#machzor

[leahbasavraham]

Pink artscroll machzorim for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

[aprettyjewishyear]

Austrian Mahzor (Festival Prayer Book). made of pierced, repousse, traced, engraved, and cast silver; and ink printed on paper. dated 1765-1855 and printed by Anton Schmid. now belongs to the Jewish Museum.

[zhooniyaa-waagosh]

I think authors should be legally obligated to mention when a book they recommend is impossible to find for less than $50.

[anonymousdandelion]

Oh, yes, the liturgy is full of acrostics! Both the alphabetical type (like Ashrei) and the type where the author "signs" their work by incorporating their name via acrostic.

It has occurred to me that Jewish acronyms and abbreviations seem to fall into four main categories:

shorthand for things related to Torah study (Tanakh, Rambam, etc.)

mnemonics to help with memorizing orders of things (d’tzach adash b’achav, YakNeHaZ... I'm sure there are non-Pesach-related examples too, they've just slipped my mind at the moment 😂)

friendly reminders that Hashem is present in everything (B"H, IYH, etc.)

expressions of mourning (BDE, Z"L, etc.)

...Upon reflection, this feels very in-character for our people.

[eretzyisrael]

HOW DO WE CELEBRATE ROSH HASHANAH?

Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the universe, is a two-day holiday that is both festive and solemn. We joyously proclaim our allegiance to the King of the Universe, while humbly beseeching our Creator to grant us another year of life, a year of peace, prosperity, and goodness. 

Rosh Hashanah is known as the Day of Judgment because on on this day “all inhabitants of the world pass before God like a flock of sheep” and the Heavenly Court decrees “who shall live and who shall die… who shall be impoverished and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise.” (Rosh Hashanah liturgy). We examine our deeds since last year’s holiday, make an honest accounting of our sins and misbehaviors, and pray earnestly for the strength and wisdom to do better in the new year. It is the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, also known as the Days of Awe, which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. 

SHINE A LIGHT  Every major Jewish holiday starts with lighting candles. Jewish women and girls (or men living alone) light candles on each evening of Rosh Hashanah with the appropriate blessings. 

HEAR THE HORN On Rosh Hashanah it is a commandment for Jews to hear the sound of the shofar (Num. 29:1). The shofar is an instrument made from the horn of a ram or other kosher animal. Its loud resonant sound pierces the depths of our soul and inspires us to return to God. The shofar is a wake-up call to repentance. It evokes the shofar blasts that were heard when God descended on Mount Sinai and gave us the Torah. It also recalls the binding of Isaac, who was saved when God showed Abraham a ram to bring as an offering instead of his beloved son. 

SHOW ME THE HONEY Before each of the four festive Rosh Hashanah meals (two on each day), we make kiddush over wine or grape juice. We eat round challah, often with raisins, and dip it into honey rather than salt to express our wish for a sweet year. There are a variety of symbolic foods "simanim" that are eaten, including a fish head so that “we might be a head and not a tail” and pomegranate so that “our merits be many like the seeds of a pomegranate.” 

DAY TO PRAY Much of the day is spent in synagogue praying with the community. The Machzor (holiday prayerbook) contains all of the Rosh Hashanah prayers and Torah readings. The shofar is sounded 100 times during the Rosh Hashanah service (except on Shabbat.)

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER On the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to go to a body of water and perform the Tashlich ceremony, in which we ceremonially cast our sins into the water, evoking the verse “And You shall cast their sins into the depth of the sea.” (Micah 7:19). If you’re not able to do it on Rosh Hashanah, Tashlich can be performed until Hoshana Rabba (7th day of Sukkot.)

[mental-mona]

To those who fully open themselves to it, Yom Kippur is a life-transforming experience. It tells us that God, who created the universe in love and forgiveness, reaches out to us in love and forgiveness, asking us to love and forgive others. God never asked us not to make mistakes. All He asks is that we acknowledge our mistakes, learn from them, grow through them, and make amends where we can.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l, The Koren Sacks Yom Kippur Machzor p. lxix

[germiyahu]

I loved your post on affordable Judaica

Synagogues will have Shabbat siddurs, for everything else there's debit MasterCard a bunch of different, free, siddur apps. They have apps for the megillot, too, which I download ahead of each chag/fast for easy access. There's even an easy online page for funeral rites.

Fancy Kiddush cups tend to have either an annoying plastic insert or leave a metallic taste in your mouth. Lots of people I know have moved on to these stylized glass/crystal cups. Much less expensive, dishwasher safe, and equally beautiful.

also, if you sidle up to Israeli Tumblr or Facebook, you'll probably be able to find someone willing to mail you stuff and/or someone travelling who's able to bring you stuff. Judaica here is like shampoo—there's the fancy boutique stuff, but there's also supermarket brand things (literally; we bought our Hanukkiah in the supermarket) that are perfectly nice and perfectly affordable, but naturally don't ship overseas.

