Yom Kippur PM

foreign [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so so [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Music] well things [Music] thank you [Music] so so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] um [Music] [Music] that's what happens i guess when the guitar is not tuned go for it dave [Music] [Music] love [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] welcome back our day of introspection continues whether you joined us this morning for prayer in this afternoon for music and study and contemplation or are just joining us now for the first time we welcome you i'm rabbi sarah berman and i'm so honored to be joining our senior rabbi angela book doll rabbi maurice salth and our senior cantor dan mutler on the bma this afternoon the prayers and texts and readings this afternoon will take us from the ancient temple in jerusalem as we revisit the ways of our ancestors the ways they lived and atoned through the places that we find and create holiness in our world into our memories of loved ones lost and finally cracking open the light and the joy of the year ahead if you are joining us from home and you have a portable arc i invite you to keep it handy throughout this afternoon services as its sides may help you along this journey that we take together a journey of memory of introspection and ultimately of hope the first stop is the gate of legacy inviting us to join our ancestors on their path toward forgiveness and redemption we are on page 158. [Music] open for us the gates of legacy o god so that we may enter and give thanks [Music] ya [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] god said let there be light and there was light light to drive away darkness and bring the cosmos out of chaos then god blessed humankind saying be fruitful and multiply inhabit the world and god said adam and eve in the garden of eden to tend it and watch over it you gave us powers we could not comprehend a skillful hand a probing mind a loving heart a soul aspiring to know and to fulfill its destiny [Music] [Music] [Music] my [Music] he [Music] [Applause] [Music] hello [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] [Music] adam and eve were exiled from the garden when their eyes were opened and they saw their nakedness then cain rose up against abel his brother and he killed him god said to cain where is your brother and the murderer cried out hashomer am i my brother's keeper then god called to abraham go forth from your country from your birthplace your father's house to the land i will show you and i will make a great nation of you and i will bless you and make your name great be therefore a blessing and god made a covenant with abraham and sarah and god said to them to your descendants i shall give the promised land in order that you might teach your children and all your household to follow keep the way of the eternal by doing what is just and right you inspired us a people born out of abraham and sarah to recognize a flame within and minister to it as a kingdom of priests and a holy people this was to be the meaning and message of our existence the calling of those who gave up home and to found people [Music] [Music] to a place you do not know on your journey i will bless you and you shall be a blessing you shall be a blessing you shall be a blessing [Music] and i shall make your name [Music] great and all shall praise your names [Music] and you shall be your blessing you [Music] you shall be [Music] our ancestors then descended into egypt but with a strong hand and an outstretched arm god brought us out from there from slavery we were raised up at mount sinai we heard the voice of god we were prepared to keep god's covenant the covenant promised to our ancestors to abraham to isaac and to jacob to sarah to rebecca to rachel and to leia from the book of the covenant moses read to all the people and we responded all that god has spoken we shall do and understand soon enough we turned from god's path we made ourselves a golden calf and worshiped it we abandoned god and moses threw down the tablets and shattered them god then said to moses carve a second set of tablets like the first opening the gates of repentance god said behold i enter into a covenant and reveal myself once more one eternal one a compassionate and merciful god patient abounding in devotion and truth assuring steadfast love for a thousand generations forgiving transgressions iniquity and sin and granting pardon [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] m [Music] redeemed from slavery we stood at mount sinai where the ancient promise was confirmed there we pledged to play a redemptive role in the world's unfolding destiny [Music] god selected priests to preserve the holiness of israel once a year the high priest made atonement in the holy of holies itself to atone for all of his sins and those of his household and for those of the entire congregation of israel [Music] trembling overtook the people as the high priest entered the holy of holies to face god alone and beg for our forgiveness god for all our sins we ask forgiveness and pray that the house of israel purified reconciled and reconsecrated may again become worthy to stand in your presence and to be the messenger of your teachings we pray not only for ourselves but for the jewish people whose destiny is our own and whose hope we share help us to return to you oh god then truly shall we return renew our days as in the past [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] in jewish tradition we have epic poems known as piyotim the epic poem ela ezcara tells of lives lost every generation has its martyrs and this pute this poem ensures that we remember them all we're on page 162. these things do i remember and my heart is grieved how the arrogant have devoured our people they wrapped rabbi hananya bentaradion in the torah he loved and lived by and taught with awe in defiance of the romans craving the teaching as fish crave water hananiah was not the first jew to be bound and burned by the amalek enemy nor would he be the last that was certain you may burn a torah but torah will not be consumed you may kill jews but the jews will survive and serve witness to the genesis patterns of creation and the isaiah prophecies of hope [Music] hey [Music] along [Music] [Music] m [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] m [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] to walk humbly