Rosh Hashanah Services

My synagogue is blessed with an entirely capable, smart Assistant Rabbi who leads the study services (which my family and I attend, rather than the larger, more traditional service) on the High Holy Days with incredible skill. I love the insights he brings to the services and I love how the services are more participatory as well as tending more towards Hebrew (which is good for me since, sadly, my Hebrew is very poor).

But, as good as our Assistant Rabbi is, he was totally eclipsed this Rosh Hashanah when the Rabbi spent part of the second day leading the study service.

The Rabbi used a well-known element of the Passover service, the telling of the four kinds of sons who might be at the Passover seder, to explain what he saw as the four kinds of Jews who come to the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah. I think he nailed his analysis and managed to give me a good deal of insight into my own behaviors on this holiday.

I was already sorry that I will have to have my Yom Kippur somewhere else this year*, but now I'm even more disappointed to be away from my synagogue.


*See my more recent posts to find out why.