It can very well be considered צדקה to donate Judaica, so if you genuinely can't afford anything, and if you genuinely have nothing appropriate to use (though one of my classmates uses a ceramic mug he and his wife made on their honeymoon so the limit on what's appropriate is pretty far off in the distance), there is no shame in asking people for help.

You're not commanded to buy Yair Emanuel polished brass Tree of Life Shabbat candlesticks... you're commanded to beautify the Shabbat table. It's not about money, it's about what you find beautiful. What you find meaningful. I would recommend saving for a more expensive item, at least one, if you plan on starting a family, so that you have something to pass on to your kids. But at the end of the day, what's more valuable? A Kiddush cup made of real silver or real crystal, or the story behind your chintzy little ceramic mug that your grandchildren will be telling stories about?

At the very least, a benefit of being involved in a Jewish Community is you will inevitably interact with people of older generations, which I think a lot of Gen Z is just not really doing these days? These people have tons of experience and can give advice, for what to get and how to find it and how to budget for it.

Also a Shabbat siddur can get you through weekdays, depending on your level of observance. Especially considering most shuls don't even have weekday services, so the prayers you do at home are going to be similar, and the main difference from what I can tell is the Shabbat siddur has more in it, so it's a process of cutting out things you don't need on the weekdays. Again it depends on your stream and level of observance. But you are going to need a Machzor.

[son-of-avraham]

My wife and I are cataloging all the books in our shul's library and some of the things we have found include a machzor from 1928, a tanakh from 1893, and a pocket-size weekday siddur issued to American Jewish army soldiers during WWII. We've also found a copy of The DaVinci Code, a book about ebolaviruses, and Nora Roberts paperback porn. It is truly a wild ride.

THAT IS SO COOL??????

[kcyars99]

to all my fellow Jewish people have a safe and happy Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה‎, Rōʾš hašŠānā, literally 'head of the year') is the New Year in Judaism. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (יוֹם תְּרוּעָה‎, Yōm Tərūʿā, lit. 'day of shouting/blasting'). It is the first of the High Holy Days (יָמִים נוֹרָאִים‎, Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm, 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus23:23–25, that occur in the late summer/early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah begins ten days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur, as well as beginning the cycle of autumnal religious festivals running through Sukkotwhich end on Shemini Atzeret in Israel and Simchat Torah everywhere else.

Rosh Hashanah is a two-day observance and celebration that begins on the first day of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. In contrast to the ecclesiastical lunar new year on the first day of the first month Nisan, the spring Passover month which marks Israel's exodus from Egypt, Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the civil year, according to the teachings of Judaism, and is the traditional anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman according to the Hebrew Bible, as well as the initiation of humanity's role in God's world.

Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram's horn), as prescribed in the Torah, following the prescription of the Hebrew Bible to "raise a noise" on Yom Teruah. Its rabbinical customs include attending synagogue services and reciting special liturgy about teshuva, as well as enjoying festive meals. Eating symbolic foods, such as apples dipped in honey, hoping to evoke a sweet new year, is an ancient tradition recorded in the Talmud.

Etymology

Rosh is the Hebrew word for "head", ha is the definite article ("the"), and shana means year. Thus Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year", referring to the day of the New Year.

The term Rosh Hashanah in its current meaning does not appear in the Torah. Leviticus 23:24 refers to the festival of the first day of the seventh month as zikhron teru'ah ("a memorial of blowing [of horns]") Numbers 29:1 calls the festival yom teru'ah("day of blowing [the horn]").

The term rosh hashanah appears once in the Bible (Ezekiel 40:1), where it has a different meaning: either generally the time of the "beginning of the year", or possibly a reference to Yom Kippur, or to the month of Nisan.

In the prayer books (siddurs and machzors), Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom haZikkaron"the day of remembrance", not to be confused with the modern Israeli remembrance day of the same name.

[maximthejewitch]

Prayer and Ritual Objects

Havdalah Set: This set includes a candle, spice box, and wine cup for the Havdalah ceremony, which marks the end of Shabbat.

Machzor: A special prayer book for the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).

Tallit: A prayer shawl, one of the Jewish ceremonial objects with fringes, is worn during morning prayers.

Tallit Katan: A small four-cornered garment worn daily as a reminder of mitzvot. It symbolizes a person’s connection to G-d, the Torah, and the commandments to remember and follow the Jewish law.

Tefillin: These objects consist of two wooden boxes filled with scriptural verses written on parchment and bound in leather straps. Tradition dictates that they be affixed to the head and arm and worn during morning prayers, except on holidays and Shabbat.

Tefillin Bag, Tallit Bag: Embroidered pouches used to store the Tallit and Tefillin.

Siddur: A prayer book is used daily, and Shabbat prayers emphasize the importance of tzedakah and the responsibility to care for others.

Shofar: This traditional instrument, made from a ram’s horn, is blown during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Its blasts symbolize spiritual awakening, reflection, and repentance and carry deep religious significance.

