Kol Nidre Service 5782

[Music] um [Music] roof [Music] [Music] um [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] uh [Music] [Music] where are you it's fine it's not my countdown i wanted [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] m [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] oh [Music] welcome to temple emanuelle's conidre service we welcome all of you that are watching online and hopefully the streaming will be fantastic we have a whole new system and you shouldn't hear me repeating every word three times you should not hear me repeating every word three times never mind and i'd like to also think those that are in the sanctuaries a few people that have joined cantor myself to help us lead this evening's call nigel a service we are so excited to have misato our pianist extraordinaire as well as the one and only cellist peter gelfin we're so happy to have them both with us let us begin i light this memorial candle in memory of all of those we have lost this year including two former presidents bob hirsch and phil hammer i like this memorial candle for all those that have experienced loss a loved one's death a divorce infertility a loss of ability i light this memorial candle for all of us who are grieving and feeling pain it's my pleasure to invite cheryl mcgott to help us light our yom tov candles this evening the human spirit is the lamp of god searching out what lies within us guided by the flame of conscience on the sacred night we search for truth shine your light upon us as we strive to serve you may we find safety in your faithful love we light the flame of healing and forgiveness on this atonement night we give thanks for love source of blessing eternal our god you fill the universe with majestic might teaching us holiness through sacred obligations giving us the mitzvah of bringing light on yom kippur baruch [Music] elohim source of blessing eternal our god you fill the universe with our majestic might giving us life holding the life within us and bringing us to this time [Music] i [Music] [Music] amen we continue on page 14 please rise if you are able either physically or in spirit yom kippur the jewish people's festival of the soul and conidre at sacred portal a night of deep emotions a night as the psalmist wrote to rejoice with trembling rejoice at the sound of kunitre rhythmic words of release from vows oaths and promises to god we failed to keep we tremble at the melody music of spiritual amazement it fills us with awe as we stand before god and torah we rejoice that we stand together strengthened by community in this hour of shared weakness and humility we tremble for tonight we confess our flaws emit our imperfection and acknowledge a power far beyond our understanding rejoice that we commit ourselves to great endeavors because we feel so deeply and think so nobly we tremble for we find that our ideals are far greater than our ability our promises surpass our might rejoice in the freedom that is true gift the freedom to begin a new year without fear of failure to aspire to be god's image in the world we tremble because we are mortal we rejoice in our gratitude for life rejoice with trembling and enter conidre to face our humanity we continue on page 16. [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] uh [Music] page 19 let our speech be pure and our promises sincere that our spoken words every vow and every oath be honest and well intentioned let our words cause no pain bring no harm and never lead to shame distrust or fear and if after honest effort we are unable to fulfill a promise a vow or an oath may we be released from its obligation and forgiven for our failure let our speech be pure and our promises sincere please be seated [Music] um [Music] [Music] hmm so [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] video [Music] [Music] you [Music] foreign [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Applause] please rise [Music] sir [Music] ah [Music] me [Music] page 25. day and night are yours creative spirit of the universe the muted colors of twilight the radiance of dawn yours are the spreading wings of light the deepening shadows of darkness and ever-changing drama in the human heart too the struggle between darkness and light unfolds from sunlit heights of generosity the human heart sinks to the gloomy depths of selfishness although we fall you give us the strength to rise again you call on those who hurt your word or deed to break free from wrongdoing and return to you all who hear your call to goodness are embraced all who reject emptiness and evil find acceptance from you we come into your presence this night of cloneydre aware that our shortcomings and weaknesses are many yet encouraged by your promise of forgiveness we choose free the path of repentance restoring wholeness to our lives and holiness to the world baruch blessed are you adonai creator of twilight and dusk please rise we pause in reverence before the gift of self the vessel shadows the divine spark shines through and our solitary self becomes a link in israel's golden chain for what we are we are by sharing and as we share we move toward the light we pause in reverence before the mystery of a presence the near and far reality of god not union but communion is our aim and we approach the mystery with deeds words lead us to the edge of action but it is deeds that brings us closer to the god of light we pause in terror before the human deed the cloud of annihilation the concentrations for death the cruelly casual way of each to each but in the stillness of this hour we find our way from darkness into light may we find our life so precious that we cannot but share it with the other that light may shine brighter than a thousand suns with the presence among us of the god of light [Music] [Music] the [Music] my [Music] is [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] please be seated as we continue with vehicle on page 30. [Music] mind with all your soul and with all your strength said these words which i command you this day upon your heart teach them faithfully to your children speak of them in your home and on your way when you lie down and when you rise