Yom Kippur Family Service (September 16, 2021)

me [Applause] oh [Music] oh [Music] me [Applause] oh [Music] [Applause] [Applause] me [Applause] is [Music] i [Music] hallelujah [Music] raise up your voice so all people shall hear and read up your voice [Music] [Music] my name is dan jones president of our congregation on behalf of our clergy board of directors and staff of congregation beth israel i'd like to welcome you today before our services begin i'd like to share some information with you in case you are a newcomer to our community [Music] as you came on campus today you were required to wear a mask entrance onto our beloved campus is conditional on all entrants aged 2 and over wearing a mask masks are required both inside and outside for the vaccinated and non-vaccinated you will notice that our choirs and musicians will also be wearing masks when they are on the bema you will notice that our clergy and some service leaders are not wearing masks but that is the only exception to our rule please know that our clergy and service leaders have all had and will continue to get tested just prior to each holiday we have created multiple spaces on campus for you to observe the high holy days please find the one that most fits your comfort level in regards to social distancing we ask that you please follow the instructions of our staff and volunteers regarding our social distancing guidelines we respectfully require that if you are unwilling or unable to wear a mask while on our campus that you participate in our high holy day observances through our extensive virtual offerings in the unlikely case of an emergency please note the exits at the rear of the sanctuary in each corner these are in addition to the three entry doors at the front the social hall has emergency exits at each corner of the room upon exiting for whatever emergency please move a safe distance away from the building and follow any staff member instructions you may be given thank you for your attention thank you for your cooperation and thank you for your understanding the shannatovah may this be a good and sweet year for all of us [Music] do we really need to start it now it's five minutes long we're supposed to do it i can make it five minutes long i that's clergy [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] so so [Music] everyone we hope that your yom kippur day is continuing with meaning and with beauty and for those who are fasting we hope that it is easy for you i want to welcome our youth in teen choirs and our instrumentalists who give us such joy and beauty during the day and welcome everyone who is coming from home in the courtyard in the chapel and wherever you are in the world to join our service as we enter this holy space today we are thankful for a gift from god on yom kippur god gives us the gift of a second chance whether on purpose or by accident this year we have all made mistakes we have hurt our parents grandparents brothers sisters friends loved ones yom kippur is a time to look back at our mistakes and learn from them today is our chance to tell god to tell our creator that we are ready to change page 16 or zarua [Music] is oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] is is [Applause] is [Music] foreign is we should have seen [Applause] [Applause] [Music] on the screens is a reading we read responsively yom kippur is a day of thinking and remembering yom kippur is a day to remember how we yom kippur gives us an opportunity to think about how we could have done a little better yom kippur is the day to think about who we want to be this year yom kippur gives us opportunity to say i am sorry and to start over again as we begin our service today we ask god to listen carefully to our apologies our prayers and our promises for the new year we join together in psalm 150 praising god page 170. [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] we are [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] we rise in body mind or spirit for our bar foo and call each other to worship [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Laughter] i [Music] god we pray responsively the top of the screens god's love stretches from top to bottom it stretches and grows and melds the beginning and end god's love reaches from start to finish it reaches and spreads forgetting just where it began god's love teaches with stories and laws and rules and prayers it teaches us best how to live in love we listen week two can stretch we too can reach and we too can teach as we seek the new year ahead wraps us up in your peace like a great big tallit holds us close with this prayer in your love page 186. [Music] [Music] our [Music] eyes teach us [Music] gather us in please [Applause] our eyes teach us [Applause] you have to give me [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] please be seated and i invite ella berkowitz and jackson winter to lead us in the vehicle page 188. [Music] where are you is [Music] as we begin to prepare for me our prayer of redemption let us pray responsibly long ago we were slaves in egypt after ten terrible plagues pharaoh finally told moses that we could be free we could be free to celebrate shabbat we could be free to pray to god we could be free to be jewish but just as we got to the sea pharaoh changed his mind again his chariots and soldiers were coming to take us back to egypt back to slavery just then the sea parted and we safely crossed to the other side we couldn't believe it we sang who today there are people who are not free we promise that with your help we will work hard to make sure that everyone is set free then all the world will sing with joy [Music] [Music] say [Music] i don't know what is holiness rebnothman taught that we reach out in three directions up to god out to other people and into our own hearts the secret is that all three directions are truly the same when