From now through Yom Kippur, each of our Daily Kavanot will feature a piece written by our clergy on the themes and traditions of the High Holy Days. Each of these pieces can be found in Days of Awe, our High Holy Day Machzor supplement.
The Heavenly Court is in Session
By Rabbi David Woznica
On the High Holy Days we stand before God in judgment. We should feel a sense of humility and, at the same time, have optimism for our future. Our machzor (High Holy Day prayer book) reminds us Rosh Hashanah inaugurates the 10-day process of judgment, “On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall pass away, how many shall be born? Who shall live and who shall die.”
The words are meant to make us feel intensity in synagogue. These are, indeed, the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraiim), and in Hebrew, the word for awe is the same as the word for fear. This is a time when we seek God’s mercy. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (z”l) wrote, “We need to come close to God for God to feel close to us … It is as if the world has become a courtroom. God Himself is the Judge. The Shofar announces that court is in session, and we are on trial, giving an account of our lives.”
Being on trial should elicit some degree of fear—healthy fear. We are urged to examine our lives. If the well-known aphorism, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” is true, then Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are our Jewish antidotes. But it is up to us to take this call to action seriously. We decide to examine our lives. We choose to join Jews around the world and the generations before us to do so on these days.
While attending High Holy Day services, I encourage you, to the extent possible, to ignore distractions. I encourage you to participate, pray with the rabbi and cantor, focus genuinely on the words in the machzor; reflect on your actions of the previous year, and examine your life. Think about when you have sinned, and when you have done right. Find time to make amends. Reflect and, if appropriate, reassess your priorities.
I hope you find our services to be beautiful. Moreso, I hope you find them meaningful. Beauty can be fleeting. Meaning can be lasting.
May God inscribe you and your loved ones in the Book of Life for a year filled with blessings.