up find them as a sign upon your hand let them be assembled before your eyes inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates be mindful of all my meets vote and do them thus you will become holy to your god i adonai and your god who brought you out of the land of egypt to be your god i adonai your god thank you we continue on page 39 our sage is taught it is proper to mention the exodus from egypt in our morning prayers and also at night we celebrate the going out from egypt in the morning light full of confidence and vigor as we enter the new day but in the evening weary from the day's exertions cast down and fearful at the coming of the night what can the exodus teach us then our nighttime prayer brings hope and trust in the future as god did not abandon our people long ago through the long dark night of exile so the holy one will be with us in time to come to stand by the one you love that is the true essence of essence of faithfulness the meaning of emunah so it is written in the psalms to proclaim your kindness in the morning and your faithfulness in the nights sing with joy in the mornings of your life when light surrounds you and the world seems beautiful and good and in the evenings of your life when you dwell in sorrow and the world seems dark do not despair [Music] no [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] i is [Music] on the top of page 43 when fears multiply and danger threatens when sickness comes when death confronts us it is god's blessing of shalom that sustains us and upholds us lightening our burden dispelling our worry restoring our strength renewing our hope reviving us [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] i [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] um [Music] we continue with our to feel on page 40 six please rise if you are able either physically or in spirit my lips that my mouth may declare your praise [Music] my [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] my [Music] oh [Music] a m [Music] um [Music] me [Music] [Music] yay [Music] you are holy your name is holy seekers of holiness praise you day by day we continue together on the bottom of the page and so in your holiness give all creation the gift of ah turn our fear to reverence let us be witnesses of wonder perceiving all nature as a prayer come alive we bow to the sovereignty of your strength the primacy of your power we yearn for connection with all that lives doing your will with wholeness of heart awe inspiring is your creation encompassing your transcendent name page 58. you are holy your name is odd there is nothing divine beyond you as the prophet isaiah taught the source of all might is exalted through justice the god of holiness made holy through righteousness please be seated we continue on page 62. your love eternal our god you've given us this yom kippur a day on which our wrongs are forgiven with love a day of sacred assembly a day to be mindful of our peoples going out from egypt we join together our god and god of the generations before us may a memory of us ascend and come before you may it be heard and seen by you winning your favor and reaching your awareness together with the memory of our ancestors the memory of your sacred city jerusalem and the memory of your people the family of israel may we be remembered for safety well-being and favor for love and compassion for life and for peace on this day of atonement page 64. get ready everyone [Music] and redeem us for life of goodness and blessing amen favor us with words of deliverance and mercy show us the depth of your care god we await your redemption for your reign with grace and compassion we continue on page 72 that's right we continue with a little bit of silent prayer feel free to offer the prayer in your heart or to read there's a beautiful readings on page 73. page 78 [Music] is [Music] oh oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] we continue with our video on page 82. our god and god of all generations may our prayers reach your presence and we in turn to you do not be indifferent adonai we are arrogant and stubborn claiming to be blameless and free of sin and truth we have stumbled and strayed we have done wrong [Music] foreign [Music] [Laughter] [Music] know [Music] [Laughter] [Music] don't [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] i [Music] oh [Music] what's new [Music] i [Music] tia [Music] i [Music] we continue together on page 86. because the short view dewey canter is just not long enough for these sins our god we ask for forgiveness the ways we have wronged you deliberately and by mistake and harm we have caused in your world through the words of our mouths the ways we have wronged you by hardening our hearts and harm we have caused in your world through careless speech the ways we have wronged you through lies and deceit and harm we have caused in your world through gossip and rumor the ways we have wronged you by judging others unfairly and harm we have caused in your world through disrespect to parents and teachers the ways we have wronged you through insincere apologies and harm we have caused in your world by mistreating a friend or neighbor the ways we have wronged you through violence and abuse and harm we have caused in your world through dishonesty and business for all these failures of judgment and will god of forgiveness forgive us pardon us lead us to atonement [Music] we continue on page 88. the ways we have wronged you openly and secretly and harm we have caused in your world by losing self-control the ways we have wronged you through sexual immorality and harm we have caused inner world through consumption of food and drink the ways we have wronged you by giving in to our hostile impulses and harm we have caused in your world through greed and exploitation the ways we have wronged you through cynicism and scorn and harm we have caused in your world through arrogant behavior continuing on page 90. the ways we have wronged you by hating without cause and harm we have caused in your world through offensive speech the ways we have wronged you with the slanderous tongue and harm we have caused in your world through a selfish or petty