i reach out to another person i find myself and god when i find god i find others and the true me when i find myself i find other people and god we rise in mind body and spirit for our amidah beginning page 198. [Music] [Music] m [Music] oh oh is take me [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] hello [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] leave me [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] foreign oh my i [Music] oh [Music] [Music] these roads are [Music] we turn to the words of the rosh hashanah this text is the core of the high holy day liturgy it says that this is an awesome day not awesome but awesome in its original true meaning this is a day full of awe as we are in the season of the yamim nora'im the days of awe and nowhere else is that ah encapsulated then in our prayers we turn to the words of unitana tokef which can be found on our screens above or if you're joining us virtually below [Applause] they are [Music] together [Applause] [Music] god foreign [Music] together today you open the book of life so that we can read what is written on its pages today you ask us to open our hearts and reflect on what we have said and done this past year on rosh hashanah it is written and on yom kippur it is sealed but throughout the year the book of life is open and the choices we make leave a mark on our world and so we ask ourselves and each other who will choose to live a good life whose hands will cause hurt and whose hands will help heal who will speak up and who will be silent who will be wise enough to learn from others who will be strong enough to make good choices who will be greedy and who will be grateful who will break people down and who will build people up who will choose to be a blessing [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] lord [Music] [Music] [Music] through return to the right path through prayer and through righteous giving we can earn a new page in the book of life and write a better story in the new year please be seated we take a few moments for silent prayer and reflection the privilege of blessing the israelite people was given to the high priest aaron and to his sons and through their generations and passed to the rabbis of the worldwide jewish communities today it is our privilege to give you a blessing even [Music] may god bless you and guard you may you receive the light of god's kindness and grace may god's presence ever be with you all granting you health joy love and as always the blessing of peace and we say amen [Music] our yala prayer continues from last night we pray that the prayers of last evening come to this morning and rise until tonight [Music] [Music] me [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] we [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the [Music] okay reign [Applause] [Applause] oh [Applause] [Applause] yes [Music] oh so [Applause] on our screens above we have an enter into that space avinu malcano our parents are sovereign invite you to join along [Music] avinu malkenu hear our voice we have missed the mark before you help us bring an end to sickness violence and hunger avinu volcano let our hands overflow with your blessings avinu malcano help us write our names the book of lives well lived i invite you to rise as we continue together on page 252. [Music] [Music] [Music] um [Music] so [Music] is me [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] you foreign m [Applause] foreign [Music] will you please be seated to everyone that's about so in thinking about this morning thinking of our our family service and where we are i have a wonderful that i think is a wonderful story this morning it's called the scratch on the gym and it was adapted by a colleague of ours and rabbi max weiss and one story that i think is really fitting with the moment that we're in so you're listening you're here okay i just want to make sure so where this story is incredible because it talks about a ruler once there was this wonderful incredible ruler who led their land with justice and patience and kindness and compassion in their land things got done roads were tended to people had enough to eat and people knew they could count on their ruler to help them take care of their needs but the ruler had a secret being in charge was hard work they were always second guessing themselves they were not always sure they were making the right decision they knew that being just a ruler meant that some people would not be happy sometimes when the ruler was having a particularly hard time making a decision trying to figure out what to do they would go to their private room open the bottom drawer of their dresser reach way to the back and pull out a beautiful velvet box inside the box was a little velvet bag inside the bag was a blue gemstone about half the size of the ruler's hand they would take that gem sit in their favorite chair and look deeply into its facets its faces turning it back and forth so that it caught the light and reflected images of the land back to the ruler's eye the ruler used the gem to calm and clear their mind and allow them to focus on the problems that they had to address after one particularly long and hard day spent discussing money and a building project the ruler reached into the drawer opened the box took out the velvet bag and as they were opening the drawstrings on the bag the beautiful gem slipped out and fell on the flagstone floor the ruler was aghast when they picked the gem up off the floor there was a huge scratch across the largest face of the jewel the ruler cradled the jewel in their hand went to their favorite chair and stared at the jewel trying to empty their mind as they had in the past but all they could see was the scratch not the reflections not the light there was no clearing of their mind just to scratch that night the ruler couldn't sleep all they could think about