Torah of awakening Mahzor: a prayer book for The Days of awe Table of Contents A: Introductory Prayers - candle blessings, meditations, tallit blessing B: Kol Nidre - Release of Vows, chanted on the evening of Yom Kippur C: Kabbalat Shabbat - special psalms and liturgical poems for Welcoming the Sabbath, when the holyday begins on Friday evening D: Ma’ariv - Evening Service for both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur E: S ’lihot - Prayers of Forgiveness chanted during the month of Elul and on Yom Kippur F: P’sukei D’Zimra - Prayers and Psalms to awaken us to Thanksgiving and Praise G: Shahrit - Morning Prayer Service for both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur H: Torah Service - Special scriptural readings and blessings for the Days of Awe I: Shofar Service - Blowing the Ram’s Horn - a core ritual of Rosh HaShanah J: Musaf - Additional afternoon service for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur K: Amidah - Personal Silent Prayer with texts of Avinu Malkeinu L: Concluding prayers - Aleinu, Mourner’s Kaddish, Psalm 27 verses, Adon Olam M: Yizkor - Remembering Those Who Have Died - Yom Kippur afternoon. N: N’iyla - Concluding service for Yom Kippur O: Scriptural and Inspirational Writings, including The Book of Jonah and selected Psalms P: Additional Songs and Prayers Organization of this mahzor: This prayer book is organized into sections that are sequenced alphabetically, and the pages within each section are numbered sequentially. This will allow us to update sections in the future without having to replace the entire mahzor.
Transcript
Torah of awakening Mahzor: a prayer book for The Days of awe
Table of ContentsA: Introductory Prayers -
candle blessings, meditations, tallit blessingB: Kol Nidre - Release of Vows, chanted on the evening ofYom KippurC: Kabbalat Shabbat - special psalms and liturgical poems for Welcoming the Sabbath,
when the holyday begins on Friday eveningD: Ma’ariv - Evening Service for both Rosh HaShanah and Yom KippurE: S ’lihot - Prayers of Forgiveness
chanted during the month of Elul and on Yom KippurF: P’sukei D’Zimra - Prayers and Psalms to awaken us to Thanksgiving and PraiseG: Shahrit - Morning Prayer Service for both Rosh HaShanah and Yom KippurH: Torah Service - Special scriptural readings and blessings for the Days of AweI: Shofar Service - Blowing the Ram’s Horn - a core ritual of Rosh HaShanahJ: Musaf - Additional afternoon service for Rosh HaShanah and Yom KippurK: Amidah - Personal Silent Prayer with texts of Avinu MalkeinuL: Concluding prayers - Aleinu, Mourner’s Kaddish, Psalm 27 verses, Adon OlamM: Yizkor - Remembering Those Who Have Died - Yom Kippur afternoon.N: N’iyla - Concluding service for Yom Kippur O: Scriptural and Inspirational Writings,
including The Book of Jonah and selected PsalmsP: Additional Songs and Prayers
Organization of this mahzor:This prayer book is organized into sections that are sequenced alphabetically,
and the pages within each section are numbered sequentially. This will allow us to update sections in the future without having to replace the entire mahzor.
HIGH HOLY DAYS - DAYS OF AWE: YAMIM NORA’IM
The lunar month of Tishrei contains the largest number of Jewish festivals of all the months. Thetone of these festivals is renewal; they celebrate and encourage our potential to free ourselves fromthe psychological burden of the past and re-enter our lives with fresh vitality and joyful love oflife.
ROSH HASHANAH Rosh HaShanah literally means “Head of the Year”. It is time for the renewal of the human spirit,and so the main theme is t’shuvah. T’shuvah is sometimes translated as “repentance”, but the truetranslation is “return”. It implies a return to a state of innocence and simplicity, so the main task oft’shuvah is forgiveness and self-improvement, particularly in relationship with others. The mainritual of Rosh HaShanah is the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn. The sound of the shofar is meantto awaken our deepest inner reality and help us to throw off the layers of psychic baggage thatimpede our inner radiance.