spirit for all these failures of judgment and will god of forgiveness forgive us pardon us lead us to atonement [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] i invite all of us to turn to page 94 and just take a few moments to read that page is [Music] page 98. [Music] so oh [Music] no [Music] [Music] my [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] okay [Music] reno [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] [Laughter] [Music] we continue on page 113. please rise hear our voice some of us have cancer some have lost strength of body some have lost memory and speech some of us are in pain some can't find work some of us bear the marks of human cruelty inside where the scars don't show some live with depression some battle addiction many feel alone some have known shattered trust betrayed hopes destroyed some of us have lost the ones we love far too soon and some have lost a child all of us have seen suffering in our midst all of us know the ravages of war for which there are no words avinu malkenu why avina maukainu are you there do you care avina malcano hear our pain hear our anger hear our grief aveeno malcano here is our prayer give us the strength to go on give us reasons to get up each day give us purposes and persistence help us defend our fear and to hold hold on to hope help us to be kind don't make us bow or grovel for your favor give us dignity and give us courage show us the way to a year of goodness renew our belief that the world can be better restore our faith in life restore our faith in you [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] uh what is god a big daddy in the sky a process in nature the universe itself a judge a spirit a buddy a listener a healer something humanity created to help us cope with life a figment of one's imagination what is god many of us do not spend a lot of time discussing god but as we age and experience life-changing moments we often question god especially when we are feeling bad or are in pain or experience a death of a family member or a dear friend throughout our lives as we grow and change so too our idea of god changes with us and it seems for many that on one level we never answer the question what is god not because there's not a specific answer but because in the end the answer does not matter why doesn't it matter because in the end what we believe has no impact on another what does have an impact is what we do with our beliefs the actions we take we know this well if we look at the behavior of extremists in our country alone hence in reform judaism a good belief in god is defined from the action that belief leads us to or a belief in god is only as good as the action that belief motivates us to do that is why we stress doing actions that reflect what we believe if i believe everyone is equal then i understand the importance of acknowledging the land that i am on as part of the muakkuma ohlone tribe's land if i believe that our bipark citizens are equal then i need to acknowledge my white privilege so too if our belief in god is not comforting us then it's time to try a new belief israel when defined in english means one who struggles or wrestles with god by definition the people israel means that we are to struggle with what god is it is not about having the one answer this is not a black and white issue being human is about wrestling with such beliefs as theology philosophy cosmology each of us are influenced by the world around us and the times we are living in if we are students of history and aware of our own current situation then how could we not question belief in god i first learned the art of questioning god when my father died six days before my 13th birthday a couple of months before my bar mitzvah i remember that moment so clearly but so too i recall while studying for my masters in education at the conservative seminary in los angeles learning all about biblical criticism that is when i began to look at the theology of our scriptures from a new lens i found it liberating to learn from scholars of biblical criticism that humanity wrote the torah and when we look at the last pew study we know that u.s jews see being jewish as more a matter of ancestry culture and values than a religious observance six in ten say for example that being jewish is mainly a matter of culture or ancestry compared with fifteen percent who say it is mainly a matter of religion roughly 7 in 10 say remembering the holocaust and leading an ethical life are essential to what it means to them to be jewish while far fewer say observing jewish law is a central component of their jewish identity and two-thirds of jews say that a person can be jewish even if he or she does not believe in god statistically jews who believe in god are at 34 who believe with absolute certainty 38 percent believe but with less certainty 23 percent don't believe among college graduates 25 believe with absolute certainty 43 believe with less certainty 27 percent don't believe so what does this really mean how are we to understand judaism's great proclamation of monotheistic faith what difference does monotheism make we put so much focus in the fact that we do we believe in one rather than many gods what is the big deal with this great monotheistic revolution arthur greene writes writer of judaism's 10 best ideas states the following the only value of monotheism is to make you realize that all beings every creature and that means the rock and the blade of grass as well as your pet and your annoying neighbor are all one in origin you come from the same place you were created in the same great act of love god bestowing god's own grace on every creature that would ever come to be that is what the shema means by proclaiming god is one but how do we render that mysterious name yudhave yahweh once badly reproduced in english as jehovah the mystical tradition within judaism insists on translating god's name as being really it's not a name at all not even fully a noun yoda hey vav hey is an impossible conflation of all the tenses of the verb to be in hebrew hey hey means was in hebrew hey ho indicates the present is means will be put them all together and you get the