with your god these words are written over the gate which leads out of the mysterious miraculous light of the divine sanctuary we have stood before god at the gates of the inner sanctuary sinking our atonement leads us home i have taken an oath to remember it all to remember not once to forget forget not one thing till the last generation till the grief disappears to the last to its ending until the punishing blows are ended for good i swear this year i'll not live unchanged the authentic individual is neither an end nor a beginning but a link between ages both memory and expectation for the jewish people every moment is a new beginning within a continuum of history be faithful be true love one another as you love yourselves endure ambiguity and make life shine through it stand fast and uncertainty be capable of unlimited love and hope [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] my [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] hi so we've just come through the story of our jewish people we started with creation came through all the way now to redemption but we know we are not fully redeemed yet redemption is not just something that happened once for us in egypt it is a continual process and as we sing this next song that closes out this section of our avodah service we sing of israel and again this year felt like a very hard year for israel sometimes what i do to remind myself this is not so bad is take a long view of the history and no we've gotten through much worse now when this song was written by naomi shemer it was the winter of 1967. no one was writing songs about jerusalem at the time the city was desolate jews were not allowed to go to the western wall or any of the holy sites and the mayor of israel teddy koppel begged naomi shemer to write a song to lift the people's spirits about jerusalem and she wrote this and just a few weeks later after she released it the six day war happened jerusalem was reunified and the paratroopers sang this song at the kotel with tears in their eyes the last time i sang this song was on my recent trip with 22 new york rabbis in israel the thing is this song of the empty streets naomi shemer wrote a fourth stanza after it was we brought back to life but that stanza still reminds us that we are not fully there yet the redemption has not completely happened and it cannot be until jerusalem is a city of peace for all people so let us pray for that as we offer this song [Music] one [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Applause] [Music] kingdom [Music] kingdom [Music] open for us the gates of awareness oh god so that we may enter and give you thanks [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] i [Music] no day [Music] we turn to page 167 and i invite you to rise if you are able [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] keep [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] today is a glorious day today is a day you have made so come let us sing and rejoice so come every soul everyone [Music] foreign [Music] please be seated the book of leviticus gets a bad rap to be honest it can be hard to find the good stories between those niggling detailed instructions for priests in a temple that no longer exists but this afternoon's torah portion from the heart of the book of leviticus is different sure it's still instructions but they're not about animal sacrifices and priestly purity these instructions are for how to live a life of meaning of care and of sanctity these verses known as the holiness code may be even more important for being a good person than the ten commandments at least when it comes to our actions towards other people it is my honor to invite carol and tom olmstead to join us to bless this most important torah portion and to invite hannah youngwood and quinn verona to read for us from our holocaust scroll as we listen consider where you see a personal call in this ancient text which of these commandments speaks loudest to you how might these words help you choose how to act and how to live this next year barracuda hamburg so hem [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] ah for our blessers and our readers thank you so so much for joining us your presence in our community and on our bma has been a blessing and i just did a full circle there you shall not insult the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind of all the commandments in the holiness code do not place a stumbling block is a call to inclusion it isn't just a nice idea but a demand from god that we make our world accessible to all who live in it because this world belongs to all of us whatever our abilities at this moment in our service we have the privilege of hearing from our fellow congregants interpreting the torah portion we have just heard to share a personal reflection on stumbling blocks it is my honor to invite david edelson to join us on the bma sorry good afternoon the holiness code in leviticus 19 14 commands us not to insult the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind god the original master of metaphor implores us not to mistreat or take advantage of anyone who is disabled whether physically or intellectually don't do it god is telling us how depressing that god feels compelled to remind us of this most basic level of human decency shouldn't we know better than to engage in such slight spiteful behavior my youngest brother josh has down syndrome he has 47 chromosomes while most human beings have 46. josh looks and sounds different and he sometimes acts differently now relax there's no need to brace yourself for a gut-wrenching story about josh's life his days have been filled with laughter family and friendships not to mention a reverence for professional wrestling and a passion for disco dancing if you met josh you would recognize immediately why the sages commanded us to protect those with differences josh has always been remarkable a ray of sunshine and a beacon of hope and positivity in a world where those attributes are often in short supply he personifies what is possible when stumbling blocks are removed me josh was born in 1967. back then those with down syndrome were all too frequently institutionalized and those institutions were all too commonly dehumanizing institutionalization never crossed my parents minds their approach from day one was straightforward josh is one of the edelson boys and he's going to grow up like his three older brothers