Rabbi Randi Musnitsky, Student Rabbi Joshua Greenbaum, and Cantor Jennifer Benrey look forward to welcoming 5784 with our community. Our High Holy Days Services will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually. As in previous years, all ticket requests will be done exclusively online. This page will provide you with information about our High Holy Days Schedule and will enable you to register for tickets. Any questions about our High Holy Days can be emailed to hhd@templeharshalom.org.
Please read below for important service information and scroll to the bottom for registration links. Shanah tovah!
| High Holy Days Ticket Groups | High Holy Days Schedule at a Glance | Selichot Schedule | It’s A Mitzvah Pantry High Holy Days Food Drive |
Registration is extended until Sunday, September 10th.
Service Descriptions, Times, & Information
Elul – A Time of Transition and Reflection
Elul is the 12th and final month in the Jewish calendar. It is a month that encourages us to engage in self-reflection. It prepares us to bid farewell to behaviors that are burdensome and look forward to the potential for improvement in the New Year. Learn more about customs and teachings during the month of Elul by clicking here.
Selichot – Saturday, September 9th
The Hebrew word selichach means “forgiveness.” For 5784, we will be offering a day filled with programs to awaken the mind, body and spirit. We will help all transition from the ordinary to the sacred. The first program of the day will be a special Selichot Torah Study with Sofer Neil Yerman. The Shabbat Selichot will start at 9:30 AM and you can register here. Our evening Selichot programming will start at 5:30 PM.
Rosh HaShanah
Literally meaning “Head of the Year,” Rosh HaShanah celebrates the start of a New Year. It begins a 10-day period of repentance and prayer which ends on Yom Kippur. We celebrate the holiday following the machzor (the High Holy Days prayer book) which highlights the Shofar service; the reading of the Torah and Haftorah; and introduction of Avinu Malkeinu. At home we dip apples in honey and decorate our table with a round challah.
Erev Rosh HaShanah – Friday, September 15th at 5:30 PM
We begin the Ten Days of Awe with prayer, song and reflection. This traditional service sets the initial tone for the Ten Days of Awe and introduces us to the major themes and ideas of the High Holy Days. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Rosh HaShanah – Saturday, September 16th
Family Service – 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM
In response to the ever-growing demographic of families and children who want to sit and pray together, we have created this family worship experience. This Service, geared for those up through 4th Grade and their families, includes an abbreviated liturgy, a teaching story rather than a formal sermon, familiar holiday music, a Torah reading and the sound of the Shofar. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Traditional Rosh HaShanah Service – 10:45 AM – 1:00 PM
This Service offers the full, formal Rosh HaShanah experience inclusive of traditional music, sermon, Torah service and Shofar service. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Tashlich – 1:15 PM – 1:45 PM
On the first day of Rosh HaShanah, we meet in our Temple Har Shalom Rain Garden to symbolically cast off our sins by throwing bread and notes written on rice paper into water.
Rosh HaShanah Second Day Multigenerational Service – Sunday, September 17th, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Our Community Service for all ages offers all the highlights of the Second Day Rosh HaShanah including music, story, Torah and Shofar. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually. Tickets are not required for this Service, but for security purposes we appreciate having everyone register. Our Service will be followed by a Kiddush Nosh.
Shofar Bus Stops & Tashlich – 2:00 PM
On Rosh HaShanah Second Day, our Shofar Bus will make the rounds enabling families to hear the sound of the shofar. The final stop will be at the Warren Municipal Park and Pavilion where we will say a special Shehecheyanu over the new pavilion and observe Tashlich at the stream. We will symbolically cast off our sins by throwing bread and notes written on rice paper into the water. Details about the Shofar Bus Stops can be found here.
Shabbat Shuvah – Friday, September 22nd at 7:00 PM
Known as the “Sabbath of Return”, we mark the first Shabbat of 5784 fulfilling the commandment of dedicating memorial plaques in honor of our loved ones; acknowledging the void in our lives in this New Year. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Yom Kippur
The Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, marking the conclusion of the Ten Days of Awe. It is traditionally spent in fasting and prayer. The day is designed to be transformative, helping to enter a New Year with renewed ambitions and hopes.
Kol Nidre Service – Sunday, September 24th at 7:30 PM
We begin the Day of Atonement with prayer, song and reflection. Taking its name from the central prayer of the evening, Kol Nidre, we proclaim that if we fell short in fulfilling our vows to others and ourselves, we may be forgiven and begin anew with a blank slate. This is the most majestic of all our High Holy Day services. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Yom Kippur – Monday, September 25th
Family Service – 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM
In response to the ever-growing demographic of families and children who want to sit and pray together, we have created this family worship experience. This Service, geared for those up through 4th Grade and their families, includes an abbreviated liturgy, a teaching story rather than a formal sermon, familiar holiday music, a Torah reading and the sound of the Shofar. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Traditional Yom Kippur Morning Service – 10:45 AM – 1:00 PM
This Service offers the full, formal Yom Kippur experience inclusive of traditional music, sermon and Torah service. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
For those who would like to remain at THS after the end of the Traditional Yom Kippur Morning Service or wish to return prior to the start of the Afternoon Service, we offer the following opportunities to reflect:
Yom Kippur Learning Opportunity – 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Yom Kippur Musical Interlude – 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Concluding Services: Afternoon, Yizkor, Neilah and Havdalah – 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Our final Yom Kippur Services, where together, one last time, we pray and sing together during these Days of Awe. At our Afternoon Service, we will read the Torah and share the beloved story of Jonah and the Whale. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Yizkor: A formal remembrance of our loved ones and those who have no one left to say Kaddish for them. The names of all those members of our families who have died between Rosh HaShanah 5783 and Yom Kippur 5784 will be read aloud. Our Yizkor Book of Remembrance will be used for this part of the Service.
Neilah: Means “locking” and this last Service gives us a final opportunity to open our hearts and offer appeals before the “gates of heaven” are closed. THS invites all those with shofars to bring them to this Service to participate in the final Tekiah G’dola blast.
Havdalah (approximately 5:45 PM): With glow sticks in hand, we conclude this burdensome day with the joy of Havdalah, separation, and the sweet tastes, smell and vision of our blessings to come!
2023/5784 High Holy Days Registration Links
If you have any questions about attending our High Holy Days Services, please email hhd@templeharshalom.org.
Registration for THS Members and TOA@MTS Families
Registration for THS Members’ Extended Family
THS Member Request for Reciprocal Tickets
If you are a THS member and will be traveling to another congregation to attend High Holy Days Services, please click on the “THS Member Request for Reciprocal Tickets” button to access the form. Extended family members who will be joining us at Temple Har Shalom and belong to another congregation may request that their own congregation send a reciprocal ticket request to us at hhd@templeharshalom.org.
Registration for Rosh HaShanah Second Day Multi-Generational Service
