Rosh HaShanah begins this year at sundown on September 20, 2017, two months from now.
Every pulpit rabbi is busy with sermons and service plans. Every synagogue staff is frantically busy with preparations.
For the “Jew in the pew” September may seem a long way off.
Are you interested in attending services this year? If you are not a synagogue member, now is the time to start thinking about where you would like to attend. For every person who wants a seat in an urban or suburban synagogue, there may be several people who want that seat. That’s one of the reasons that synagogues sell tickets for the big High Holy Day services. And that is why you should start looking for your service very soon.
Don’t want to “pay to pray?” There are probably free services available in your area if you live in a city in the U.S., but again, you may want to locate those services sooner rather than later. Call your local Federation or Jewish Community Center office and ask what they know about free High Holy Day services.
If you have been thinking that this is your year to join a synagogue, I strongly suggest that you visit synagogues before the High Holy Days. This has several advantages:
Your dues will include your High Holy Day tickets.
You will not be stuck in a strange synagogue for the High Holy Days.
If you are a synagogue member, now is the time to remind yourself that this is the most stressful time of year for synagogue office staff. In addition to their regular work, they are preparing mailings, service books, and handouts. As the membership agreements come in, they have to deal with people’s questions about tickets, their complaints about last year, their worries about this year, and assorted kvetching about the weather and the parking last year. If you aspire to be a mensch (and you should aspire to be a mensch!) BE NICE TO THOSE PEOPLE!
So yes, the High Holy Days are coming, and fast. Be menschen, that you may be sealed for goodness in the Book of Life!
Sometimes people are a little shocked at the idea of tickets for the High Holy Days. Sometimes they are shocked at the price. Often the next question is, “Why do I have to pay to pray? What’s wrong with you people?”
The rest of the year, there is no charge for attending regular services. So why on the HHDs?
Jews who never attend synagogue otherwise attend HHD services. This is true not only of unaffiliated Jews, but also of temple members. Most synagogues are jammed on those days, with a corresponding rise in the cost of operating: extra chairs, special sound equipment so everyone can hear, and an extra load on the physical plant. Members pay for this via their dues, but the visitors don’t, unless there are tickets.
These are often very special services, with choirs or (in liberal synagogues) with musicians. Unless the shul is fortunate to have members who are gifted musicians, these people may have to be hired for the occasion.
With the heavy demand, there needs to be some mechanism for limiting the seating without excluding members. If Temple Shalom knows that it has 250 members to seat, and it has seating for 275, there are only 25 extra seats.
So what is a person to do, if they can’t afford the tickets?
Most communities have a venue where tickets for services are low-cost or free. You can find it by calling the Jewish Federation, JCC or other Jewish institution.
If there’s only one synagogue, explain that you can’t afford these tickets and tell them nicely what you can afford. (The same is true for membership dues. If they don’t fit your budget, tell the person at the synagogue in charge of membership. Often they can make you a deal.) If they truly have only a few seats, though, they may simply be unable to help you.
Generally, the only services with tickets are Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah Day One, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur morning. You can often attend Selichot, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, and the afternoon services on Yom Kippur for free. Again, just ask.
And if you can afford the tickets, but are put off by the idea of “paying to pray,” understand that if you want a free prayer experience, you are free to organize one. Organize some friends at your home or at the park, buy a couple of machzors (HHD prayer books) and go for it. It may turn out to be a wonderful experience and an annual event!
Remember: every other Shabbat of the year, all you have to do is walk in, and a seat is yours. Why wait for the High Holy Days to attend a service?
Shofar (by Alphonse Lévy) Caption says: “To a good year” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is another in a series of posts to make Jewish life a little more accessible. Click on “Especially for Beginners” in the menu on the right side of your screen to find more articles about the basics of Jewish living.
Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on September 16, 2012. Here are the basic facts to know about the holiday season:
1. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year. Observant Jews will go to synagogue that day, and are required to do no work. Many other Jews may take the day off for reflection and celebration. The mitzvah [commandment] for the day of Rosh HaShanah is to hear the sound of the shofar [ram’s horn.] The basic greeting for the New Year is “Shanah Tovah” [literally, “Good Year!”]
2. DAYS OF AWE. Rosh HaShanah begins a very serious time in the Jewish year called the Days of Awe. Unlike the secular New Year, which is mostly a time for celebration, the Days of Awe are an annual period for reflection and for mending relationships and behavior. Synagogue services use solemn music and urge Jews, individually and collectively, to mend what is broken in their lives, and to apologize for misdeeds.
3. SIN AND REPENTANCE. The Jewish understanding of sin is that all human beings fall short of their best selves from time to time. When we do wrong, even inadvertently, we are required to acknowledge what we have done, take responsibility for it, and take steps to assure it will not happen again. This process is called teshuvah [literally, “turning.”]
4. YOM KIPPUR.The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, is the culmination of the process of teshuvah. Observant Jews fast for 24 hours and spend the day in synagogue, praying and reflecting on their lives. Work is forbidden. Other Jews may take the day off for reflection as well. Yom Kippur is a day for atonement for sins against God and/or Jewish law; it only atones for sins against other human beings if we have gone through the process of teshuvah (taking responsibility, apologizing, and taking steps to prevent future problems.)
5. ATTENDING SYNAGOGUE. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are the days of the year when the greatest number of Jews attend synagogue. However, they are not good days to attend synagogue for the first time: the services are longer than usual and much more solemn. For a first visit to a synagogue, a regular Shabbat service on Friday night or Saturday is much more typical of Jewish practice and belief.
6. TICKETS FOR PRAYER?Because of the high attendance, many synagogues do not have seats for visitors for their main services. If they have a few extra seats, they sell tickets for those seats to offset the extra expense of the visitors (members pay their share via membership dues.) Note that while High Holy Day tickets are rarely discounted, synagogues often make arrangements for reduced rates for membership for those who wish to participate in synagogue life but who cannot afford full dues. Consider joining a synagogue – they offer much more than High Holy Day services.
There are several options for attending High Holy Day services for low or no cost. You can always call the synagogue and ask; they may be able to make a referral, and there are synagogues who offer free High Holy Day services as a form of outreach. If you are in a city in the USA, call the Jewish Federation or other local Jewish agency for information about locations for free or low-cost services.
7. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF IT. To get the most out of the High Holy Days, observe the month of preparation that leads up to them. Attend services at a local synagogue (guests are welcome at regular services). Ask yourself “What about my life and behavior needs to change?” and make those changes. Mend relationships that can be mended, and do your part even in those relationships that cannot be mended at this time. Consider reading a book about the High Holy Days, or keeping a journal. Like everything else in life, the more you invest in this experience, the more you will get out of it.
There is much more to know about the High Holy Days; this is just a beginning. If you are curious about Judaism, this is a great time of year to contact a synagogue about adult education classes, since many things in synagogue start immediately after the holidays.
L’Shanah Tovah: I wish you a fruitful beginning to the New Year of 5773!
