During the service of Yom, Kippur the entire Congregation of the temple or synagogue Rises to hear the call of the shofar as you just heard there. It's an instrument made of a hollowed-out ramshorn, which Usher's I use in the washer is in the prayer of kol nidre. And I think I'm saying that right in our guest and help us in just a minute Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the two holiest days of the year for Jewish. Rosh. Hashanah was celebrated last week and this Wednesday Yom Kippur the day of atonement will be observed. Today is part of midday. We're going to learn something about the tradition of the two days will also hear about that will hear some of the music that marks the celebrations joining us in our Studios is Rabbi Mordechai Miller the Temple of Aaron and Saint Paul and Rabbi Miller. Thanks for coming in today so far. We just heard I'm a little surprised to see that tomato out of a hollowed-out ramshorn traditionally.Do you know if it's still made out of a hollowed-out ramshorn? Yes, they're different the communities throughout the world use different kinds of horns. There's only one real restriction or two restrictions ones practical one's theological. The one restriction is it has to be possible to be hollowed out and has have a marrow in it and I must communities used to Ram's Horn we do. Although there are also communities that use the Horn of an antelope usually a kudu and has a very different sound to it. But more Melancholy is used to watch her in the holiday season is a whole or individual events or all of that and then that's okay there a lot of connotations that the shofar has it reminds us a lot about certain historical events during the month prior to Rosh Hashanah, which is the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It sounded at the end of morning Services each day to kind of prepare people for the time that's coming for sure or not.It also is blown at different times during Rosh Hashanah. That's the Jewish New Year that was celebrated last week and at the very end of Yom, Kippur to Mark the end of this 10 day. The 10 days starting with Rosh Hashanah ending with Yom, Kippur. Okay. Well, what about the celebrations obviously, they they have roots that go far far back. What about the history? What what's the historical reason? Well, actually it's more of a spiritual kind of thing. These days are days of self-examination their time when people are supposed to consider their relationship to God and also their relationship to other human being in the Bible in the Toronto the first five books the Russian has never called that Russia Shawna means brush means head and that means you are so head of the Year beginning of the year. It's never cold Rosh Hashanah. It's cold out of three other things. It's called you don't have a career on day of remembrance because this is a time when our Deeds are remembered before God. This is when God takes into account on a different Deeds. It's also known as you I'm true. Are they of sounding of the shofar and also you I'm hiding day of judgment because of the day when our Deeds are judged so these are the kinds of Things that are really thought about moonshine and Yom Kippur and in fact, the combination of this is really on Yom, Kippur the day of atonement when we first we abstain from from food and any kind of enjoyable sorts of things. It's a very serious day but not not a black fast. It's more of a white first one feels pure one hopes to gain atonement. There is an example of a blank fast fast of Tisha b'av that occurs somewhat late in the summer which commemorates the day when the temple was destroyed in Jerusalem first and 586 BC by the Babylonians and also later on the year 70 by the Romans that Russia Shawna is a time for for examining one's relationship to God specifically. How does how does one do this? Is it simply a time to to be quiet and think about it or are their ceremonies that you we have a whole ritual that we go throughout prayer book is full. Different kinds of references there times when we relate to God as a father and a king the fact that God is king of the world at eyes and very much in this time. Of course, it's really up to the individual to decide how seriously they want to take all this thing as some people take it more seriously than others. I think everybody feels that is a very important Festival is no doubt about that. But time prayer is not an easy thing. It's something that requires a great deal of self-control and a lot of concentration while you mentioned the day of atonement then and the traditional fast that of course is related to food. Are there other kinds of of food-related when is not supposed to have any marital relations of sexual relations on on Yom Kippur that weren't supposed to abstain from those kinds of things or anointing oneself. You're not putting on perfume there even some Jews who go to synagogue and do not wear leather on their feet they wear Tennis shoes things like that, but doesn't the more Pious and observant once it's not a usual kind of practice. Why why not wear leather? Well, I'm not entirely sure I think it has to do with the fact that it's made out of an animal. Where's our clothes aren't usually usually made from plant material or synthetic and even wool if it doesn't involve killing an animal so I maybe do some sensitivity for life. I'm not entirely sure. Okay. What about the rest of the the holiday. Are there any days of feast along with the day of fast? Well isn't the feast as such but it is a time when families will get together prior to services or maybe for lunch on that day and very often