Beth Emeth’s Cantor Emily H. Short, left, with Rabbi Greg Weitzman
ALBANY–“Hayom harat olam” (Today the world is born anew) will be the theme for the High Holy Days at Congregation Beth Emeth. Congregants will be urged to think about the possibilities for themselves and the world implied in those words.
Senior Rabbi Greg Weitzman, marking his third year in Albany, noted: “Our prayers beckon us back to the beginning of time. We are invited to imagine the world as utterly new — a pristine universe of potentiality stretched out before us. Throughout our worship services and sermons, we will highlight this idea of looking out at the possibilities and opportunities that each of us are offered every day and every year.”
Director of Lifelong Learning Rabbi Shara Siegfeld, said that her message will include, “Ultimately, the High Holy Days serve as a poignant reminder of the continuous cycle of creation and reflection, urging each of us to strive for a world where every individual’s actions contribute positively to the greater whole, while remaining acutely aware of our own mortality and limitations.”
Services of the nation’s fourth oldest Reform congregation will include some innovations to make the experience more accessible, according to organizers. For example, an early Kol Nidre/Erev Shabbat service will be held at 5 p.m. to accommodate families with children or those who don’t wish to drive at night. At 7:30 p.m., the traditional service will start. Transportation to the synagogue for non-drivers is also being offered for services on both holidays, including stops at the Massry, Daughters of Sarah, Beverwyck and the Avila Retirement Community. Services also may be viewed on the congregation’s live-stream. The start of the season, Selichot (Forgiveness) prayers are set for Saturday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m., with havdalah and the changing of the Torah covers to white ones ceremony, representing purity, repentance and the hope of forgiveness.
The Erev Rosh Hashanah service is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2. On Thursday, Oct. 3, there will be a family service at 9 a.m., with children’s programming beginning at 10 a.m. The main service will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a dessert reception. Shabbat Shuvah— the Shabbat of Returning — will be celebrated on Friday, Oct. 4, at 5:30 p.m. Beth Emeth’s Cemetery Service, will include the recitation of the names of members who died since last Rosh Hashanah on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 11 a.m. at the cemetery in Loudonville. Yom Kippur observances will begin with an early service of Kol Nidre at 5p.m, followed by a later repeat of Kol Nidre at 7:30 p.m.,
On Saturday, Oct. 12, the full day of worship begins with a family service at 9 a.m. for those with young children, followed at 10 with children’s programs. At 10:30 a.m., the morning service for Yom Kippur is slated, followed at 1 p.m. by a Moments with the Ark service, offering a chance to connect spiritually in front of the open ark.
The Service of Renewal, at 2 p.m., conducted by the ritual committee and with selections by the volunteer choir, offers the hope of physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Beth Emeth’s high school youth group will lead the afternoon service at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m., the Yizkor Memorial Service will take place, followed by Ne’ilah and havdalah at 5 p.m. After havdalah, there will be a break-the-fast nosh.
Both members and non-members wishing to attend any of the services must register with Beth Emeth at CBEAlbany.org. For guests of members, there will be a charge of $54 per person. Non-members who live in the area may purchase tickets at $180 per person or $250 per family. Tickets include entrance to all of the services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Information may be obtained at 518-436-9761 or [email protected].
The words, “Hayom harat olam,” will serve as the theme for the High Holy Day season this year. We translate these words in our machzor (the High Holy Day prayer book) as: “Today the world stands as at birth.” Our prayers beckon us back to the beginning of time. We are invited to imagine the world as utterly new. A pristine universe of potentiality stretched out before us. Throughout our worship services and sermons, we will highlight this idea of looking out at the possibilities and opportunities that each of us are offered every day and every year.
This past year we faced challenges that few of us could imagine, and many of us need this new year for any number of reasons. The year 5785 is unwritten for us as individuals and for the Jewish people.
Let us imagine ourselves standing precisely at the threshold of a world that could be. As the shofar calls to us this year, let us stand together to summon the courage to yearn, the courage to patiently cultivate hope, the courage to reach out to each other again and again, and of course, the courage to care. Hayom harat olam.