implausible and therefore mysterious verb form jude hey vavhay yaved it probably would best be translated as was is will be but since that's a little awkward to say each time being will have to do a being that embraces all of time and space as one then reaches beyond them into impenetrable mystery the meaning here is profound god and existence are not separable from one another god is not some entity over there who created a separate distinct entity called world over here there are not two there is only one the mystics insist on carrying monotheism that one step further to say you believe in one god but then to depict that god as an old fellow with a beard seated on a throne or in any other single way taken literally is just concentrated it's just a concentrated form of idolatry it's like the midrash where abraham says to his father the big idol smashed all the others you may remember the story abraham's father terah had a idol shop one day his father was called away for a while and left his son in charge abraham smashed all the idols except the largest one placed in a big stick in the hand of the large idol when his father returned and saw the damage abraham explained the big idol destroyed all the rest of course it didn't his father said it's only an idol aha cried out abraham and that aha was the beginning of the monotheistic revolution the same is true in each of our spiritual lives if it's just about numbers all you've got left is one big idol far too many people leave it at that the real change has to be in the way you see existence itself in fact green continues on the way you say existence in hebrew is hey bhav just a rearrangement of the four letters of god's secret name yudhave to see god when you look at existence is a grand rearranging of the molecules seeing the big picture instead of the many smaller ones god is being when you see the whole picture the way it all fits together with the eyes of wonder of course we can't ever really see all of that big picture the hole is infinitely more than the totality of its parts now to be a servant of being is not a bad idea it means to treat all existence with respect to show a combination of love and reverence to each creature to be a conveyor of universal compassion great but something happened along the way once people started saying lord they began to picture that elderly nobleman the white bearded white guy on a throne they became his servants not servants of being worshipping the image of god rather than the mystery behind it how easily religions slides into idolatry as arthur greene states quote don't look beyond the stars there's no need to stretch your neck god is right here filling all of existence with endless bounty look around you look within open your eyes find god's presence in each and every creature and in the unified transforming vision of all that is that's what it means to belong to israel the people who struggle with god unquote i think green coming from our mystical tradition gives us much to think about so too one of the great west coast rabbis harold schulweis a blessed memory stated the following once i conceive of god as a person like myself he becomes open to criticism the paradigm case in the bible is that of abraham confronting the sovereign god with righteous indignation shall the judge of all the earth not do justly god as a moral person is drawn too close for comfort if god is to retain his sovereignty his vulnerability to criticism must be shielded showwise proposes a shift of focus from noun to verb from subject to predicate from god as person to godliness not the qualities of divinity but the divinity of the qualities is essential to belief to illustrate this inversion let's turn to the translation of benedictions how are the blessings of the prayer book to be understood in accordance with the idea of godliness one of the first blessings we all learn is a benediction over the bread the mozi blessed are you adonai our god sovereign of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth with the idea of godliness in mind we direct our attention not to the noun but to the activity that brings forth bread from the earth what are the events that bring this bread to the table the benediction is a meditation on the transactions between nature and human beings in the process the transactions involve the givenness of the earth water sun and seed attributed to elohim god and the preparations of the soil the weeding and plowing grinding and baking attributed to adonai the god that through human beings transforms nature to believe in godliness is to believe in the verbs and adverbs that refer to the activities of divinity to behave in a godly fashion is to realize in one's life the attributes of godliness that are potential in all human and non-human energies the arguments for god's existence and goodness are not furnished by inductive or deductive logic the evidence is in our mouths hands and feet the evidence is found within our own personal experience individually and collectively we are the verifiers of god's reality the prophet proclaimed in god's name you are my witnesses the midrash added if you are my witnesses i am god and if you are not i am as it were not god according to show wise religious beliefs are conditional they demand our behavioral testimony what does it mean that you or i believe what does the answer tell me about you or myself not whether we believe not whether we obey but what kind of god we believe in and what imperatives we are prepared to obey if our beliefs in god do not motivate us to be the best we can be and to work towards tikkun olam repairing the world then we should question our beliefs in god as you've heard me say many times are the name mitzvah students are taught that as jews we can believe up to one god i've discussed in the past one of the many influential professors i've had alvin j rhines who taught of a freedom covenant that gives another way to reflect on what god is and how that influences our behavior the freedom covenant to remind you is the idea that we each have the right to believe what we want to believe so long as we do not take that right away from another person this is the