AUBURN – At sundown on Friday, the reflection begins.
Jews will gather for readings from the Torah. At Temple Shalom in Auburn, Cantor Hillel Katzir will chant and tell stories. And the congregation will prepare for the new year.
So begins the holiest time of the year for Jews.
Known as the High Holy Days, the 10-day observance begins Friday with Rosh Hashanah. It ends with Yom Kippur, which concludes on Monday, Oct. 6.
“This time is an accounting of the soul,” said Katzir, who in March became the spiritual leader of Temple Shalom, the area’s largest synagogue.
About 100 families belong to the Bradman Road synagogue. However, for the past three years, members hired people from outside the area to assist in observances.
“I’ve done it myself,” said Katzir, who expects to finish his Rabbinical studies in June. “You’re there to do a job for these people, but you’re not really part of the congregation.”
This time, it’s home, both for the congregation and their leader.
Katzir, a former lawyer from Los Angeles, said he hopes to guide local Jews through their New Year observances with reverence but without undue dourness.
“It’s serious,” he said. “But there’s joy, too. We know that we can look forward to starting a new year with a clean slate.”
In essence, the days are preserved as a time for Jews to reflect on their actions in the past year.
Katzir explains it with a metaphor: the idea that God marks down good deeds and bad ones in the Book of Life.
During this week, Jews consider those deeds and ask for forgiveness from people they may have wronged, Katzir said.
“In our tradition, we can’t atone for our actions until we have asked people we may have hurt or offended for forgiveness,” he said. “Only then can we ask God.”
During the week, Jews may go to work or school, but they are encouraged to speak less and avoid entertainment. Instead, they should be looking inward, Katzir said.
Services will be held on weekend days, including the ritual of Tashlich in which bread crumbs will be cast into the Androscoggin River.
Yom Kippur is observed with 24 hours of fasting and day-long services.
“Our goal is to aspire to perfection,” said Katzir. “We struggle. We do the best we can. We’re human.”
dhartill@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.