stumbling blocks be damned apologies when josh arrived home i was eight years old and thrilled to have another brother no sense of gloom settled over the home mom and dad made sure we welcomed our new teammate with open arms my parents are the heroes of josh's story if they were here they could spend hours describing their fears and the countless stumbling blocks they confronted including insidious societal assumptions about josh's true potential my mother became a champion in new jersey for the rights of all those with intellectual and developmental differences no one was going to tell jill edelson that something was impossible at least not a second time my parents demolished hurdle after hurdle for josh and for others but rather than dwell on the battles i am certain mom and dad would spend far more time recounting how much joy josh brought into their lives if the family photo album is any indication josh was without doubt their favorite son mom and dad set high expectations for josh as they did for all of us in school and in all walks of life he was expected to make his bed hold his fork and knife properly eat his vegetables even lima beans from the can and always give a firm handshake and look someone directly in the eye and he was forced to sit politely at the dinner table with our grandparents often an uncomfortable flannel pants until all four of us were formally excused my parents were remarkable they far exceeded god's admonition not to insult or wreck stumbling blocks they epitomize what it means to affirm life by lifting someone up and letting them shine josh's life has benefited from others clearing his path not to mention his own hard work it has also benefited from the kindness and empathy of others as they recognized josh's differences make him special early on i wasn't so sure about the kindness of strangers as an older brother i was always on edge about kids making fun of josh for being different josh attended the local junior high school when he was in his teens he was in a special class but was mainstream for certain subjects teens can be quite mean and we were worried josh would be the object of their derision josh decided to become the manager of the 9th grade boys basketball team in that school the basketball players were the self-anointed coolest of the cool i was worried would they make fun of josh's awkwardness and exploit his gullibility my fears were unwarranted the kids fell for josh his radiant smile and his genuine enthusiasm he became part of the team and whenever someone did make fun of josh which sadly happened occasionally a phalanx of kids closed ranks and let the perpetrator know that making fun of josh and any of his classmates was well completely uncool josh attended high school on cape cod and then moved into a wonderful supported independent living community in hyannis which has been his home for the last 30 years about five years ago i went to pick up josh at the star market where he loaded where he worked bagging groceries and helping customers load their cars i sat and watched as customer after customer gave josh a hearty greeting and a warm hug and chatted his ear off as they made their way to the parking lot several of them told me how much they loved josh and look forward to seeing him during their regular visits to the supermarket josh was part of the fabric of their lives and their kindness truly warmed my heart as an aside josh's own impish nature came through that day he feigned fatigue toward the end of his shift and convinced his doting older brother to race around the parking lot collecting stray shopping carts while he directed me from afar i can still see the smile on his face josh is now 54 years old he's he is slowing down as alzheimer's takes his toll he recently moved into a small group home and requires round-the-clock care yet josh remains a happy and magnetic guy brightening the days of those around him still smiling laughing and hugging and exuding sweetness this has been his mo since childhood we all seek to gain perspective and wisdom along the road of life josh has helped me gain both just as he has done for so many others thank goodness stumbling blocks did not rob me of one of my excuse me thank goodness stumbling blocks didn't rob me of one of my greatest teachers as for the holiness code i have a suggestion to get leviticus as written instructs us what not to do instead from now on let's turn it around and read it as what to do we can help those with physical and intellectual disabilities and all those in need or who are different we can remove obstacles and show kindness we can walk in god's ways we can be holy thank you gemar khatimatova david thank you so much for that josh is a blessing to our world and your words have been a blessing to us thank you please rise so we can return our torah to the ark [Music] is [Music] 99 [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] please be seated we continue on page 172. open for us the gate of repentance oh god so that we may enter and give you thanks [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] as you may know the haftarah for the afternoon is the book of jonah if you are not familiar with this story we encourage you to read it it's in our master it's also of course in the hebrew bible and we have often taken an opportunity to find different ways of understanding this prophetic call and i have found that the prophetic voice has increasingly come from our youth these days especially when it comes to climate change there has been a group of central synagogue teens who initiated the central climate initiative we didn't ask them they came to us and demanded it said it is about time we do this together they're they are not only looking at ways that we can be more green in the building itself uh and we just installed we are installing some awesome new garden towers in our lobby that you will see that they put together and got for the synagogue but also looking at larger advocacy issues we should be addressing as a spiritual jewish community we are very proud of them there are many of them and rabbis ari lordch and rebecca rosenthal worked with the group to study the jonah text which is this haftarah and for them to use their prophetic voices to teach us based on this text today we have luckily two representatives from the group who are speaking to us today we have a few more in radio city music hall also as well today i'd like to invite up katherine auerbach