YOM KIPPURYom Kippur means “Day of Atonement”. According to legend, a person’s fate for the coming yearis determined on Rosh HaShanah. One’s fate is determined not only by one’s merit, but by thestrength of one’s t’shuvah. However, this fate is not “sealed” until Yom Kippur. It is traditional todo a complete 25 hour fast- no food or water- from sunset until three stars appear the followingevening. The sages taught that the external self-nullification of fasting has the power to awaken aninner self-nullification, relaxing the ego and allowing deep t’shuvah to happen. Although themood of Yom Kippur is somewhat somber, it is also deeply joyful, because in it is the potential for atruly renewed relationship with Life for the coming year. One of the main rituals of Yom Kippuractually happens right before Yom Kippur begins. As we gather to engage the holiest night of theyear, a passage called Kol Nidrei is chanted three times. Kol Nidrei means “all vows”, and it is adeclaration made on behalf of the entire community that all vows and debts are cancelled, freeingeveryone from the sense of owing or being owed. In this way, we all give each other permission to“start over”.
SUKKOT -SIMHAT TORAHFour days after Yom Kippur, the 7 day holiday of Sukkot, the Festivalof Booths, begins. As we eat (and often sleep) in a makeshift dwelling- a sukkah - we sense the impermanence of physical structures andunderstand that the only true shelter is that of the Divine Presence.We reconnect with the earth’s productivity as we shake the lulav(bundling of myrtle, willow and palm) and etrog (lemon-like fruit) inthe 6 directions. At the end of these 7 days is the formal end of theannual cycle of Teshuvah for this year and the prayer for winter rain ischanted. The next day is its own special holyday - Simhat Torah -when we dance with the Torah scrolls and begin the annual cycle ofTorah reading once again.
May these hagim, these sacred festivals, serve to bring us all to atrue renewal within ourselves and among us all. Shanah Tovah! Good year!!
LITURGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE PRAYER SERVICE:
There are two major prayer units:Sh’ma and Her Blessings - Sh’ma u’virkhoteyha:
Reciting the Sh’ma twice a day is a practice that comes directly from the Torah - we areinstructed to recite these words when we lie down and when we rise up - evening and morning.
Liturgically, there are 3 paragraphs to the Sh’ma, each a section from Torah - the first isknown as the “v’ahavta” and the second “v’hayah im shamo’a” - both mention the mitzvah ofreciting the Sh’ma every morning and evening, and the third describes the mitzvah of tzitzit-fringed garments. The Sh’ma is surrounded by blessings. In the morning service there are twobefore it and one after, in the evening two before and two after. In the morning, the first blessingis about creation and angels -- the Yotzer - and the second about God’s love for us -- Ahava Rabah.In the evening, the first blessing is about cycles of time - Ma’ariv Aravim and the second, again, isabout God’s love for us - Ahavat Olam. The blessing right after the Sh’ma is called G’ulah -redemption - and its underlying theme is Truth; in it we remember the crossing of the Sea of Reedsafter the exodus from Egypt. In the Evening, a second blessing - the Hashkiveinu - is added afterthe Sh’ma - a blessing for safe sleeping and peace.
The Amidah - the standing prayer - also known simply as “The Prayer” - “Ha-Tefillah”.This series of blessings takes the place of the daily sacrificial rites - the avodah- as described
in the Torah and practiced when the Jerusalem Temples existed. Thus, it is called by the rabbisAvodah she’b’Lev - the Service of the Heart. It is traditionally said three times a day: the twodaily sacrifices correspond to the the morning (shahrit) and afternoon (minhah) Prayers, and theevening prayer (ma’ariv) represents the fire that was kept burning on the altar through the night.On special days such as Shabbat and holydays, there was an additional - Musaf - offering in theSanctuary and so there is an extra Amidah, too, on those days.
On Shabbat and most holydays, the Amidah has 7 blessings. The three beginning blessingsand the three ending blessings always have the same themes, and mostly the same words. Themiddle blessing is unique for the particular holyday.
