Rabbi Randi Musnitsky, Rabbi Joshua Greenbaum, and Cantor Marina Shemesh look forward to welcoming 5785 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 – Family-Friendly Planetarium Program | It’s A Mitzvah Pantry High Holy Days Food Drive |
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 28th
The Hebrew word selichach means “forgiveness” and Selichot is a time to prepare ourselves – mind, body and spirit – as we enter into the upcoming holiday season and transition from the ordinary to the sacred. Join us for a one-of-a kind, family-friendly Selichot on Saturday, September 28th. We will be bringing the exploration of the stars into Wishnia Hall with an on-site planetarium. Let’s explore the stars together as we prepare to welcome the High Holy Days. There is limited space – so be sure to register now by visiting templeharshalom.org/selichot!
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 Special Musical Service – Wednesday, October 2nd – 7:30 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 year, our Erev service will feature special musical accompaniment and our Adult Choir. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Rosh HaShanah First Day – Thursday, October 3rd
Family Service – 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM
This Service, geared for families of all ages (including babies to bubbes), includes an abbreviated liturgy, a story rather than a formal sermon, familiar holiday music, a Torah reading and the sound of the Shofar. We continue to highlight this service as a way for the ever-growing demographic of families to experience the holidays together. 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 – Friday, October 4th
Rosh HaShanah Second Day Multigenerational Service – Friday, October 4th, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Our Community Service for all ages offers all the highlights of the Second Day of 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 Community Kiddush Nosh.
Tashlich & Kabbalat Shabbat – 5:00 PM (Warren Township Municipal Pavilion; 46 Mountain Boulevard, Warren)
On Rosh HaShanah Second Day, we will gather at the Warren Township Municipal Pavilion* to observe Tashlich at the stream. We will symbolically cast off our sins by throwing bread and notes written on rice paper into the water. We will conclude our evening with an outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat Service to welcome in this special Shabbat Shuvah. (*This Service is rain or shine.)
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 – Friday, October 11th 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 and the voices of our Adult Choir will deepen our prayer. This Service will be held in-person in our Sanctuary and be streamed for those who wish to join us virtually.
Yom Kippur – Saturday, October 12th:
Family Service – 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM
This Service, geared for families of all ages (including babies to bubbes), includes an abbreviated liturgy, a story rather than a formal sermon, familiar holiday music, and a Torah reading. We continue to highlight this service as a way for the ever-growing demographic of families to experience the holidays together. 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: Israel One Year Later – 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Yom Kippur Musical Interlude (with live cellist), Sanctuary Reflection & Meditation – 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Yom Kippur Afternoon & Concluding Services:
Our final Yom Kippur Services, where together, one last time, we pray and sing together during these Days of Awe.
Afternoon Service – 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
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 Service with the Unveiling of New Yahrzeit Memorial Plaques & Special Community Remembrances for October 7th – 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM
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 5784 and Yom Kippur 5785 will be read aloud. Our Yizkor Book of Remembrance will be used for this part of the Service. This Service will include an unveiling of all new
Yahrzeit Memorial Plaques in the Sanctuary and special community remembrances for October 7th.
Neilah Service & Family Glow Stick Havdalah: 5:45 PM – 6:00 PM
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. Finally, complete with glow sticks in hand, we conclude the holiday with the joy of Havdalah, separation, and the sweet tastes, smell and vision of our blessings to come!
2024/5785 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, TOA@MTS Families and Non-Members
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
