:00 GMT

Giving thanks is one of the most universal of religious expressions. Every religion and culture has rituals, holidays, and customs that allow people to acknowledge the many gifts with which the Almighty has blessed us. The Jewish tradition is no exception. In ancient times numerous animal sacrifices, meal offerings, and libations were placed upon the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem to thank God and celebrate His goodness as well as to seek forgiveness for sin and wrongdoing. The sacrificial system was abolished with the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in the year 70. Many Jews continue to pray these many centuries for a restoration of the Temple and its sacrifices while others believe that prayer, righteous deeds, study, and meditation not only take the place of those sacrificial offerings now, but represent higher expressions of worship for Jews. While they pray for the rebuilding of the Temple as a central shrine for Jewish reflection, they do not desire a return to what is seen as a more primitive form of worship. Even the ancient rabbis concede that one day all of the sacrifices will be abolished, except for one, and that is the thanksgiving offering. We may reach a time of perfection when we no longer require sin-offerings and guilt-offerings, but we always will need to give thanks.

Three times each day, as the traditional Jew prays for the return of God’s Presence to Zion, he or she offers thanks for all of the miracles and wonders which we experience in this world, “evening, morn, and noon.” Beyond this, we are told that we should acknowledge God at least one hundred times daily with the familiar blessing formula of “Baruch ata Adonay Eloheinu Melech HaOlam…” “Praised are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe….” Not only do we thank God for the food we eat with appropriate blessings before and after our meals, but we acknowledge His graciousness at every step of our morning preparations and again before we go to bed. In formal prayer services, three times a day, more than three-quarters of the hundred blessings appear. There are blessings when we smell pleasant fragrances, hear good news or bad, experience wondrous phenomena of nature, thunder, lightning, earthquakes and comets. We say a blessing even after going to the bathroom, praising the Lord who keeps our bodies functioning properly.

Each week, we set aside the Sabbath Day as a tribute to God who created all that exists and ceased His work on the seventh day so that we, as partners of the Divine, might complete the work of creation on the other six. We feast and celebrate at a weekly thanksgiving dinner on Friday night and again on Saturday. So important is this family gathering week after week, that some very traditional Jews fail to understand the significance of holding a secular Thanksgiving dinner on the last Thursday of November. It seems a bit redundant perhaps.

I would disagree. Truly there is no end to God’s blessings of us in this world and another opportunity to thank the Almighty for all He does for us is always welcome. We can never thank God enough. More significantly, however, our national day of thanksgiving provides us Jews with an opportunity to emphasize all that we share with our non-Jewish neighbors, our common traditions, aspirations, and prayers. As unique as our rituals may seem and as strange as the Hebrew words of our prayers may sound, our tradition teaches similar values to those taught by other faiths practiced by our neighbors and indeed we all share the impulse to offer thanks to God.

We are pleased this year at Temple Israel to be able to host the first of what is anticipated to be an annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service sponsored by the Manchester Interfaith Clergy Association. This service will take place on Sunday evening, November 18^th at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Israel, 66 Salmon Street, Manchester. People of all faiths are invited. The service will include reflections on Thanksgiving by a Catholic priest, a rabbi, and a Muslim professor. Songs, hymns and chants from different traditions will be heard and some of the Thanksgiving standards will be sung. Other Christian clergy and a Unitarian minister will be taking part in the service as well. We hope that our neighbors regardless of religious affiliation will find this gathering to be meaningful as we approach our national day of thanksgiving and emphasize how much more brings us together than divides us. The Temple will provide a reception and fellowship gathering following the service.

Temple Israel to Offer Meditation and Yoga Classes - Postponed to Spring

Temple Israel of Manchester — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:09:00 GMT

Due to critical illness in the family, these classes have been postponed until the Spring. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please check with the Temple for the new dates.