was their ruined gem the next day when people came to their beloved ruler with problems to solve the ruler could not help they could not focus they were overwhelmed this went on for days and once orderly land began to have some problems with things not getting done as they should finally the ruler began to talk about the problem and shared the secret of the gem the ruler's assistant put out a call across the land to see if anyone could help one by one the greatest gem cutters from all across the land came to help their beloved ruler and one by one they left with their heads hanging low in sadness they all said the scratch was way too deep and then nothing could be done one day as the ruler became sadder and the land became more chaotic an artist came by and asked if they could help the ruler's assistant was doubtful after all the greatest gem cutters in the land said nothing could be done but the assistant gave the artist a stone anyway what did they have to lose the artists locked themselves away in a room for three days asking for only food and water on the third day they came out and presented the ruler with the blue stone the ruler took the stone to their favorite chair turned it this way in that its fastest reflected sparkles of light around the room and into the ruler's eyes and slowly for the first time in weeks a smile spread across the ruler's face astounded the ruler's assistant asked to see the stone the scratch was still there but around the scratch the artists had cut leaves and petals once there where once there was only a scratch there was now a beautiful flower reflecting light the ruler's assistant thanked the artist and asked how they made that miracle and made this miracle the artist said it is no miracle sometimes things we think are flaws can be transformed into things of beauty the scratch could just be a scratch or it could be part of something beautiful the same is true for people things we think are flaws or wounds can sometimes be transformed into things of radiant beauty this is one of the central messages of yom kippur so with the people you came in with today and if you didn't come on with anyone maybe you can turn around or sideways or back or forth or youth choir can turn to some i'm going to ask you for a few moments just a few moments and those who are with us in our virtual community i'm going to ask you in your homes to gather as well share something this past year that was flawed in your life something that was flawed but that you figured out how to work with or through that flaw can be like the stone or it can be a flawed situation or a person that perhaps challenges you how did you find a positive outcome to that situation so spend a minute or two you have permission go ahead [Music] um [Music] [Music] and we came up with some approaches that she could take to improve so that's only a few weeks ago so you know she's doing fine so hopefully it'll continue it's hard to do yeah that's the one that comes i'll offer about 30 more seconds yeah and i laid into them at the end of rehearsal like really hard like harder than i needed to and so the next day i called everyone over and i apologized because i laid in way harder than i needed to so i was and like people were feeling down because i've had bad rehearsals so like i knew how it was to have like just people lay into you at the end of that rehearsal and so i said you know i'm sorry for the [Music] they did they went out and uh we had like one of the most productive and focused rehearsals we've had so so then i thank them okay as we come together i am hopeful some of our youth choirs said it would take them a day to get through all the flaws and that would take a little time i'm sure on much like some of them including myself probably two minutes isn't enough to even scratch no pun intended rabbi gimbal uh the surface of of this uh moment but i think that throughout the day perhaps you can stir with that idea what is it like what is what do the flaws look like in the places that you want to create the beauty around when we when we partake in a commandment the idea of the commandment yes is to do it and to act upon it but actually the rabbis tell us that if we do a khidor mitzvah we beautify the mitzvah if we extend it so how do we take those flaws those pieces of our lives the people perhaps around us that may challenge who we are in us and activate something within us how do we transcend those moments and how do we create the beauty around the flaw and so i leave that for you on this yom kippur morning to perhaps perhaps be in your head as you go through the day today so we are beginning with the state of koreato torad this morning on page 255 as we prepare ourselves i invite you if you are able to please rise [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] say [Music] foreign is [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] hello [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] this morning's torah reading comes out of the book of numbers specifically out of in a few moments many of you will have the opportunity to hear the call atemnes today you stand but i felt it was something important to point out something telling about this morning's yom kippur toro reading throughout many discussions conferences and platforms the reform movement rejects the notion that the temple will be rebuilt and sacrifice is reinstated this led our reform movement to alter certain holiday readings that specifically deal with sacrifices as some of you may remember from your childhood if you grew up in a conservative or orthodox home that the traditional yom kippur torah portion deals with sacrifices alternatively the torah portion we read this morning focuses on the freedom human beings each of us have to make moral choices the selection emphasizes that we elevate life above a biological function into an ever growing series of