family will come in from out of town or maybe if the family spread throughout the city. I'll go get together and then maybe go to synagogue together. But it's not it's not a home oriented Festival. It really is more oriented towards a synagogue. We do have a home Morganton Festival in terms of Passover. You might have heard of the Seder the traditional Passover meal on that is celebrating the home but this is oriented more towards going to the synagogue on being involved in worship. I see now do people spend this entire 10-day period away from work. Okay, when is supposed to not go to work on Rosh Hashanah? This involves two days when you're not supposed to work. However, the rest of the. One goes for seasoned ones normal life. The only difference doesn't involve work as much as it involves more paps apologizing to people that you may have offended. There's a tradition that while you don't keep or the day of atonement May atone for sins between a man and his conscious or man in this man and God it does not atone for sins committed between human beings you have to go and ask for forgiveness from the person you might you might have I see and that's on Yom Kippur. Right? Right, you supposed to take these ten days and find forgiveness dreams. Of time. I say so not only with god with the people that that you know, all right, that's interesting. Now, we have a selection of music that is related to the holiday season and this particular selection will be performed by Richard Tucker who was one of the Great American operatic Tenors. He was also a deeply religious man who was a Cantor throughout his long career and I want to ask you about that when when this election is over his longtime friend and colleague Shalom. Secundo Road for him a service for the eve of Yom, Kippur the most solemn day and the Jewish liturgical calendar and this is the prayer. Yeah. I'll see how maybe I should I should tell that to you take a look at that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, right. All right. I think it's the prayer that involves male prayers go up to God and I didn't may they be received. All right. giraffe cool Sun that music selection by Richard Tucker Ya Allah which is a song for the Jewish holiday season, which we are in the midst of Rabbi Mordechai Miller he is with us in the studio and we were just commenting while I was going on about the sobbing quality of Richard Tucker's voice is he was singing that's that's probably is important to that song has the words right is part of the whole feeling of these holidays. I think in normal life we tend to be defensive or we'd rather than night. We've done something wrong or we want to feel self-confident. This is not typical of Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur and we have to consider ourselves in the eyes of God at that particular time. And so the sobbing qualities trying to feel humble which is also Matson unusual quality to find nowadays and to help the congregation feel a sense of contrition. Okay, we manage to find the words while I was going on. Could you read us some of the translation of that particular song goes May our supplications rise at dusk, please approach your presence from the Dawn and let us sing Thanksgiving praise at dusk and that means that well a little bit of common tree on that Jewish festivals is a Sabbath to begin in the evening and go through the the following day to the following evening. That's because in the Book of Genesis when God created the world is his and it was evening and it was more than one day by day is beginning Sunset so has on this Festival we start off the day's supplicating God and then we have a hope that by the end of the next evening. The next dusk prayers will be accepted. So goes on my words and deeds of penance rice at dusk apart and come to greet us with a Dorn and let atonement cleanse us all at dusk. Mane are knocking at the gate send it. I'll glad glimpse of forgiveness, Dawn and let us enter Mercy's court at dusk. The reference to Gates refers to the gates of repentance. It's a metaphor and final email prayers of confession rise at dusk and our anguish at our imperfection meet the Dawn and let reconciliation make us whole at the desk at the desk, right? Richard Tucker who performed that selection was a Canter as well as an operatic tenor throughout his life with his long career. Now the Cantor has a special role in this celebration. Could you tell me a little about that? Right? The can't really does most of the work. He isn't he's responsible for leading a congregation in prayer and apart from quote-unquote doing a fine performance. He really helps at the moon. It's very very important because we realize that feelings are a lot of part of this kind of thing and the cat also leads the congregation and worship on Sabbath and on Festival days and here he has a great deal to do now. Is he involved in some of the major? Ceremonial tasks throughout the holiday season II assume that there are some major things that happened years ago. Everyone goes to the synagogue and and there is a ceremony that you know will occur and that has a very specific outline. The ceremony has outlined in the prayer-book is really where it all comes together. And if this is what your you mean, I'm not entirely sure when you say ceremony. Well, I'm not entirely sure either he he comes in at a certain stage in the service at a major portion of the service and eat together with a choir the choir backs him up. He helps. Well, not only leading in the service. There's a little section of reading from the Torah. This is a scroll containing the five books of