and to bring up hannah youngwood once more to share their words [Music] m [Music] we are the central climate initiative a group of teams at central synagogue dedicated to climate justice through education advocacy and lobbying we strive to make central synagogue our broader community and the world a more sustainable place we want to raise community awareness around the urgency of the climate crisis and implement strong and specific policy to adequately tackle it over the last few months we've been studying the book of jonah the prophetic book we read on this afternoon of yom kippur the story of jonah begins with god commanding jonah to go to nineveh and tell the people to behave better and listen to god however instead of doing as god commands jonah flees to a boat when it reaches the high seas the boat encounters a storm that puts the whole ship in danger somehow the prophet jonah was able to sleep through the storm he was oblivious to the way the storm was destroying the boat terrorizing his fellow passengers and wreaking havoc on their property the captain discovers jonas sleeping soundly through the crisis and shouts at him how can you be sleeping so soundly wake up in many ways we are like jonah just as the captain wondered how jonah could be sleeping through such a treacherous storm we formed the central climate initiative because we see the world sleeping through the climate crisis and we want you all to wake up on yom kippur a day when we consider our personal and communal actions we are here to help wake up our community and our world to the storm of climate change and environmental injustice so that we can take action together why does this matter to us we are going to inherit this planet we are the ones who will face the brunt of the consequences of climate change our actions now as a global community will dictate whether my peers and i will grow old on a degrading planet or a thriving one filled with ecological diversity nature is restorative to the body and mind living without greenery and strong ecosystems full of life would not only be sad but would also negatively impact everybody as we rely on nature for food and natural resources well we can't yet vote we are still finding ways to make our voices heard right now we see many sleeping soundly through wild fires even when smoked plumes from the west coast reached the east coast we see so many sleeping through intense and regular hurricanes and tropical storms through droughts through extreme rain through coastal erosion through the pain and suffering of so many people as their lives are upended by the impacts of climate change we are making our voices heard because there is still meaningful action that we can take jonah eventually woke up and was able to prevent the destruction of the boat and all the passengers we have to do the same a first step to waking up to what is happening to our world is by not hitting the snooze button and by acknowledging that what is happening is not normal so much of what we've experienced in the past five years has almost no precedence rain where there should be snow once in a lifetime storms happening every few years habitats that survive for hundreds of generations disappearing in the blink of an eye whole species dying out in addition to natural disasters we also see environmental health effects such as increased insect transmitted diseases like zika virus an increased pandemic risk and increased asthma and allergy diagnoses none of it is normal we need to wake up to these climate induced or climate exacerbated natural disasters because we have solutions it's like our planet is slowly dying but we are still stuck in the first stage of grief denial once we realize we are in a crisis the second step is to take action we need to enact policy and implement transformative change now in order to secure a viable future for ourselves and for those who come after us we need to work on two levels first we can try reducing our waste by cutting down on plastic packaging supporting sustainable communities and composting if enough of us take these actions we can incentivize changes up market we can also take to the streets and protest to continue to sound the alarm but that alone is not enough in order to address climate change big and bold legislative action must be taken the second level of actions must be widespread policy and incentives to become more sustainable and we need to make sure that climate justice impacts all communities equally knowing that both globally and in our city low-income communities are taking the brunt of the effects of of the climate crisis we must urge politicians to vote in laws that can create real change in addition to the ways to be more sustainable in our own households there is work we are doing to make big changes in our community last february new york city passed the renewable rikers act which when rikers island closes will make it into a source of renewable energy for new york city new york city has also set goals to reduce emissions and while this policy change is a huge step in the right direction we still need your voices to put the pressure that ensures we hit our goals you can also help by supporting the climate and community investment act a new york state bill that will fund the transition to be fully carbon neutral by 2050. while some important legislation has passed we need your voices and support to continue to hold our politicians accountable we've also begun making changes internally at central we are reducing our waste by composting and recycling we've also set up a grow tower in the lobby of the community house to grow fresh produce for the breakfast program these and more initiatives will be up on our website and we would encourage you to visit it to keep up to date with us and to join us in our work like the captain on jonah ship we ask how can you be sleeping so soundly we don't have the luxury of sound sleep we are awake worrying there won't be a world for us to live on anymore we are awake worrying food sources will run out we are awake worrying we and our children will spend our lives narrowly escaping floods and natural disasters we are awake worrying cultures and communities and vulnerable areas will be extinguished we are awake worrying our neighborhoods will one day be submerged under the hudson river many of you in this room had parents and grandparents who trusted the world would be there to help you their descendants thrive many of