Beginning later this month, Temple Israel will be opening its social hall to the community for Meditation and Yoga classes offered by Janice Wald Friedman, a Reiki Master and Yoga Instructor who has twenty years of experience in meditation practice. Janice, the wife of the Temple's Rabbi Edward Friedman, runs the Hands to Hearts Healing and Retreat Center in Goffstown. She plans to offer six sessions of Meditation Practice for Peace and Well-Being and six sessions of Gentle Yoga to anyone in the community who is interested. There is nothing distinctively Jewish about these courses. They are appropriate for people of all backgrounds and religious affiliations.

The Gentle Yoga Classes offer breathing, balance, and flexibility training and are safe and easy for people of all ages and abilities. They are scheduled to begin on Thursday, October 18th from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Temple at 66 Salmon Street in Manchester. There will be a charge of $12 per session with a discount price for six sessions paid in advance of $60. Participants are urged to bring a yoga mat for safety as well as a pillow, towel or blanket for comfort. They should wear loose, comfortable clothing.

The Meditation Practice for Peace and Well-Being will allow people to learn to heal and restore their inner world. It is perfect for beginners or for experienced practitioners. The class will be exploring many different forms of meditation: guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation and more. Janice writes that "our entire body benefits every time we meditate...blood pressure drops, breathing regulates, thinking slows down, the frantic and uncertain world disappears for awhile - and we are at peace. Meditation can be life-saving and is certainly sanity-saving!" The class is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Israel. It also is offered for $12 per session or $60 for six sessions paid in advance.

For further information about either course, contact Janice Friedman directly at 860-214-2779. Because of current illness in the family, some of the sessions may need to be rescheduled. Please check in advance with Janice or with the Temple office before coming to class.

Jewish Harvest Home

Temple Israel of Manchester — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:47:00 GMT

No sooner do the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur come and go, than the biblical harvest festival of Sukkot is upon us. Traditionally, some people leave the synagogue at the conclusion of Yom Kippur and begin preparing for Sukkot which begins five days later. Sukkot is a weeklong festival that marks the fall harvest season. We express our gratitude to the Almighty for His bounty and all of the good which we enjoy.

The most distinctive aspect of the holiday is the building of temporary huts (Sukkot, sing. Sukkah) in our yards, on decks, and in some metropolitan areas even on rooftops or fire escapes. These structures are purposely not permanent in nature. While they should withstand an average wind, they should not be so sturdy that they can stand up to a tropical storm. The walls may be made of anything, bricks, board, lattice work or even tied down tarps. The roofing, known as s’chach, however, must be made of material that grows from the ground but is no longer attached to it. Most people use branches or bamboo poles or even specially made mats of bamboo slats. The Sukkah should have more shade than sun and ideally should provide a view of the stars through the roof. However a Sukkah whose s’chach is so thick that the rain cannot get through is not a kosher Sukkah.

A number of on-line companies offer Sukkah kits which provide pre-fab structures to assemble. Other companies provide hardware along with a shopping list of lumber and instructions for building your own hut. There are cloth Sukkot, plastic ones, metal, and wood. Something for everyone. There is a lot of room for creativity, particularly when it comes to decorating the Sukkah. Many folks hang fruit and vegetables from the rafters. Some make chains of cranberries and popcorn. Others put up colored lights, high holiday greeting cards, posters, flags, and artwork done by their kids. One of my congregants says that in terms of decoration, the Sukkah is like her “Christmas tree.”

Temple Israel has just expanded its Sukkah to twice its size and is planning to hold a dinner there on Friday night and other meals during the week. The old Sukkah was not large enough to accommodate tables and chairs for a real meal, but now we should be able to fit in a nice little group for dinner and we are encouraging our congregants to use the Sukkah during the week.

