Dear Temple Sinai Members and Friends,

We are very excited to announce that, after many months of study and consideration by a committee of members and clergy, our congregation will be adopting the Reform Movement’s new machzor, Mishkan HaNefesh, for the High Holidays starting this year (machzor - מחזור - is the Hebrew word for the type of prayerbook used specifically for the High Holidays). We will use this machzor in our Sanctuary and Beit Am services. Services at BCC will continue to use specially printed prayer packets as in previous years. 

This is a significant change as prayerbooks become artifacts and keepsakes within a family and community. Gates of Repentance had been the Reform Movement’s machzor since 1978 and the creation of Mishkan HaNefesh reflects the changed world and culture in which we live and pray today. The translations from Hebrew are different - slightly in some cases, noticeably in others; the creative, optional readings and commentary are new; and a new machzor brings new options for music, space for reflection, and order of service. It is also true that the experience of any particular service is shaped predominantly by the kavannah (mindset) of the individual worshipper, by the clergy and lay prayer leaders, and by the congregation as a whole. We understand that this change will be felt differently by members within our community, and the entire clergy team is here and available to provide support and guidance during this transition. We recognize that our worship is both a group experience and a personal one, and we look forward to embracing this new journey together.

The committee that reviewed options and selected this new machzor contained members from across our congregation. We are grateful for their thoughtfulness, care, and commitment. Laura Steel, currently an officer and long-time board member and a frequent lay leader for Shabbat services, chaired the committee. The other members of the committee were: Eric Bord, Darcy Hirsh, Seth Tievsky, Rebecca Waldman and Gail Wides, along with Cantor Rachel Rhodes and Rabbi Jonathan Roos. The committee first assessed the basic questions of whether adopting a new machzor was necessary and if now was the time to do so. After deciding affirmatively on both questions, the committee reviewed several options including creating and printing our own machzor, adopting a machzor that another congregation had created for itself, or adopting a commercially available machzor including those from the Reconstructionist, Conservative, and British Reform Movements along with Mishkan HaNefesh. While each option had its strengths and attractions, the committee overwhelmingly favored the selection of Mishkan HaNefesh.

One of the biggest changes with adopting Mishkan HaNefesh is that the temple will own enough copies for attendees to use. You will not need to buy and bring your own machzor as previously required. These new machzors were donated in loving memory of Bernard Kalb by his devoted family and friends. The world knew Bernie as a journalist, broadcaster, spokesman, and author. We knew him as a dedicated member of our congregation for fifty years and as a regular attendee at our services, study, and social programs. 

Bernie Kalb in 1986 at US State Department.

At his funeral in 2023, Bernie’s family shared that when he faced one of the most critical decisions of his professional life, Bernie was profoundly influenced by and cited a passage from the prayers he had just heard at High Holiday services, “Keep my tongue from doing harm, and my lips from lies and deceit.” Rather than represent a position that he knew to be untrue, Bernie resigned his post at the State Department. Bernie showed that being part of our congregation and heeding the words of our machzor can change a person’s life. We are deeply grateful to his family and friends for ensuring that future generations will have the opportunity to experience the majesty and impact of Jewish ritual that he felt on that day. May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration.

We hope you will start exploring Mishkan NaNefesh now, to get comfortable with this important resource and prepare for the season of teshuvah (spiritual renewal) this coming October. Please explore these opportunities to learn more about the new machzor:

• Learn from the creators. Watch this webinar and discussion with the rabbis, cantors, and publishers who served on the editorial and creative team. Click here.
• Read “Ten Essential Things You Need To Know About Mishkan HaNefesh” by Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, one of the editors.
• Teshuva in July: Lunch and Learn with Cantor Rhodes and Rabbis Roos and Diamondstein, Saturday, July 20 at 1:00 pm (after Kehillat Shabbat services). RSVP here
• Elul Lunch and Learn. Join us Saturday, September 7 at 1:00 pm (after Kehillat Shabbat Services) to learn about and discuss elements of the new machzor with Rabbi Leon Morris, President of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and one of the machzor editors. Rabbi Morris will join live from Jerusalem via Zoom.
• Borrow a copy of Mishkan HaNefesh from the Temple Sinai library starting July 1st. Take it home to review and explore.
• More programs to meet and explore the machzor may be announced over the summer and throughout the month of Elul.
• If you would like to buy a copy of the machzor for yourself, explore that here.

This is a “shehechiyanu moment” for Temple Sinai! Blessed is the Source of Life and Blessings who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this moment.

With heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Kalb family and friends, to our machzor committee members, clergy and staff for supporting this important adoption. On behalf of our clergy team and board,

Rabbi Jonathan Roos, Senior Rabbi

Ken Jaffe, President

Laura Steel, Chair, Machzor Committee