you had children and grandchildren trusting you would leave a better world to the generations that came after you we know that may not be true for us and it is terrifying yom kippur is the day of atonement where we secure our fate and acknowledge our past sins where we look back on the past year and identify moments where we have fallen short or done wrong we must acknowledge the harm we've done and are doing to our planet and act to secure a better renewable and sustainable fate for the next year and the years to come on this yom kippur we must wake up to our call and make amends for our overlooking or ignoring of the climate crisis to the two of you representing our larger central climate initiative we want to thank you for insisting we do not stay asleep on our boat and close our eyes to the storms that are around us and we're counting on you to keep holding us accountable and we will be partners with you thank you the blessing after this prophetic and inspiring retelling of our hofstra today is on page 176. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] there's still a little more chuva for us to do we come to al-qaid the litany of sins and it's traditional that we as we do it we might beat our chests i often think of it as a way that we're sort of internalizing the ways we need to kind of beat ourselves up but i think that this year we've all been a little broken down and there's been so much pain instead of thinking of this as beating ourselves up let's think of it as in some ways consoling our hearts in some ways perhaps softening them when there is so much pain and suffering sometimes the easiest thing is just to stop looking to look away perhaps even harden our hearts one more flood one more forest fire how can we take it in so perhaps actually in this moment whatever it is that you need whether it's a softening or a gentle consoling we will offer these sins together and pray that our hearts can be opened enough to forgive to to see and to bring some healing 177 for all these sins oh god of mercy forgive us pardon us grant us atonement they are [Music] for the sins we've committed against you through arrogance and selfishness for [Music] [Music] [Music] for the sins we've committed against you by hardening our hearts for the sins we've committed against you through hypocrisy [Music] [Music] immorality [Music] for the sins we've committed against you through empty confession for all these sins o god of mercy forgive us pardon us grant us atonement [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] [Music] god [Music] we're on page 180. open for us the gates of remembrance o god so that we may enter and give you thanks [Music] [Music] i [Music] oh [Music] good day for jews no journey is complete without memory we stand before the gate of remembrance with humility awareness and repentance we reflect upon those who shaped our lives for people who are live streaming as the choir will now sing you'll see on the screen the names of loved ones connected to this community who have died within the past year those in the congregation will have a chance to listen to this beautiful music [Music] is [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] is [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] leave me [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] me um [Music] page 181 birth is a beginning and death a destination and life is a journey from childhood to maturity and youth to age from innocence to awareness and ignorance to knowing from foolishness to discretion and then perhaps to wisdom from weakness to strength or strength to weakness and often back again from health to sickness and back we pray to health again from offense to forgiveness from loneliness to love from joy to gratitude from pain to compassion and grief to understanding from fear to faith from defeat to defeat to defeat until looking backward or ahead we see that victory lies not at some high place along the way but in having made the journey stage by stage a sacred pilgrimage birth is a beginning and death a destination and life a journey from birth to death to life everlasting foreign [Music] me [Music] me [Music] is [Music] i [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] me [Music] lord [Music] so once upon a time there was a universe we are not sure about how it started or whether there is a reason for a physicist like dr chanda prescott weinstein who wrote these provocative words the search for meaning in the universe begins at the beginning it begins with the when and the how of creation it begins with infinity why does this all exist for physicists because of mass and energy and matter once upon a time there was a universe the holy one saw it was good but still empty so after creating light and darkness heavens and earth god created humanity double-sided beings that kept each other company god made sure no one was ever alone filling the world's hollow spaces this version of creation from bereshit rabbah points our search for meaning in a different direction the why of creation and the why of human relationships we begin with the intimate why do we all exist for jews it's because god made us to need one another in recent months i've fallen into a deep hole a black hole of physics i've read about einstein and bohr particle physics quantum mechanics the big bang the god particle i have been absolutely stunned by how many of the laws of our physical universe reflect the truths that judaism has long taught us from the world's beginnings through the ongoing work of creation all around us physics confirms jewish tradition it confirms our lived experience of the infinite intimate just as physics teaches that light exists on a spectrum of invisible to visible to invisible again we intuitively know that life also exists on a spectrum of possible to lived to remembered a story from tanhuma describes a place where the not yet souls journey and feast and study torah accompanied by angel guides when the moment of their birth arrives they have to forget all they have experienced in paradise in order to become babies here on earth and we also have a world to come many different versions actually where already lived souls gather or study or meet with the angels of the divine host in the garden of eden our tradition tells us that those we love exist even when their lives have not yet begun or have already ended our forebears found myriad ways to show that the people we love are never