Throughout the days of the holiday, people are supposed to eat all of their meals in the Sukkah, weather permitting. Some people, particularly in warmer climates, even arrange to sleep in the Sukkah. The Sukkah is supposed to take the place of our regular homes during this week to the extent possible. We eat and sleep, read books and entertain guests in our Sukkah. People are encouraged to welcome guests to the Sukkah and, in addition to our earthly visitors, we invite various biblical figures to the Sukkah as well. This Kabbalistic tradition calls for us to welcome Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and King David to the Sukkah each night. Each of these figures has a symbolic meaning in Kabbalah, representing some aspect of divinity. In recent years, some have developed an accompanying list of female biblical figures which represent the same qualities and they invite both the men and women to join them in the Sukkah.

The holiday of Sukkot not only has an agricultural significance, but also has a connection with Jewish history. It recalls the wanderings of our ancestors in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt when, according to Leviticus, God caused them to dwell in “Sukkot”. Our rabbis question this, for we know that the Israelites of that era lived in tents probably made from goatskins or from cloth made of wool from their sheep. They did not live in little huts with branches on top, what we call “Sukkot” today. What can the Torah mean by saying we lived in “Sukkot”? The rabbis explain that in this case, the word “Sukkot” which means “a covering,” implies that we lived under God’s protecting care, under the clouds of glory that He provided for our ancestors, as He watched over them during their journey. So too God provides for us today in our journey through life. The Sukkah reminds us of how temporary our lives are and how dependent we are on Divine Providence.

The huts with the branches on top actually come, not from the wilderness experience, but they are the harvest huts that ancient farmers (and, actually, some present-day Arab farmers) used while they were bringing in the harvest each year. They slept in the fields in such structures to keep track of the produce until it could be safely brought in from the countryside to the villages in which they lived.

Celebrating Sukkot eighteen years ago in Charleston a couple of weeks after Hurricane Hugo had struck, my family and I came to learn the real significance of the holiday. Most of my congregants in Charleston had significant damage to their homes or at least had to replace their roofs after the storm and we learned firsthand that our large, comfortable homes are really only fragile huts in the face of nature’s powerful winds. Going out into the sukkah, we felt a strong sense of gratitude for our many blessings.

In addition to the Sukkah, since this is the beginning of the rainy season in Israel, Jews around the world offer prayers for rain and prosperity utilizing branches of three trees and the fruit of a citron in our worship. These are known as the four species, the arbaah minim. The long palm branch is known as a lulav. We take it along with three myrtle twigs and two willow branches, the hadassim and aravot. The citron or etrog is held next to the bundle of branches and the four species are then waved in the four directions of the compass and up and down at various times during the Sukkot holiday prayers. We also form a procession and march around the sanctuary once each day of the holiday praying for God’s help during the coming year. On the seventh day, known as Hoshanah Rabbah, we march around seven times and conclude the worship with the beating of willow branches on the floor. As the leaves separate from the branches, some see it as a reminder of God’s renewal of nature each spring. Others speak of it as a symbol of the ultimate resurrection of the dead. Still others see it as a symbol of our ability to separate ourselves from sin as we conclude the high holiday season in triumph.

The four species represent four parts of the body. The etrog is the heart, the lulav is like the spine, the myrtle leaves are eyes, and the willow leaves are lips. Altogether, these parts of the body serve God. Another well-known teaching connects each one of the species with a type of Jewish person. The etrog has a nice taste and a good smell and so it represents the Jew filled with knowledge who uses that knowledge to do good in the world. The date-palm branch has fruit with a sweet taste, but not much fragrance and thus represents the scholar with Torah within, but not many good deeds to his credit. The myrtle has a lovely fragrance, but no taste and thus is the simple person without deep knowledge who nonetheless tries to do good in the world. The poor willow having neither taste nor smell is the Jew bereft of knowledge and deeds, dependent on the community. We take the four together in one bundle and we all serve God together, making up for each other’s shortcomings.