[leahbasavraham]

Top: Still Life with Herrings. 1962.

Ludwig Meidner painted numerous still lifes after his return to Germany. Again and again he painted the ingredients of his meals: vegetables, fowl and fish. Although he had move to a village north of Frankfurt, where he was the only Jew, Meidner strictly observed the Jewish dietary laws.

Bottom: Praise the Lord, My Soul 1936/1937

This still life is an exception among Meidner’s religious images, which consist primarily of drawings and mostly portray human figures. However, it is illuminating insofar as it underscores the main theme of Meidner’s religious art. The tallit (prayer shawl), the tefillin (phylacteries on the right and in the open velvet pouch) and the prayer book (a Siddur for the weekdays or a Machzor for the high holy days) illustrate the central importance of prayer for devout Jews

Via Jewish Museum Frankfurt

[astriiformes]

Had intended to spend all day at services today but instead was too emotionally weird without my meds (cried through almost the entirety of the morning service, not for any bad reason, like sometimes it was just because I read something moving in the machzor) so here's to strange and messy energies for 5784 I guess.

[barszcz-czerwony-i-biali]

I went to go do tashlich today and i set out bread and orthodox ashkenaz machzor in hand (the transliteration throwing me off as i flipped through), to walk to the nearest body of water, a small stream near the university chapel. It isn't really a chapel but i don't know the word to describe it. So i walk to head to the stream and as I grow closer to the stream there is a wedding, Mazel Tov i guess but i felt it would be odd to linger here so i set off elsewhere.

There was a larger pond near by but it was close to the buildings and i get self conscious davening around other people especially goyim. The other pond, was more secluded but it was the domain of the geese that i see travelling every morning to in military formation.

In the back of my mine i could hear the reprimand i had heard before about walking around in the woods on my own. (There are paths)

but then I remembered the pond! Not just any pond but one i had found in the middle of the woods somewhere.

So i wander about along the cleared paths of grass and dirt occasionally stumbling upon clearings where trees had been cut. I realize then as i quickly turn the other way that im really no different from the skittish rabbit that flees when i come near.

So i continue to wander marveling at the tall birch trees and the purple wildflowers and listen to the rustle of wind and the whine of insects that are too small to be seen but whose presence is heard. I enjoy nature. I get to witness creation. It leaves me in awe of G-D.

I had no clue where but i was determined to find it. I knew it existed i just had no clue where.

So i searched and searched and searched and almost decided to give up and return home. But i decided to try one more path. And soon i found my pond.

What caught me off guard was the colour of the water. I didn't recall the turbidity being that high.

Perhaps it was humans with chemicals that leach into the water or perhaps it was algae or plankton that has grown out of control either way it showed why Gevurah must balance Chesed.

I preform tashlich the beauty of G-D's creation in front of me. I become reminded of my hesitancy regarding my exploits

אדוני לי לא אירא, מה יעשה לי אדום

Adonai is with me, I will not fear, what can man do to me

As I cast my crumbs of bread into the waters I notice how strange it looks. Out of place. Far too human amongst the natural.

And I began to wonder if that was the point. It's supposed to be out of place. I am an environmental studies major and I have learned no matter how far you go there is very few areas that haven't been touched either with care or harm by humans. In the deepest oceans you will find plastic bags.

We hurt G-D's creation, we harm one another even though we too are part of His creation. Yet we go to the river and we cast our sins, as if we are, with heavy hearts, handing them back to Hashem by placing something so human back into the natural.

And Hashem forgives us, in turn we must strive to do better.

As humans and all life in general we can't eliminate our impacts on the world around us not necessarily good or bad but simply the result of being alive. Everything effects everything. It feels daunting. Especially when we need to repair so much.

But G-D forgives and G-D gives me hope and strength.

I'm an environmental studies and sustainability major so forgive me for my rambles.

[accessibleaesthetics]

As we near another big holiday season, I want to remind everyone that I do not tag for "religion" or even specific religions. I tag for holidays.

I do this because, that way, I don't have to worry myself over how religious something has to be in order to merit being tagged that way.

A post with shofar, challah, or apple slices and honey is going to be tagged #rosh hashanah and #yom kippur just as much as post that's just a straight up prayer from the machzor.

A post with a reindeer, Christmas trees, or Santa Claus is going to be tagged #christmas just as much as a post wth a nativity.

So if you want to avoid anything like that from any religion for whatever reason, please make sure you blacklist the holidays themselves.

[eliyahu613]

y'all can anyone help me find a machzor lev shalem for less than $50 because i do NOT have that kind of money and i also need that specific one because i've never celebrated the high holidays before and i need to follow the page numbers bc i'm clueless about what's going on

[frumdyke]

wait i never told you guys. i found it super difficult to concentrate in shul on rosh hashanah because i swear my shtender had yaoi etched into it. i kept moving my machzor around to see if it was still there like i wasnt sure if it was actually real. i went a bit insane during mussaf i think. so i think maybe good things are coming this year