In more traditional synagoges, in the morning, the Amidah is prayed silently and thenrepeated out loud by the prayer leader. Our Siddur is organized so that we have the option tochant the first 3 blessings out loud together and then we move into our silent prayers.
An explanation of the other prayer units listed in the Table of Contents:Pseukei d’Zimra - includes Birkhot HaShahar - morning blessings- plus verses from psalms to
arouse gratitude and offer praise. They are traditionally said every morning as spiritualpreparation to chant the Sh’ma and Amidah.
Torah service: congregational reading of selections from the Five Books of Moses and theprophets for Shabbat, New Moons, holydays and Mondays/Thursdays (the market days of old). Ittraditionally happens after the morning Amidah and during the afternoon services for Shabbat andsome holydays.
The other prayer units in our Mahzor have themes and functions that are specific for theseDays of Awe as identified in the Table of Contents.
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INDEXAdon Ha-S’lihot E1Adon Olam L3Adonai EloheykhemEmet P10Adonai Melekh -Hineini J6, N7Ahat Sh’alti L4Ahavah, Rahamim, Hesed P7Akeidah H8Aneinu E6Anthem P9Alah Elohim J9Aleynu L1Ana Avda P2Al Heyt E5Ana Avda P2And Then L1Aneinu E6Angel Prayer M5Asher Yatzar F1Ashrei F8Ashamnu E4Ata Hu - At Hi P7Avinu Malkeinu G10,K9-11,N6Avodah Service J11Barkheinu Avinu J15Bilvavi P4Birkhot HaShahar F3Birkat ha-Gomeil H3B’rosh HaShanah J4B’rukhah She’amrah F4Candle Blessings A2Circle Chant P10Come on Home P3David Melekh N10Deuteronomy 29-30 H14-15Dukhening J14Ehad Yahid P8Eileykha Q1Eil Melkkh Ne’eman P6Eil Melekh Rahaman P3Eil Nora Alilah N2Eleykha P1Eli Eli P7Elohai Neshama F1Esa Eynai O7Four World Niggun P8Galei D7,J5Haftorah Blessings H4Haftorah Readings H16Hai Ani P8Hallelu- Psalm 150 F11Ha-Makom poem K11Ha-Melekh G1Ha-Neshamah Lakh E2Hareini P4Hashiveinu H5Havdallah N8Hayom J15
Healer of Broken-Hearted P10Healing Prayer H5, P5Heaven’s Door G10, N6Hinei Matov P7Hineni J1Hodu L’Adonai F5Holiness Code H13Holy Mountain P10Ibn Al-Arabi O10,K13If It Be Your Will P9In Your Light P1Ivdu et Hashem P6Jonah O1-3Kaveh L4Kamti A3Keter Shem Tov O5Ki Anu Amekha E3Ki L’Olam Hasdo F5Kiddush L’vanah N9Kiddush RoshHaShanah D8Kol Nidre B1Lev Tahor E3Listen to my heart’s song P4L’Hai Olamim F6Listen, Listen P4L’kha Dodi C2L’Olam Y’hei Adam P1Lo Lanu D6Love the Earth P8Lo Yisa Goy P4L’Shanah Tovah P3L’Shanah Ha-Ba’ah N7Mah Tovu P6Mi Ha-Ish P1Mi-Mamakim O8Min Ha-Meitzar I1MiSheberakh P5Mizmor L’David M1Mitzvah G’dolah P6M’Malei Kol Olmin P8Modeh Ani P1Mourner’s Kaddish L2, M6Leviticus 16 H10Leviticus 19 J13Limnot Yameinu M2Lo Yisa Goy P4Nafshi Holat P6Narrow Bridge P2Nishmat Kol Hai F12Now We’re Returning P3Nitzavim H14Od Yavo Shalom L4Open to Me P7Or Ha-Emet H18Or Ha-Me’ir O5Or Zarua B1Osah Shalom K8Oseh Shalom D6, J16