The Torah speaks of the etrog as the fruit of a “goodly tree” and this leads our sages to emphasize the importance of finding a fine quality etrog to perform this commandment in the best manner. A good etrog is one that is least like a lemon. One should seek an unblemished fruit that is intact, has ridges and bumps all over its surface, has nice greenish-yellow color, and is narrow on top and wide on the bottom. The closer to the ideal etrog one comes, the higher the price the fruit commands. For a superior etrog, some people are willing to pay a premium price. Most American Jews order etrogs from major cities like Boston, New York, Miami, where they are imported generally from Israel or other Mediterranean countries. Those who can, like to personally pick out their own four species, to be certain they have found the best available specimens. Others simply place their orders by mail or on-line and hope for the best.

The holiday is known as the Feast of Tabernacles, the Festival of Ingathering and as the Season of our Rejoicing. In ancient Israel, it was the most beloved of holidays and was simply known as “the holiday”. People came up on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and celebrated joyously throughout the week. In our busy American society, it is hard for people to find the time for Sukkot right after taking time for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It, unfortunately, does not always gain the respect it deserves as a full-fledged major biblical holiday. It is our hope that as people come to appreciate the meaning of Sukkot, it will once again gain its place among the major festivals of the Jewish year in the hearts of the Jewish people.

Happy holidays!

At One With God on the Day of At-Onement

Temple Israel of Manchester — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:30:00 GMT

In the little Roman Church of San Pietro in Vinculi (St. Peter in Chains), one finds the tomb of Pope Julius II, scaled back from its original plan that was to be a truly monumental structure in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Remaining from the original plan, however, is the famous statue of Moses by Michelangelo. This muscular figure is most noted for the horns on the head of the lawgiver. It is generally understood that the sculptor based himself on the passage in Exodus which describes Moses’s face as radiating “horns” of light. The word “keren” used in this passage can mean either “rays” or “horns.” Thus there was confusion leading to the mistranslation resulting in this strange image of Moses. The Bible tells us that Moses was unaware that his face was radiating light after his encounter with God on the mountain. He had to wear a veil in public to spare others the radiance of his countenance.

What was the occasion for this illuminating experience? Moses had returned to Mount Sinai after achieving forgiveness for his people following the grievous sin of the Golden Calf. He had remained on the mountain for another forty days and forty nights and had been given the second set of tablets of the Ten Commandments to replace the set he had smashed in his rage at the people’s sin. His descent into the camp with the new set of tablets marks the completion of the reconciliation of God with His sinning people. The people once more were at one with their God. The rabbinic sages point out that this day of radiance and forgiveness was the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, the Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur.

In ancient Israel, it seemed fitting to use this day as the occasion for the annual purification of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Only on this day would the High Priest enter into the Holy of Holies, the inner chamber of the Temple containing the Ark of the Covenant until the Babylonian destruction in 586 B.C.E. He would seek forgiveness first for his sins and those of his family, then for the sins of his fellow priests, and finally, for the sins of all the people of Israel. Earlier that day, lots would be cast and one of two designated goats would be offered on the altar as a sin-offering and the other would symbolically bear the sins of the people out into the wilderness. This “scapegoat” would be led to a cliff at the edge of town and cast to its death below carrying the sins of the people with it.

We no longer perform these dramatic rites along with their ablutions and sprinklings of blood on the altar and on the people, but the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, remains the most solemn day of the Jewish year. It is still a time for reflection on past sins and an opportunity to seek forgiveness from the Almighty. On this day, we are once more at one with our God. We read of the ancient rites in the Torah reading of the day and during the latter part of the day’s worship, we try to recreate the feeling of the High Priest’s ritual when three times the rabbi and cantor fall prostrate on the altar before the open ark, seeking forgiveness once more. In Orthodox congregations, not only the clergy, but the entire congregation prostrates themselves at this point in the prayers.

To add to the spiritual feeling of this day, the Torah tells us to “afflict our souls.” We do this through five deprivations from sundown this Friday evening, September 21^st until nightfall on Saturday, September 22^nd. During these approximately 25 hours we do not eat or drink, we are not to bathe, we should not anoint ourselves with fragrant oils or perfume, we may not engage in sexual relations, nor may we wear leather shoes. There are two major fast days on the Jewish calendar when these “afflictions” apply. One is the 9^th of Av, a summer fastday which commemorates the destruction of the Temple and the other day is Yom Kippur. It has been said that on a day like the 9^th of Av which marked the end of Jewish sovereignty in our own land for nearly 2000 years, who could eat, and on a holy and spiritual day like Yom Kippur, who needs to eat?