Moses and he takes the scroll out and does this kind of thing? You mentioned something earlier that we also heard about it the beginning when we heard the the shofar it was said that ushers in they call me Dre prayer, right? They wasn't entirely accurate. You really don't sound the shofar until the very end of Yom Kippur, but what about the prayer itself? The prayer itself really and involves? What is known as the absolvement I suppose Absolution from Val's. It's been it's been a lot of feelings about that particular prayer. I'm seeing if I can find it here fairly easily. I have a copy of a prayer book here. And I think I'll be able to find it here possibly. Okay, what is basically states? Is it a request on a part of God to absolve us from valves that we may have met to him valves are taken very seriously and there's a statement Deuteronomy with Moses tells the children of Israel. If you don't like about it won't be held against you. But if you go ahead and make a vowel and then don't fulfill it that will be held against you so it's much better not to make a vow, but we all have times during the year when we make vows to ourselves or our consciences or it to God and then try to forget them or being able to do them. And so rather than to do this kind of thing and then find myself in the position of having to fulfill or having admitted to fulfill up this kind of valve. Ask through the skull nidre prayer to be absolved and the way the the formula goes it says all vowels and O's wheat Aiko promises and obligations. We make the god between this Yom Kippur in the next we hereby publicly retract in the event that we should forget them. And hereby declare Our intention to be absolved of them. Now the point about this is it does not involve a house made between human beings. We are not absolved from fulfilling those but not just the ones we make between ourselves and God and failed to do them or could get them. This did caused a great deal of problems typical anti-semites used to use this as an excuse to say that you can never trust a Jew so they were really some real feelings about the sprayer. In fact, there are certain communities that do not mistake this. Or something like in North Africa not in the United States and in fact, some congregations have even changed this particular declaration because they felt ambivalent about it. Possible to do that. I mean it would seem that that would alter the the the whole nature of the of the Holy dance to all right. Well Judaism has its different Wings just like in Christianity. You have a more traditional wing and you also have a left-wing and more Progressive wing. And those were more Progressive feel Freer to make these kinds of changes. Okay while in an orthodox congregation, for example of this would not be changed this a formula has been given to us has been used for thousands of years not found. Well. Two thousand years, I would say What about the celebration of the holy days in a society that for them? Well, I should say for the most part but to a degree doesn't really recognize them. It's like someone who is not Jewish. Yes would not even know that they were occurring unless someone told them right? What are the difficulties that are caused by what kind of difficulty a lot of what makes a festival courses the atmosphere that surrounds it when Christmas time comes around you really feel it in the air while here in the United States of course business goes on as usual on Rosh Hashanah cars in the streets set recetaron. It's difficult in this is why I usually go to the synagogue at least within the sanctuary you can feel the atmosphere the day that's why the the celebrations more related to the synagogue in the home. You really feel that it's Sacred day. Are you feel the sadness there for example to on Saturday? All right. We we are going to listen to a final piece of of Music before we do you said that you had found the words and I'd like you to text to read those before we go into it because this is going to be our our last piece of music around on this topic. Let me first but why don't you tell us about it, since you have the words of a well. I'm hoping that the correct word there lots of prayers that start up. I don't know why I don't know why but it's it's just possible that this may be the right one. And that's the last thing I I can be more certain. This is a very beautiful prayer. It is a quote from the time when God revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai and the children of Israel at that time committed the sin of the golden calf. I just like to make us us like The Detour if I'm a referring back to the shofar horn that Back to The Golden Compass Inn of the golden kart. Anyway Moses went back up to the mountain off towards any entreated God to forgive the people and at that time God revealed himself to Moses and he he made this declaration. God said to Moses the Lord the Lord is gracious and compassionate patient abounding in kindness and faithfulness, assuring love for a thousand Generations forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and grunting party. So these are words that are very fitting on a day such as a day of atonement. Turn on Yom Kippur. All right. Thank you very much. And here is the light 10 Richard Tucker again with chorus singing annoy annoy. The late Senator Richard Tucker with Todd annoy annoy from Shalom secundus. Kol nidre service Lord. The Eternal is a merciful and gracious Scott and that was played on the day today in honor of the Jewish. Holy days, Rosh Hashanah, which occurred last week and Yom Kippur which Be celebrated this coming Wednesday.