gone not really not entirely the world to come is a promise that they still exist even though we can no longer see them just as we feel the memory of sunlight on our skin even after we come indoors the world to come is a place in our hearts where the light and the warmth of our loved ones memories endure we know intimately that they are infinite the great teacher harav neil degrasse tyson has written that every one of our body's atoms is traceable to the big bang we are stardust brought to life and then empowered by the universe to figure itself out we are beings made of matter seeking what matters whether we are made from the earth of genesis or the stardust of physics we use our bodies and our minds and our hearts to seek connection to seek meaning to seek love the matter that makes up my body and your body and the bodies of everyone you have ever known and ever loved has existed since the beginning of time whether they were created 5782 years ago or nearly 14 billion years ago all of the space and all of the matter and all of the energy of the known universe has existed since the very beginning this matter matters though not as a theory of infinity but as the stuff that makes up the intimate the sofa you shared or the sidewalk you walked down together or the birthday meal they made you they're all made of matter that existed before us and will continue to exist long after but this reminds us that we are also eternal that we have existed since the beginning of time and we will continue to exist even after we die not just our matter but our memories our impact our imprint upon this world because we were created in order to connect and we carry the light of our loved ones in us even after they no longer shine brightly because light takes time to reach us from different from distant places in the universe if we look out in deep space we actually see eons back in time dr tyson teaches us time it's an enduring puzzle of physics but jewish wisdom knows that time travel happens whenever we revisit our memories we don't even need to look into deep space we travel back in time when we recall the joke we shared or see their handwriting preserved on an old card and we bring our loved ones forward in time when we sing their favorite song or give their name to a new generation the medieval jewish sage rashi reminded us that there is no before or after that time is not a line is a reality we jews know that physics is still struggling to explain once upon a time there was a universe when and how it was created or questions that physics can answer but why it was created that is a question we can answer because once upon a time god created humans and human relationships and in our relationships we created love like stardust the love we create between us is never really gone love doesn't die people do love lives on in us it is the intimate made infinite [Music] may the memories of your loved ones live on in eternity [Music] there are stars up above so far away we only see their light long long after the star itself is gone and so it is with people that we love their memories keep shining ever brightly though their time with us is done but the stars that light up the darkest night [Music] these are the stars as we live our days these are the ways [Music] we remember as we live our days these are the ways [Music] we remembered [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] as we live our days these are the ways we remember we remember we remember we remembered so page 185 source of life at this hour of memorial we recall with grief all your children who have perished through the cruelty of the oppressor victims of hate their deaths have brought darkness to the human soul they lie in nameless graves and far off forests lonely fields and among the rubble of destruction and yet they shall not be forgotten we take them into our hearts and give them a place beside the cherished memories of our own loved ones they become ours we pray to you source of mercy that your torah may come to glow with a renewed light in the human soul that remembering them we may sanctify your name in all the world thus will their memory become an enduring blessing of compassion to all your children we remember those who have died in years past and name with sorrow our loved ones whom death has taken from our midst this year these are members of central synagogue and their beloved family members stanford abram carol grossman abramson stanley alpert chris amsel arlene august carlin axelrod richard ballinger irwin martin ballot dan baum cybomb alvin becker henry zadie benish bonnie berman jerome bernheim john blauner robert blum lawrence brenzell barbara bright andrew brooks margot brosa harriet brudner larry kahn susan kara madden kenneth cohen gail cohn theater cohn maria konescu michael cooper alan seisler joseph de haan murray davidson carol denberg gloria diamond irwin diamond susan dorfman francis a doyle sylvia didowski elaine dershlag phyllis elstein alan epstein alyssa epstein gary fabian margaret fagenson gerald fengel miguel ferber neddy fuchs george fink lorraine fink jacqueline fox howard frank norma friedman janie first iris gear edna gamson howard ganz s jeffrey garfield david guyer annette gelber bernard gelber bernard gelfman lois geller elvira gellis lucy gladstone paul glosser barbara goldberg dan goldman carol gordon michael gordon carol phillips green seymour greer doris gross grossman harvey grossman joseph guntman ruth gurin henry hankin pearl hendler edward herbster vera herrer minnette alex hochberg lisa hochman serena hoffman william huff deborah jacobson pierre jerkovitz robert kalish ephraim camera b david kane samuel carlin ellis kern ted kirsch william kissel gustav klein miriam kleinfeld lori kogel nathan kornfeld diane kovacs i am david kirsch ann lowy nan leader miriam logano dan levin claire levin cynthia levine gertrude levine seymour levine miriam levy allen levy helen levy m lichtenstein barbara linhart edith cohen lippin helga loeb charles luetke jean lunin henry marks harvey marin raymers madone morgan l miller karen mindich mayor middlemen miriam moak peter morse aurora nario jeffrey newman dorothy norris shelley oranger susan patrikoff molly perlmutter gregorio podorowski sheila paul leon poland gerald pont rosemary ramjetan hermina writer joseph writer rita shane richman herbert s rosen harold j rosenblatt freda cosman rosenthal natalie cooper rosenthal marilyn ross cynthia rosberg