In fact, the entire day is spent in the synagogue in prayer. We begin our worship at 6:00 p.m. on Friday with the Kol Nidre prayer, an ancient legal formula for nullifying vows made to God which we have failed to keep. The language is somewhat complex and convoluted in its formulation, yet partly due to the haunting melody, and partly as a function of our desire to begin the year with a clean slate, this prayer has taken on a deeper spiritual meaning far beyond its dusty legal origins. When the Church forcibly converted the Jews of Spain and Portugal to Christianity in the 15^th century and then persecuted them through the Inquisition, these tormented souls found solace in their secret recitation of Kol Nidre. The prayer nullified for them these forced vows to another religion that were taken only under duress in order to save their lives.

During the course of the day, five services follow. First are the evening prayers recited after Kol Nidre on Friday night. On Saturday morning, beginning at 8:45 a.m., we chant the morning service and an additional, Musaf, service that marks every Sabbath and festival. The Musaf on Yom Kippur features not only the service of the high priest, but also a section known as “martyrology” when we recall the martyrs of ancient times as well as more recent martyrs of the Holocaust. After a break sometime in the early afternoon, we resume our prayers at 5:00 p.m. with the afternoon service which includes the reading of the book of Jonah and then finally a special fifth service follows, recited only on Yom Kippur, the Neilah prayer. This prayer recited as the sun begins to sink in the west, asks once more for forgiveness from God, before the gates on high are closed.

Each of these five prayer services revolves around the Amidah, a prayer said standing, which is recited normally three times a day. The Yom Kippur Amidah, however, repeated five times during the day, includes a lengthy section of Selichot, prayers for forgiveness. Among these prayers are the two confessional prayers, each an alphabetical acrostic containing a list of our sins from A to Z, as it were. We pray as a community, feeling responsibility not only for our own failings, but for the sins of others within our community that we were unable to prevent. Again and again the congregants jump to their feet and beat their breasts in contrition as the lists of sins are chanted over and over at each of the services of the day. Each time we ask for forgiveness, pardon, and atonement.

In spite of these confessional prayers, the liturgy also contains the hopeful prayers which remind us of God’s desire to forgive us and to bring us back to Him once more. We recite the thirteen attributes of God’s forgiveness that He revealed to Moses just before inviting him back up the mountain to receive the second set of tablets. Toward the end of each service we also sing the joyous hymn, Ki Anu Amecha, For We Are Your People (and You are Our God.)

On this long day of prayer, we also remember loved ones who have died. Many people who may not attend the entire service throughout the day, make certain to be present for the Yizkor memorial prayers when we ask God to remember these departed family members and keep their souls “bound up in the bonds of life.” These loved ones remain in our hearts and we call upon their merit in the course of our prayers. Different congregations insert this section into the service at different points in the day. At Temple Israel, it will be in the morning around 10:45 a.m. Others prefer to offer these prayers later in the day.

Thus through this lengthy liturgy, we experience spiritual highs and lows all day long until finally, at the end of the Neilah prayers, about 7:20 p.m., having poured out our last words of prayer before God, we reaffirm our faith in Him alone. One long blast of the shofar, the ram’s horn, is sounded and we proclaim, “L’shanah habaah biy’rushalayim.” “Next year in Jerusalem!” The return to the Holy City, the re-establishment of the Temple, would indeed represent a total return to the Almighty and complete forgiveness. It would mark the Messianic era and a time of peace and harmony for all the world, the ultimate response to our day of prayer and fasting.

