Energize, Invigorate, Activate!
High Holy Days 2022/5783
The Elul (pre-High Holy Day) and High Holy Day rituals, traditions, and customs are replete with wisdom and practices that give us the opportunity to revitalize from within and prepare to jump into the new Jewish year ready to go! We have curated a dynamic and interactive line up of classes, services, and gatherings, along with resources to provide our community with spaces to connect, to learn, to rejuvinate, and to renew ourselves as we journey through the High Holy Day season.
Shana Tova! Here’s to a happy, healthy, and sweet 5783!
Elul: Pre-High Holy Day Warm Up
The Hebrew month of Elul (Aug. 28 – Sept. 25, 2022), the month preceding the Jewish High Holy Days, is a traditional period for intensive spiritual reflection, introspection, and moral accounting. We look forward to gathering with you as we prepare for this High Holy Day season with the following offerings:
HiHo Hikes & Learning in Rock Creek Park
Sundays, August 28, Sept. 11, Sept. 18 • 10:00am
Jewish mystics retreated into nature as a way to experience a more profound sense of intention and attention to their lives. We’ll be guided on our hikes by our very own “hike captains” (nature lovin’ folks from the Den), followed by learning and discussion to get us warmed up for the season. BYO snack + water bottle. Meeting location will be shared with registrants. Check out details and sign up here.
High Holy Day Season(ing): What’s Your Spiritual Flavor?
Wednesday, August 31 + Thursday, September 29 • 7:30pm - 9:00pm
The pantry of spiritual, ritual, theological, historical ingredients that make up the High Holy days is vast and complex. We will explore the prominent spiritual themes for each holiday of the season, as well as the foundational rituals, practices, and ways to observe - so you can find the flavors that speak to you! The first class will cover Rosh Hashanah + Yom Kippur, the second will cover Yom Kippur + Sukkot - come to one or both! Check out the details and sign up here by Wednesday Sept 28th.
Selichot: Havdalah + Singing Circle
Saturday, September 17 • 8:15pm - 9:45pm
Selichot = Prayers asking for forgiveness. On the Saturday night before we move into the new year, it is an ancient custom to enter the week of the High Holy Days with the tunes of the season in our ears and on our hearts. We’ll gather outdoors in Bethesda at the home of one of the Den’s board members for an in-person Selichot Service, complete with havdalah and soulful singing with members of our Den Band. Check out the details and sign up here by September 15th.
Knead 2 Know: RH Challah Bake + Learning + Action
Wednesday, September 21 • 7:00 - 9:00pm
Join Rabbi Aderet for an evening of connection, challah baking, and an immersive learning experience that invites us to explore the ways we can take action in the new year to impact change in the world around us. We’ll begin with learning how to braid a variety of different round and sweet Rosh Hashana challahs then enjoy an evening of meaningful learning and discussion. We will meet in person in Bethesda. Learn more and sign up here by September 15th.
Rosh Hashana: the Jewish New Year
The Blast
The Shofar Blast is back! On Sunday, September 25 at 4:00 pm ET, people all over the DMV will be blowing the shofar outside, as we seek to mark the sanctity of this time. Join us as a diverse, pluralistic community comes together to celebrate this sacred season and remind us that we are all in this together. Check out the map to find a shofar blast near you!
Rosh Hashana Services
Please reach out if you’d like us to help you find a service near you or one that speaks to your interests.
Rosh Hashana Community Meals
If you’re looking to host or attend a community meal during Rosh Hashanah, you can sign up through OneTable. OneTable provides “financial nourishment” and ritual resources for your meal.
Aseret Yemei Teshuva: the Days Between
[the 10 days between Rosh Hashana + Yom Kippur]
Kayaking Tashlich + Lunch on the Potomac River
***THIS GATHERING HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO RAINY WEATHER***
If you’d like to partake in the meaningful ritual of Tashlich between now and the end of the festival of Sukkot, October 16th, check out the Den’s Tashlich Ceremony.
Sunday, October 2 • 9:45am - 12:00pm
Join Rabbis Aderet + Jenna on the Potomac River for a meaningful and fun way to take part in the powerful ritual of Tashlich. Following our time on the water and our ritual, we’ll enjoy lunch on us from a local eatery! Tashlich, or “casting away”, is performed during the Ten Days between the start of Rosh Hashana and the beginning of Yom Kippur.
Book of Jonah Text Study + Discussion
Monday, October 3 • 7:30pm - 8:45pm
Who is Jonah, what is his story, and why do we read this book on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)? Jonah goes on a tumultuous journey that leads him to spiritual clarity… or does it? Join Rabbi Jenna to study this short story and its implications for the spiritual journey we all take during the High Holy Day season. Check out the details and sign up here by Sunday, October 2nd.
High Holy Day Resources
High Holy Day Blessings + Ritual Guide - We put together this resource for your holiday celebration and observance to take you from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, including Tashlich! We include explanations of rituals, as well as all blessings in Hebrew, transliteration, and English translations. Enjoy!
View this powerful new year blessing - a video from our friends at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality (it’s from last year - but we love it so much so we included it this year!) Enjoy!
Blue Dove has a collection of mental health resources for the High Holy Days. Highlights include a Chesbon Hanefesh - Accounting of the Soul, and a Mental Health Tashlich.
Looking to join or host a Shabbat meal on Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return (9/30), between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur? Check out OneTable’s Shabbat Shuvah. This is a unique weekend, offering an incredible opportunity to reflect on the year that was and welcome the year to come.
Mizrahi and Sephardic Rosh Hashana recipes from our friends over at JIMENA, an organization dedicated to educating and advocating for Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.
Or HaLev, a Jewish spirituality + meditation organization, has a 7 minute Forgiveness Meditation for the High Holy Day season.
Check out this Shana Tova Coloring Book from Haggadot.com - 11 pages you can print out at home for your little ones to follow along with Rosh Hashanah!