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)NSIDE THE
(IGH (OLY $AYS
0ENINA !DELMAN
7HA T , IFE 'IVES
-ARTHA !CKELSBERG
(OW #AN A &EMINIST
,IKE -E %NJOY A
,ITURGY ,IKE 4HIS
#ATHERINE -ADSEN
0RAYING WITH
3INNERS
!MICHAI ,AU ,AVIE
7EANING
4ORAH 4ALE FOR
A "RAVE .EW 9EAR
-ICHAEL %IGEN
4URNING 7OUND
THAT .EVER (EALS
-EETS A &IRE THAT
.EVER 'OES /UT
2OBERT 'IBBS
-ENDING THE 0AST
$ISCUSSION 'UIDE
4IRZAH &IRESTONE AND
3AUL "ERMAN
"RINGING /URSELVES
TO 0RAYER
*OEL 2UBIN
4HE "LESSING OVER
#OCA #OLA
2ICHARD (IRSH
#OMING 4OGETHER
4O "E !LONE
-ARGA (IRSCH
4EKIAH 'EDOLAH
$AVID !RNOW
h3EDERv FOR
2OSH (ASHANAH
$IANE #OLE
"OOK 2EVIEW
*AN 2 5HRBACH
4AUBE .EW 6ISIONS
2IVY 0OUPKO +LETENIK
.I3HgMA
*EREMY +ALMANOFSKY
3H MA THICS
4/ 4(% %84%. 4 TO WHICH ANYTHING IN *UDAISM IS TRULY FAMILIAR IT IS THE SOUNDS TEXTURE
AND CADENCE OF THESE HOLY DAYS AND THE PRAYERS THAT SPEAK TO THE MOST ESSENTIAL FUNDAMENTAL
URGES AND NEEDS AND FEARS IN LIFE 4HE ESSAYS IN THIS ISSUE EXPLORE LITURGICAL MOMENTS THAT ARE
OLD AND UTTERLY FAMILIAR AND HOPEFULLY STARTLINGLY NEW MOMENTS THAT DRAW OUR ATTENTION TO
PRAYERS THAT REmECT AN EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL SERIOUSNESS AND VITALITY
3HANA 4OVA 5 -ETUKAH -AY IT BE A GOOD AND SWEET YEAR 3USAN "ERRIN
7HAT ,IFE 'IVES
0ENINA !DELMAN
%!#( 9%! 2 THE DIVINE VOICE DEEP INSIDE ME CALLS OUT TO THE REST OF ME STUCK IN THE EVERY
DAY MUD OF THINGS TO LOOK LISTEN AND LEARN FROM MY DEEDS %ACH YEAR ) STRAIN TO HEAR THAT
VOICE THE BEST ) CAN EVEN THOUGH ) AM DISTRACTED AS ) SIT IN SHUL BY THE COLORS AND TEXTURES
OF NE W CLOTHES AND THE MANY MANY PAGES LEF T IN THE PRAYERBOOK
0ICTURE THIS /N A 2OSH (ASHANAH IN THE TH CENTUR Y JUST BEFORE THE KEDUSHA PRAYER 2ABBI
!MNON OF -AINZ A GREATLY RESPECTED RABBI IS CARRIED INTO THE SYNAGOGUE (E IS GROTESQUELY
INJURED 4HE BISHOP OF -AINZ ORDERED HIS LEGS AND ARMS TO BE CUT OFF AND SALT TO BE RUBBED
ONTO THE RAW WOUNDS BECAUSE HE HAD NOT COME WHEN SUMMONED BY THE #HURCH TO DECLARE
HIS INTENTIONS TO CONVERT TO #HRISTIANITY 4HE RABBI IS SO RELIEVED TO HAVE SURVIVED THIS TOR
TURE THAT ON ENTERING THE SYNAGOGUE HE SPONTANEOUSLY BEGINS TO INTONE FROM A PIYYUT OR
LITURGICAL POEM h5 .ETANAH 4OKEF KEDUSHAT HAYOM KI HU NORA VE AYOM v 7E DECLARE THIS DAY S
PURE SANC TIT Y ITS AWESOME POWER 4HE WORDS FALLING FROM HIS LIPS ARE PEARLS AND DIAMONDS
EMBODYING THE ESSENCE OF 2OSH (ASHANAH 4HE CONGREGANTS HEARING THESE WORDS FOR THE
lRST TIME ARE INCREDIBLY MOVED BY THE RABBI S WORDS 4HREE DAYS LATER HE DIES
$ID 2ABBI !MNON BELIEVE HE HAD SINNED AND WAS PAYING WITH HIS LIFE !S HE RECITED
THE NEXT LINE OF THE PRAYER hU TESHUVAH U TElLAH U TZEDAKAH MA AVIRIN ET RO A HA G ZEIRAH v BUT
PENITENCE PRAYER AND GOOD DEEDS CAN ANNUL THE SEVERITY OF THE DECREE WAS HE DESPERATELY
HOPING THAT THIS WAS INDEED THE CASE AND THAT HE WOULD NOT DIE BUT BE INSCRIBED INSTEAD
IN THE "OOK OF ,IFE !LTHOUGH THIS STORY IS ONLY A LEGEND AND THIS PRAYER CAN BE TRACED TO
AN EARLY 0ALESTINIAN PRAYER PRE DATING 2ABBI !MNON THE TALE LIKE THE PRAYER EMBODIES
THE MEANING OF 2OSH (ASHANAH
7HEN ) INTONE THE WORDS OF 5 NETANAH 4OKEF ) CAN SEE THE PAST YEAR BEFORE ME UNWINDING
LIKE A SCROLL ) SEE PEOPLE ) KNEW AND LOVED WHO HAVE DIED ) SEE PEOPLE WHO WERE STRUCK BY
ILLNESS AND PEOPLE WHO GOT BETTER ) SEE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR JOBS OR FAILED IN THEIR WORK
AND ) SEE PEOPLE WHO WERE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR WORK AND THEIR HUMANIT Y ) SEE WOMEN WHO
GAVE BIRTH AND WOMEN AND MEN WHO BECAME PARENTS
) THINK ABOUT HOW ) HAVE NO CONTROL ULTIMATELY OVER THE DURATION OF MY LIFE NOR OVER ITS
QUALITY %ARLY IN OUR MARRIAGE MY HUSBAND AND ) LOST SEVERAL PREGNANCIES /NE DAY ) WAS
PREGNANT WITH OUR BABY THE NEXT DAY THE BABY WAS GONE /VERNIGHT WE WERE FORCED TO
MAKE A DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE WAY WE HAD ALWAYS IMAGINED THINGS TO BE AN ORDER IN THE
UNIVERSE THAT WE COULD lGURE OUT 4HERE WAS NO EXPLANATION 4HERE WAS ONLY WANTING AN
EXPLANATION AND HAVING TO LIVE WITHOUT ONE YEAR AFTER YEAR
4O SUBSCRIBE
3(-!
WWW SHMA COM
(OW DOES THIS CENTRAL 2OSH (ASHANAH PRAYER GUIDE US )T ASKS THAT WE CONTINUE TO RE
mECT ON WHAT WE HAVE DONE THIS IS TESHUVAH 7E ARE TO CONTINUE TO SPEAK THE WORDS OF TRUTH
OUR DEEPEST SELVES NEED TO SAY THIS IS TElLAH !ND WE ARE TO CONTINUE TO DO THE GOOD WE ARE
LONGING TO DO FOR OTHERS THIS IS TZEDAKAH 4HESE ARE THE BEHAVIORS CAPTURED IN THE PIYYUT
THEY ARE THE ESSENCE OF 2OSH (ASHANAH
