High Holy Days

As we begin the Jewish New Year 5785, it would be impossible to ignore the unprecedented year we just experienced and witnessed. The challenges the Jewish world faced (and still faces) are unlike anything we have known. Now, gathering as a community, we pause to reflect on these communal challenges as well as our own personal conduct and struggles to focus on what lies ahead, our hopes and determination for a better future for ourselves and all humankind.

These High Holy Days offer us the opportunity to consider the sacredness of our traditions and our purpose in the world. The first thing God declared holy was a day: Shabbat, at the conclusion of Creation. The first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a whole, prior to the Exodus, was the command to sanctify time, by determining and applying the Jewish calendar (Ex. 12:1-2).
We come together to consecrate the new year, continuing the heritage and values established by our ancestors, ancient and modern. The High Holy Days remind us to reach a little higher in
the new year as we gather for comfort, inspiration and fellowship found with friends and community.

May the sounds of the shofar, the prayers of our hearts, and the wisdom of tradition lift our spirits and minds in 5785. May you and your loved ones be inscribed for a year of good health, friendship, and love.

As Fall approaches, Jews throughout the world prepare for the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, a unique ten-day period of prayer, self-examination, fasting, and repentance. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, comprise the “High Holy Days” of the Jewish calendar, and are the festivals that begin the new Jewish year.

Please see below for the many services and programs MLRT offers during Elul and the High Holy Days. 

Selichot
This late-night learning and prayer experience brings together the Jewish community from across the Main Line for a meaningful prelude to the High Holy Days virtually or in person at one of the host congregations. 
What is Selichot? Selichot are prayers of forgiveness that help us prepare for the High Holy Days. It takes time to truly affect personal and communal growth, change and transformation.

Traditional Services
Our Traditional Service will focus on the prayers and melodies handed down generations ago and be led by our clergy, Andy Heller, and the choir.

Contemporary Services
Welcome the High Holy Days with innovative and highly participatory visual prayer and music led by Ross M. Levy and the Levites with our clergy at LMHS.

Family Services & Activities
Family Services are designed for our youngest children (ages 6 and under) and their families to pray together. Led by MLRT’s clergy, Ross M. Levy, and Mihaela Schwartz, themes of the High Holy Days will be highlighted through stories and songs. Activities led by ECE staff will take place immediately following services. Adults must be present at all time.

Tashlich
Bring your children, your friends, even your dogs, to this family-friendly and in-person program at Shortridge Park.
What is Tashlich? The word “Tashlich” means, “You will cast away.” For centuries Jews have gathered on the first day of Rosh Hashanah at bodies of water and recited the Tashlich prayer, shaking bread crumbs into the water to express our desire to be free of our sins. 

Study Sessions
Rosh Hashanah Day Two: Join Rabbi Geri Newburge, Cantor Faryn Rudnick, and Rabbi Eric Mollo for “Righteous or Wicked or In Between?” a reflective discussion on essential Jewish texts during the High Holy Days. These texts will inspire conversations about how our deeds impact the world around us.
Yom Kippur:  Spend Yom Kippur afternoon in thoughtful study with Rabbi Richard Steinbrink as he leads this year’s study session: Is the Lord Really My Shepherd? Let’s Take a New Look at the 23rd Psalm.

Kol Nidre
On Erev Yom Kippur, the prayer Kol Nidre, meaning “All Vows,” is chanted at the start of the service. It sets the tone for the holiest day of our year, Yom Kippur.

Yizkor
Yizkor, in Hebrew, means “Remember.” We implore God to remember the souls of our relatives and friends who have passed on. During Yizkor, we renew and strengthen the connection between us and our loved ones, bringing honor to their memories.

Mincha
The ark will be open for personal prayer during this afternoon service.

Healing Service
Our Healing Service offers contemporary poetry readings, inspirational music, and the opportunity to reflect on the challenges and difficulties of the past year. In our darkest moments, we reach inward, outward, and upward to seek divine intervention and comfort.

Ne’ilah
Ne’ilah means “closing the gate.” As the awesome day of Yom Kippur comes to a close, and our future is being sealed, we ask God to accept our repentance and new resolutions, and that we be sealed in the Book of Life, granting us a new year replete with goodness and happiness.

All of the services at MLRT will be multi-access. Please join us in person or via Livestream. In-person attendance is limited to members in good standing and tickets are required. Livestream access will be private and a password will be sent out to all members prior to Erev Rosh Hashanah.