rose roth susan schuster miriam schaefer anita shapiro lillian siegel ira silver mervin silverberg susan silverman lazar simon charles psyche robert skidtoll marvin snyder charles sobel mickey sawfire sheldon h solo herbert strauss ralph strauss philip talco adam tedesco doris thomas anna skeesis cheryl tuttle ivan ootis gracie arena loret voter votiaro marvin waltz tomorrow watson brian waxman wendy weiner lawrence weisberg lee weiss renee weiss joan wernick shirley werther arlene kutzteker weisz west reich robert witt daniel wolff barry roland ann yerman alan zapersky and lyla zuckerman taking these dear ones into our hearts with all our beloved we recall each with reverence in the rising of the sun and it's going down we remember them in the blowing of the winter and the chill of winter we remember them in the opening buds and in the rebirth of spring we remember them in the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer we remember them in the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn we remember them in the beginning of the year and when it ends we remember them when we are weary and in need of strength we remember them when we are lost and sick at heart we remember them when we have joys we yearn to share we remember them so long as we live they too shall live for they are now a part of us as we remember them we continue on page 186 with our personal yscore i'll read the first words on this page and then we'll continue silently thinking of our own dear ones is core elohim god remember forever these dear to me who have gone to their eternal rest [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] please rise [Music] me [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] me [Music] god full of compassion eternal spirit of the universe grant perfect rest under the wings of your presence to our loved ones who have entered eternity source of mercy let them find refuge forever in the shadow of your wings and let their souls be bound up in the bond of eternal life god is their inheritance may they rest in peace amen [Music] [Music] i mean [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] we have come to the final gate the ila in which we ask god to leave these gates open just a little bit longer and as we open these ark doors to signify symbolically the gates still being open before we finally shut them at the end of this service we encourage you if you are comfortable to stand for the entirety of naila which is traditional but please listen to your body and if you need to sit down please sit down and for our viewers wherever you are even if you're alone in your room or with others if you so choose to rise there is something about the feeling the physicality of this last service where we kind of give we put everything on the table and we are really in the last prayers and these melodies bring us not only a sense of promise but hope and even joy as we come to the conclusion of our service page one hundred and ninety one [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] know [Music] open for us the closing gate oh god so that we may enter and give thanks as the sun sets and we pass through the final gates of this day we ask you eternal one to help us live with faith in the year to come our tradition we emerge reborn may our eyes be open to see justice and may our hands be open to do meets vote may we trust in you oh god as the gates close let our hearts be open to your wisdom as we turn to artifila on page 192. i will just make an invitation for people who are in the room if you are on the sides or in the balconies or in the back to come up and fill we still have the best seats in the very front available and it is really nice to have you in close if you want to join us we continue on page 192. [Music] that my mouth may declare your [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] my [Music] [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] [Applause] [Music] me remember us remember us [Music] delights in life [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] m [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Music] um [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] [Music] hallelujah [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] we will continue with the words of our hearts with a few moments of silence with our gates still open we continue on our own [Music] so [Music] [Music] you [Music] living foreign [Music] leads jose [Music] my [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] a few personal words before we can conclude since we're almost at the end of the holiday i feel like i can now admit to you that before we got here i was really worried about these holidays and feeling preemptively disappointed that so many people were not feeling comfortable being here yet that we weren't quite done with this pandemic worried that we wouldn't be able to deliver what we needed so badly this year and this is where it really it's important to have a little faith because the holidays and you and all of you you brought us what this year needed definitely what i needed i just want to say thank you so much it is truly the privilege of my life to be the rabbi of this congregation to serve with the most incredible colleagues and team and there's a lot that we didn't always get right and if i in any way personally hurt you or if anyone on our team did or we let you down we hope that you will be in relationship with us enough to let us know and i say sorry and i do hope that you will continue to fill this sanctuary because i almost forgot what it feels like but it is so powerful and we need you to come back so when you're ready safely with your mast on come back we need you here it is not the same without you these services have truly been transcendent i hope you know we get so much wonderful feedback but it really takes a village to make this happen i just hope you will give me a few minutes to say a few words of thanks first of all as you came in you were greeted by our ushers and our shamashim they gave up a little of their experience to make sure we had a good one we thanked them and in particular michael and ellen hoffman who are our lead ushers and take care of all the ushers here and in radio city music hall i want to thank our incredible music director dave strickland and a word to misa iwama who is our assistant music director who does yeoman's work with everything over the high holidays in particular as