What are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur All About?
Joseph G. Rosenstein
What are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur all about? Is Rosh Hashanah simply a prelude to Yom Kippur, or does the beginning of a new year have a separate existence and meaning? Is Yom Kippur simply a time when we beat our breasts, atone for our sins, and hope for divine favor? And what are the spiritual implications of these questions? In this course we will explore, through study, discussion, and guided meditation, the themes of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy, how their authors and later commentators understood these themes, and how these themes might be reflected in our own observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Our text will be the instructor’s brand new Machzor Eit Ratzon.
Joe Rosenstein is a founder and former chair of the NHC and of the NHC Institute. He is the author of Siddur Eit Ratzon (www.newsiddur.org) and Machzor Eit Ratzon, and a member of the Highland Park (NJ) Minyan. In real life, he is a professor of mathematics at Rutgers University whose focus is K-12 mathematics education. He and his wife Judy are blessed with five daughters, three sons-in-law, and three grandchildren.
Categories
- Spiritual and Religious Life
- Morning Course