Ozi v’zimrat Yah F11Pithu Li N1Priestly Blessings J14, N5,P4Psalm 4 M1Psalm 23 M1,O4Psalm 24 O5Psalm 27 O6Psalm 29 C1,Psalm 67 O7Psalm 92 - for Shabbat C4, F7Psalm121 O7Psalm 130 O8Psalm 148 N9Psalm 150 F11P’takh Lanu Sha’ar N4Rahamana D7Rebbe Nahman’s Prayer Back PageReturn Again P5Revelation P5Rilke O9Rumi O9Sarah and Hagar H6S’firot Meditation K-12Shemen Ha-Tov P7Sh’ma Adonai Koli P8Sh’ma Koleinu E2Shokhein Ad G1Shiviti Hashem A1,P2Siman Tov N10Simple Gifts P5Tallit Blessing A4Takeyn Olam L1Tears in Heaven M10Teshuvah Teachings J10, P4Thich Nhat Hanh O9Tishre poem J16Torah Blessings F2,H3Torah Ora P2Turn, Turn Turn M9Ufros Aleynu D5Unending Love O8U-n’taneh Tokef J3Viduii E4,J13V’ha’eir Eineynu G5V’taheir Libeinu P3We Bless the Love P3We Cannot Merely Pray P10Who By Fire J4Y’hi Shalom P2Yishru Shalom P2Y’rushalayim J9Yishtabah G2Y’varekh’kha N5Yishtabah G2Yod Hey Vav Hey N1Y’varekh’kha N5Leviticus 19 H10Zokhreinu J8
Holy One, Divinity of my mothers and fathers, may it beYour will that I, and all those close to me, experienceGrace. Grant us long life. Remember to be good to us,bless us, and be compassionate toward us. Bless us with great blessings! Please, Shekhinah, dwell among us. May we all be wiseand understanding, loving You, in awe of Your grandeur, and, above all, people ofTruth. O, that we would cleave to You and bring light to the world through Torah and gooddeeds. Please, listen attentively to my entreaty at this time, and, please, illuminate oursouls’ candles so they will never be extinguished. Amen!
Ruler of All Worlds, Ribono Shel Olam: I hereby forgive anyone who has angered or troubled me, as well as anyone who hasinjured me, physically or financially, in my honor or in any other way, whetherviolently or intentionally, accidentally or willfully, by speech or deed, thought orintention, in this incarnation or in any other.
May no one suffer on my account. May it be Your Will, my Divinity and Divinity of myparents, that I live with integrity. Please, may I fall short no more, nor revert to my oldpatterns; let me not behave with resentment or anger. Transform all the misdeeds I havecommitted through your endless compassion, but not through sickness or suffering.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, myRock and my Redeemer.
KAMTI [Song of Songs 5:5]
A 3 INTRODUCTORY PRAYERS idpecd`i æedi
ON ROSH HASHANAH MORNING; YOM KIPPUR EVENING AND MORNING:
For the sake of the unificationof The Blessed Holy One andHis Sh’khinah in awe and love,to unify the name Y”H withV’H in complete Unity,in the name of those who strivewith the Divine.
Just as I wrap my body in this 4-corneredfringed garment, so I wrap my soul andmy body in light. Through this mitzvah,may all the levels of my soul - my nefeshand ruah and neshamah - be protectedfrom those external forces that wish todistract me from the holy work of thismost holy day. May I experience thisgarment of light as protective wings,guarding me and transporting me just as aeagle protects its young. Amen, selah!
Blessed are You, O Holy One,all pervading Spirit of theUniverse, Who makes us holythrough sacred deeds, and asksus to wrap ourselves in a fringedgarment.
How precious is your love, Elohim. We areprotected in the shade of your wings. Let us drinkfrom the river of Eden. For with You is theSource of life, in Your light we see light. ExtendYour lovingkindness to those in holy relationshipwith You and Your righteousness to the upright ofheart.