Following the service, the congregation breaks the fast together in the social hall at a meal sponsored by congregants in honor of the new year and in remembrance of loved ones. Everyone gathers for a few minutes to eat and to wish one another a good and healthy year, as we prepare for the joyous harvest festival of Sukkot which begins later in the week.

Temple Israel Welcomes New Israel Emissary Along with the New Year

Temple Israel of Manchester — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:15:00 GMT

The members of Temple Israel at 66 Salmon Street in Manchester will be gathering for the annual Selichot Prayers of Forgiveness at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 8^th. This service is the prelude to the High Holiday Season which begins with Rosh Hashanah on the evening of September 12^th. Prior to the Selichot service, at 9:00 p.m., there will be a pre-holiday get-together for the congregation and guests at which time the new Israeli emissary, Carmel Harel, will be greeted by the congregation.

This young woman, representing her homeland, happens to be a classical pianist and has agreed not only to speak to the congregation on Selichot night, but to perform a short program on the piano including classical pieces and several contemporary Israel melodies. Refreshments will be served and the entire community is welcome to attend.

Carmel arrived in Manchester on August 16^th to replace the previous representative from Israel, Liron Lavi, who served in that capacity during the past year. The Israel emissary - Shelicha is the Hebrew term - is a goodwill ambassador sponsored jointly by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire. She will be visiting and speaking throughout the state in the coming months to school children, religious congregations, and civic groups. Rather than focusing on controversial political and military issues, the Shelicha presents the human side of Israeli society to the American community. Carmel Harel is the third young woman to serve in this position in New Hampshire.

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, will soon begin and Jews around the world will gather in their synagogues to celebrate the arrival of the year 5768. The Jewish New Year marks the traditional anniversary of the Creation of Humanity, in accordance with biblical chronology. Though most Jews today do not take this dating literally, a calendar has to start somewhere and 3761 B.C.E. is as good a place as any to begin. More significant than the actual date, is the opportunity the New Year festival gives Jews to reflect on the year gone by and to find ways of changing their lives for the better in the year ahead. In the liturgy, Rosh Hashanah is known as the Day of Judgment on which all humanity is pictured as passing under God’s staff while their fate is determined for the coming year. The traditional prayer book proclaims that on Rosh Hashanah God’s decision is written down and on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement ten days later, the decree is sealed: “Who shall live and who shall die.” Yet we are reminded that “Repentance, prayer, and righteous deeds can avert the severity of the decree.”

This ten day period is known as the Days of Awe, yet Jews tend to see it as a joyous season of renewal rather than a time of strict judgment. Though the services on these holidays are rather solemn, the participants greet one another with wishes for a “Happy New Year,” “A Good and a Sweet Year.” Families gather for large festive meals, dip apples in honey, and partake of sweet dishes such as tzimmes (a casserole of carrots, raisins and prunes), and desserts like honey cake and taiglach (honey drenched balls of baked dough mixed with dried fruits and nuts), all reminders of the wish for a sweet year.

The entire month preceding Rosh Hashanah, Jews are to prepare for the holiday by reflecting on past deeds and making amends with those whom they may have offended or otherwise hurt in the past year. Morning and evening, the 27^th Psalm (“The Lord is my light and my salvation”) is read and the ram’s horn, the Shofar, is sounded at the end of each weekday morning service throughout the month. Special prayers for forgiveness, Selichot, are recited in some traditional congregations each day for the week preceding Rosh Hashanah. The first occasion for this recitation is on the Saturday evening before the holiday, September 8^th this year. Though ordinarily, those who recite Selichot daily arise early in the morning to say these prayers, the custom is for the first night’s Selichot prayers to be said late at night. Some wait until midnight or later, while others begin a bit earlier as is the practice at Manchester’s Temple Israel. Rabbi Edward M. Friedman will be chanting the traditional liturgy in which Jews cry out in the middle of the night for God’s forgiveness for their sins. We believe that God is compassionate and forgiving and thus it is with confidence in God’s goodness that we enter this season of penitence.