conscious choices to improve our lot and the light of humanity so may it be for us that we choose life to animate our potential in making this world more kinder and more whole i delight in calling upon tammy vanner who will be our caller for this morning's torah readings it is my great honor and privilege to announce the torah readers and those chanting aliot this morning for the first aliyah our torah reader will be abby newlander and chanting the blessing before will be danielle bodeman and elijah exum and the blessing after ezra garnett and alex levine these students had their bene mitzvahs during the pandemic and remained resilient in their milestone movement we honor all of them as they come to the torah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] um [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Applause] [Applause] oh and the second aliyah for our torah readers will be kim karnow then chanting the blessing before and after will be sarah devin addison and sophie callahan yum do hashem this one [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] for our third aaliyah our torah reader will be julia galpern then chanting the blessing before will be anna gluesman and michael galpern and the blessing after stacy coleman foreign [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] oh for our fourth aliyah we would like to call anyone who is reflecting on a loved one in need of physical emotional or spiritual healing perhaps that might be you we invite you to rise in your place and have the honor of the aliyah our torah reader will be max rosenbloom [Laughter] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] in the presence of torah as we are reflective of those who are in need of rafa refwatenefish or tagu for recovery of mind body or spirit let us hold those names as individuals as people ourselves in our hearts as we join together in the prayer of mishabera [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] is help us [Music] let us [Music] say [Music] is [Music] and let us [Music] [Music] it is my honor to call to the bema the torah lifter andrew lowey and our tour dresser is hyde ojeda fournier [Music] [Music] is [Applause] is [Applause] [Music] [Music] he [Applause] [Applause] me we remain standing sorry that's okay that's a perfect segue because we remain standing for the section of our service known as the vidue the confession for all of the wrongs that we have caused throughout this past year knowingly or unknowingly together we read we've made mistakes we've done bad things but this is what the new year brings a chance to change a chance to grow with one first step nice and slow tap tap your heart on yom kippur it's time to restart we've used bad words and hurt our friends but these mistakes are not the end we do teshuva we learn to do good so we tap our heart to remind us we should tap tap tap your heart on yom kippur it's time to restart [Music] hide ah [Applause] all new [Music] [Applause] no [Music] career [Music] [Music] these are our she knew [Music] new [Applause] i [Applause] we turn to our words of confession and we ask god for all these things whether we knew what we were doing or not we ask for your forgiveness [Music] i [Music] [Music] [Music] i please be seated many synagogues around the world at this time in yom kippur make an appeal for their general operations for the things that they need most one of the things that attracted me to be part of the leadership here at beth israel was the fact that this congregation does not use that time to do that appeal there are other ways to reach to our community when we're in need but in fact looked at this time when the vast majority of our community is gathered as one to focus on our greater community in need to focus on those outside these walls that we as a congregation can support and so we are privileged that the work that we do at the hunger project each and every year continues to grow and amplify and the work that we will continue to do with father joe's will can will always evolve and grow as well good yanta my name is sari hartman and i serve on the board of directors and as chair of the social action committee so far the rabbis have guided us this high holy day season from the celebration of rosh hashanah to the reflection of tashley to the atonement of today i am here to take you a step further and provide an opportunity to live what we have been saying these past 10 days if you're like me every year you make promises to be better maybe to be a better parent a better child a better friend a better citizen today you have the opportunity to be a better neighbor today you can give hope to our fellow san diegans for whom the promise of better simply means knowing they will eat soon nearly half a million of our neighbors do not know when their next meal will come as we sit here with rumbling bellies we know that our discomfort will end soon we chose this temporary discomfort to underscore the importance of today and yet i am here to urge you to take it a step further to sit with that discomfort and imagine there is no known end to it imagine the hunger you feel today is your new normal imagine you don't have a feast planned for this evening a time where you will go from hungry to fed to overindulged in a short time and back to your regular eating habits tomorrow and what if you could take this current feeling and turn it into that something better if you could use this moment to ensure your food insecure neighbors do not feel this way that there is a promise of a next meal for them too for nearly 35 years beth israel in partnership with saint vincent de paul has worked to fulfill that promise of a weekly meal for our fellow san diegans the hunger project has been successful only thanks to you your contributions have provided over one million nourishing meals to our city's most vulnerable yet there's still more work