Every year, men and women are drawn to Shule on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, souls wishing to be inspired on these holiest days of the Jewish calendar.
Often, however, they come away disappointed, voicing a litany of complaints about the quality of the service. While not understating the need for the synagogue to provide an inspiring service, it must be pointed out that it takes more than this to make the High Holy Days meaningful in any real sense.
Over the next few weeks I will be offering some guidelines to help you get the most from your Shule experience this Yom Tov.
The Importance of Preparation
Attendance at the synagogue should not be compared to a night out at the theatre or opera where one sits as a passive observer, offering criticism or acclaim for the quality of the “show”. Prayer demands personal involvement; even labour. On the verse in the shema: “And you shall work for Him with all your heart,” the Talmud comments, “What is the work of the heart? Prayer.” As with anything worthwhile in life, the amount of lasting inspiration which one receives from prayer is proportional to the time and effort invested.
In the Mishna we are told that those for whom prayer was a serious affair would commit three hours to each service even on an ordinary weekday. What is even more instructive is that of these three hours, only one was devoted to prayer itself.
The first hour was for meditation, while the final hour was for translating spiritual experience into concrete resolutions. Put differently, they gradually ascended the ladder of prayer, achieving spiritual heights, and then descended applying those same heights to their daily lives. This is the inner meaning of the ladder in Jacob’s dream, “which stood firmly on the ground, while its top reached the heavens... and behold angels of G-d ascended and descended on it.”
Whereas this level of devotion is beyond the reach of most of us, it does give us some idea of the importance of spiritual preparation on the one hand, and of the need to connect prayer to our daily lives on the other.
Forty Days of Preparation
The forty day period, commencing on the first of Elul and culminating on Yom Kippur, parallels the period when Moses ascended Mount Sinai for the third time and beseeched Gd’s forgiveness for the sin of the golden calf. When this was finally granted, YomKippur became a day of forgiveness for all generations, and the period preceding it a time of soul-searching and introspection. To underline the importance of this period, each weekday morning throughout the month of Elul, the shofar is sounded.
In the not too distant past, and even today in many circles, there is a tangible atmosphere of spirituality during the entire month of Elul. I had an uncle who, though not very religious, had come from Poland from a very devout family. I remember visiting him one year a couple of weeks before Rosh HaShana and being asked how I was. When I answered that I felt well, he responded, “What?! Two weeks before Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgment, and that’s all you can say?!”
In Eastern Europe they used to say that during Elul even a fish in the sea would shake with apprehension. Some people would fast forty days before Rosh HaShana. Others, and this was a very widespread custom, would fast on at least ten days prior to Yom Kippur. Nearly everyone would fast on Erev Rosh HaShana.
Whatever the custom, the sense of awe, of earnestness, could almost be touched. Fasting is no longer favoured as a means of penance in orthodox circles. As we are not as strong as in the past, the ill-effect on our health would be considerable. Yet, if we wish the experience of the Days of Awe to be meaningful and lasting, it is up to us to make it so by appropriate preparation.
Welcome to the Sandra Bransky Library & Youth Synagogue, located on the first floor and including the Beit Midrash. Drop in any Sunday morning between 9 - 11am.