The High Holy Days are a sacred time on the Jewish calendar for intense personal reflection and spiritual growth. Where are you? This year we must ask ourselves this question as we prepare ourselves both physically and mentally for the High Holy Days. To guide you, Hineni: Here I am, a weekly email series is designed to help make this time personally meaningful. Look for an email from Temple Sinai every Friday through October 9 with a video teaching from our clergy, a personal reflection from a Temple Sinai member, liturgical music, and High Holiday programming details. May this be a season of growth, renewal, and reflection for you. Shana Tovah!
Hineni: Elul - August 28, 2020
What does the sound of the Shofar mean to you?
Rabbi Adam Wohlberg:
Hearing the Shofar
"To be honest, the part of the service that made me the most nervous was sounding the shofar. That was because despite all of my practice I was never certain what the notes would sound like when they came out of the large end of the shofar...

I worried because this was an important moment of the service, my opportunity to awaken people to the start of the new year."

Learn more about what Rabbi Wohlberg thinks about when he hears the sound of the shofar.
Cantor Saralee Shrell-Fox:
Haleluhu B'teka Shofar
הַלְלוּהוּ בְּתֵקַע שׁוֹפָר
"In Psalm 150, we learn that our prayers to God can be done through instruments... like the Shofar.

On the High Holy Days the Shofar is used to call out to God, to whine, to shout, to cry for God to listen to our prayers."

Listen to Psalm 150 to the tune of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
From Fourth Grade Music Class to
Sounding the Shofar at Temple Sinai
Lauren Gladstone
Lauren Gladstone shares her reflection on sounding the shofar.

"The sound of the trumpet was calming and soothing. That sound always centered me. It reminded me to focus on what was important and to drown out the rest of the noise... For me, sounding the shofar helps me re-focus and awakens my soul."
Tools for Reflecting During the Month of Elul
Click here to download the
PJ Library High Holidays at Home guide
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