to do as we as was true last year the pandemic has increased the need and the difficulty in fulfilling that need you can help you can live the teachings that we hear today about sharing our bread you can make better the lives of the guests of the hunger project our neighbors you can alleviate this discomfort that you feel in someone else i urge you to join me in donating to the hunger project today to fulfill the mitzvah of feeding the hungry to fulfill your own promise of doing better to have compassion for our neighbors and to put into action the words that we have spoken these high holy days may you never know involuntary hunger and may you and your families be inscribed and sealed in the book of life i'm deacon jim vargas president and ceo of father jones villages it's a pleasure to take a moment to express my appreciation to the faith community of congregation beth israel to rabbi jason navarros hunger project lead bill connors and founding member joan cutler thank you for 35 years of tremendous volunteer service in providing meals to neighbors in need at father joe's villages since beginning in 1986 hunger project volunteers have changed countless lives and making it possible for father joe's villagers to prepare and serve millions of meals great nutrition and sustenance to people living on the streets and connect our neighbors to services that help them towards employment and housing additionally under project volunteers have donated significant funds clothes shoes toiletries books and so much more that make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need last year your support was needed more than ever and your team stepped up to the plate on behalf of the people we serve i cannot thank you enough for everything you do for father george villages god bless you shalom well i've i've never spoken after a deacon before especially on the bhima so this is a first for me good morning enlishinato i'm dan jones president of beth israel it's my pleasure to introduce on the bema with me this morning our judy newlander and heather keith as well as sari hartman who joined us virtually they all serve on your board of directors i'd like to thank our choir and soloists our youth choir and soloists today for creating such beauty in our worship this morning thank you to our instrumentalists andy mayer buddy voight kate chason jeff myers and corey briggs to our soloists and our conductor this morning heidi gantwerk for your wonderful work we also especially thank iris and matthew strauss as sponsors of our high holy day music and dr lisa braun glazer and jeff glaser for generously underwriting the purchase of our high holy day prayer books when rabbi navarres was telling us that story earlier about flaws and how we we work around them and work through them it really made me think about how we find how we have to find grace in situations and when i i look out at all of us both here in person and also our online community and i think about how we have all found grace in this high holy day season amidst all the things that are going on around us it really gives me pause and and makes me very very thankful if you liked this service you can enjoy it again at 11 a.m but we also have other things going on today from 12 to 2 we have our food for thought sessions 2 30 to 3 30 we have our contemporary confessions and at four o'clock we begin our afternoon service around five o'clock we trans we we go into ysker and then we go into nila which is our concluding service our concluding service is scheduled to end around 6 15. we hope you join us for that for that the closing piece to our high holy day worship and if you missed the shofar on rosh hashanah this is your opportunity to hear it again at the end of the day we'll also offer light break the fast refreshments in the price family courtyard this is a transitional moment for me as i stop i don't have to talk about parking as much as i did before but i'm still going to remind you to validate your parking on your way out today for questions that you have throughout the day please stop by our solutions table in the courtyard on behalf of rabbi navarres rabbi cantor bernstein and rabbi gimbel our board of directors and the dedicated staff of beth israel we wish you and your family a meaningful and easy fast thank you at times like this we are painfully aware of those who are not sitting with us who sat with us in years past whose physical bodies are no longer with us but whose spirits are surely with us every day and especially at moments like our high holy days truly they light the way [Music] [Music] there are stars whose light still shines on the earth even though [Music] yes the light shines on and on there are people whose spirit inspires the soul even though [Music] the light will never [Music] [Applause] they light the way [Music] [Applause] when you're lost and you feel all alone in the world [Music] with nothing but the darkerness of night yes [Music] is [Music] [Applause] you [Applause] the way [Music] yes they light the way for you mankind [Music] we rise together and turn to page 122 for karishyatome [Music] i invite you to place your moxor down put your arm around the person if you are comfortable doing so next to you as we join together in our closing song the door of our vador [Music] we are blessings we are history [Music] we are learning to be strong we are words and we are stories [Applause] [Music] the door my door generation to these lips will praise your name [Applause] looking back [Applause] [Applause] to the waters that would me [Music] generation [Music] will praise your name [Music] may each of you be inscribed for goodness in this year ahead [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] a lot more to go

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Length: 108min 52sec (6532 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 16 2021