well we happen to have you know it because you've heard it the most incredible musicians and choir that the country can provide and we are so lucky to live in new york city and to have them they bring their souls and hearts with them in their playing i want to give a big shout out to jesse lotter who is our director of av you can't even imagine the number of details he put together to make sure that not only everyone in here but everyone out there had the most powerful experience we also were assisted by the most incredible production team of george and emily landsberg who were with us for last year's high holidays and again for this and well we now have this as our standard we can't go back but we are grateful to them for bringing their professionalism and their care to our livestream experience i want to give a huge thanks to our executive director marcia caban who does so much behind the scenes to make the magic happen that you don't know and she leads an entire team with elizabeth brown in membership and others and a great administrative team a security team that kept us all feeling safe we didn't even have to think about it um an operations team and a maintenance team that made everything perfect these are the things you don't notice you just come in and it's all done i want to thank our extraordinary leadership of this congregation our board of trustees each one of them such extraordinary leaders led by our president shawnee dr shawnee silverberg we are so grateful that you were in this role i want to thank my clergy colleagues truly what you see from them on this bema is truly their soul they are just incredible human beings you get to see some of our team here but i know you've seen them all throughout the holiday what a what a gift it is to work with such incredible people i want to also thank our clergy assistants in particular over the holidays they do so much work to make everything happen and i just have to give a shout out in particular to laurie dubin who did all the honors and this year did them really on her own i want to make a personal thanks to my family to my husband jacob my children who support me always but in particular when i need it he's adorable always and and so much more and really lastly we want to thank all of you our central members you who are in this room you were in radio city music hall you who were watching us live streamed we also want to add to that this concentric circles of our neighbors who are part of our community and people around the world who have joined us and made central their home we would not be who we are without each of you we've felt your love and support thank you for making 5782 look good already thank you so let's finish it out and you know what's coming next one more of vinu malcanu when the cantor hits this note it's like we kind of know the heavens are going to stay open for us just a little longer page 198 please join with us let the gates of heavens be opened to our plea do not turn us away empty-handed from your presence forgive and pardon the time of our redemption be gracious and answer us for we have little merit treat us generously and with kindness and be our help [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Laughter] now the song that i always wait for tells us that we are in the ila page 200 god of awesome deeds god of awesome deeds grant us pardon as the gates begin to close god we stand in awe before your deeds [Music] [Music] um [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] i [Music] [Applause] open for us the gates of righteousness and we shall enter to praise our god open the gates open them wide we knock at your gates do not turn us away empty-handed open the gates oh god open the gates for us and for all israel open the gates of blessing for all the world open the gates of our hearts as we leave behind the gates that are closing may we face this year with insight and compassion accepting our vulnerability we emerge from these sacred days lifted by hope humbled in awe before your creation aware of our virtues and failures seeking and granting forgiveness strengthened by memory we ask of you [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] now as evening falls light dawns within hope and trust revive the shadows darkening our spirits have passed with the last rays of the setting sun the radiance of your forgiveness shines forth we are restored we are renewed how can we find words that thank you for your goodness and how can words alone be fitting thanks and so we make this pledge we shall thank you with our lives we will offer you the work of our hands open our heart our life our work with a constant love for you god of the universe creator of all life source of all being then shall our souls rejoice and sing you have turned my grief into dancing released me from my anguish and surrounded me with gladness eternal god i shall give thanks to you forever page 206 hear o israel adonai our god is one [Music] blessed is god's glorious majesty forever and ever [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] the eternal one is god [Music] [Laughter] oh [Laughter] elohim [Music] right wow well that is the sound of the end of the holiday that was amazing but we always do a separation and that is with havdalah and we'll join together i want to invite up our executive director marsha and her husband noel caban to come up and join us i'd also love to invite up my clergy colleague nicole and her family if they'd like to join us i'd invite to my family to come up and any of the other clergy family members who might be here and if you feel able to get close to the person next to you if you feel like that's safe i invite you to do that as we like the twisted wicks of this candle draw closer together as this holiday has brought us closer [Music] [Music] la [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] by [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh i'm sorry me neighbor foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Applause] yay [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] let's hear the sound of it ending [Music] yes [Music] [Music] [Music] a good year a year of peace [Music] a good new year to all of you many blessings [Music] [Applause] no [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Central Synagogue

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Length: 158min 56sec (9536 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 16 2021