one piece of dogma that i personally advocate well maybe there's a couple others i understand reform judaism as a polydoxy not an orthodoxy we have many beliefs available to us orthodoxy is the idea that we have one belief can you imagine wait they remember two jews in the room three opinions how could we possibly be limited to just one idea of god as a polydoxian community we affirm our belief that each of us struggles with our own beliefs and we are part of an extended family that also understands that our behavior is more important than our belief so believe what you want to believe but question your belief if it does not motivate you to be your best so too if our beliefs are not comforting in times of grief or if our beliefs are more about pointing fingers than being self-reflective then time for a new belief as we form jews we must embrace the struggle of existence and what god is but we do it in the comfort of our extended family that is what it means to be part of a congregation we do not need to focus on our differences or similarities we need to only understand that all of us are in the same boat trying to understand our existence in light of our tradition and our own experiences in the end it is the act of struggling that is key not the definition because all we know about god is what we personally experience for me god is the energy present in nature when we help another when we study with torah and ultimately in our actions towards each other may this yom kippur inspire us to struggle with what god is in our lives and made that struggle lead us to a life filled with good actions and loving energy within us amen [Music] my hey [Music] um [Music] so [Music] hey [Music] hey [Music] i'm kim jackman and it's my honor to represent the board of trustees this evening i'd like to welcome all of you to temple emmanuel's high holy day services we are delighted to be sharing this high holiday observance with you via online live streaming though we are not all physically together we are worshiping together as one congregational family we want to express our thanks to our wonderful clergy team and to the temple administrative staff for their preparations for services this year if by chance you do not have your high holidays prayer book available at home there is a digital flip book version available on the website our yom kippur children's services will begin at 9 00 am tomorrow and our congregational service will start at 10 a.m we look forward to seeing you there we invite you to join us tomorrow on zoom at 1 pm for a panel discussion on the environment hosted by our social action tycoon alum committee we'll discuss what we can do to make the world a better place and we can find more sustainable and resourceful options pre-registration on the temple website is required we hope to see you later tomorrow for our healing service at 3 15 and then for yeast core nila and havdala beginning at 4 45 the festival of sukkot begins on monday evening please check online for our sukkot and simchatura programming wishing you all a gemara katima tova and a sweet new year we'll have an opportunity to hear more of the beautiful music that we've heard this evening tomorrow at 4 p.m for a musical interlude we'll have a wonderful string quartet to offer some some music for some contemplation well we had a version of our last year that peter did for us that was kind of cool but we've done that since 1999 so it's a pretty special tradition and we will bring it back tomorrow before you score thank you kendrick remembering that we continue on page well i think we should do a lane now you ready let's do it page 117 we continue with eleno please rise either physically or in spirit if you're able [Music] [Music] um [Music] page 119. may the time not be distant our god when all shall turn to you in love when corruption and evil should give way to integrity and goodness when lies and bigotry should no longer enslave the mind no idolatry blind the eye so may all create in your image become one in spirit and one in friendship forever united in your service then shall your dominion be established on earth and the word of your prophet fulfilled adonai will reign forever [Music] oh [Music] page 121 this holy night concludes with memory our last thoughts always are of those we have lost we miss them especially tonight yearning for their presence at our side the service we have shared once was theirs they spoke and sang the ancient words they prayed repented and yearned for better lives as we have done flawed in their deeds and perfect in their faith they still drew strength from their tradition as we seek fortitude in ours what was good and beautiful in their lives once gave us joy and now inspires us to reach higher the knowledge that they loved us deeply brings comfort to our hearts so we light candles of remembrance and gratitude and we speak this timeless truth the memory is a blessing now and forever we pray that their goodness will live on in our lives planting seeds of kindness and hope for generations to come as we join together on page 122 with our mourners kaddish i remind you in the middle of those two kind of gray words that are added for this version please join me is please be seated as we continue on page 127. [Music] hey [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] our god and god of our ancestors eternal god of all generations may your presence in our lives this new year renew our spirits and renew our strength may it be a good year may it be a sweet year we'll see you all nine o'clock for children's service 10 a.m [Music] foreign [Music] you

Channel: Temple Emanu-El San Jose CA

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Keywords: Temple Emanu-El, Temple Emanu-El San Jose, TEE San Jose, Temple Emanu El, Jewish New Year, Shanah Tova, Torah Study, High Holy Days, Jewish, Reform Judaism, Jewish Services, Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Magat, Torah, HHD Services, Torah Service, Kol Nidrei, Kol Nidre, San Jose, Judaism, Yom Kippur, California, Cantor Leah Shafritz, High Holy Days 5782

Id: JzIeWyb8LQ0

Length: 96min 1sec (5761 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 15 2021