Selihot: An Evening of Study, Reflection, and Preparation
September 4, 2010
8:30pm - 12:00am
Saturday, September 4
Join us in community and meaning for special study and discussion,
a lovely dessert buffet, and beautiful prayer in anticipation
of the coming new Jewish year.
8:30 p.m. Making It Personal
We join in special study about how to find personal relevance and expression in the prayers and rituals of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Rabbis Ron Shulman and Debi Wechsler invite us to learn and create with them as we all prepare for the High Holy Days. We’ll enjoy the sweetness and light of Havdalah to conclude Shabbat before our program begins.
9:30 p.m. Dessert Reception
We gather in friendship and conversation, renewing our bonds as a synagogue community before the first “formal” service of the High Holy Day season.
10 p.m. Selihot Service
A String Quartet will accompany Hazzan Perlman and the Chizuk Amuno choir during our Selihot Service. Selihot is a unique and moving late night “Service of forgiveness” that begins the High Holy Day season. During the Selihot Service we are introduced to some of the prayers and motifs of the coming days of awe. The Selihot Service is an emotional, spiritual, and evocative evening of teshuvah, repentance, reflecting upon our deeds and experiences this year as we consider personal and religious goals for future growth and change. As our service begins, the Torah Scrolls in the ark are publicly changed into their white High Holy Day covers which symbolize the freshness and purity of the coming new year. We conclude our evening with the sounding of the Shofar.
