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Although we provide babysitting on Kol Nidre evening, we do not offer children's or teen services. However, I have long believed that children of all ages can benefit from Kol Nidre. I would encourage you, therefore, to bring your children with you. The service is relatively short, and the themes of the day are, in fact, readily accessible to children. (What child hasn't been taught the importance of apologizing? Incidentally, if you would like some help teaching your child how to say, "I'm sorry," take a look at the following article: http://www.kveller.com/traditions/Holidays/Yom_Kippur/The_Hardest_Word.shtml)
On Yom Kippur morning, services begin at 8:30 am in the sanctuary. All are welcome, including children. We usually get to the Torah service by around 10:00 am. At 10:30 am, children's and youth services begin (and continue until around 12:30 pm). Our 4th and 5th graders are invited to participate in a newly added Yom Kippur Youth Service with Jennifer Rudin from 10:30-12:15 in the Kehillah Room. The experience will include prayerful moments, time for personal reflection, small group discussions based on the themes of Yom Kippur prayers and "Textploration" from the Torah and Haftarah portions.
In the sanctuary, our Israel appeal takes place after the reading of the haftarah (i.e., shortly before 11:00), and my sermon follows. After that, Yizkor is recited. Let me note that, although some whose parents are alive follow the custom (minhag) of leaving the sanctuary during Yizkor, others remain, and all should feel welcome to do so.
Following Yizkor, we will daven the Musaf (additional) service. This year, both the Avodah service (that re-enacts the Yom Kippur Temple ritual) and the Martyrology service (Eleh Ezk'rah) will be recited following Musaf. We should complete our worship by 2:00 pm or so.
Services resume at 5:00 pm with Minchah, which will feature the participation of many of our teens. Please join us for an interactive exploration of the Book of Jonah.
This year our Young Families' service begins at 5:45 pm and will conclude in time for the children to enter the sanctuary (with glow sticks) for Havdalah. All other children are welcome to daven with their parents during Minchah and Maariv; children who wish to participate in the procession should leave the sanctuary as Neilah concludes to meet with Jennifer in the religious school lobby and line up with the other children.
Neilah begins at 6:00 pm. As at most synagogues, it is our practice to leave the ark open during Neilah. Those who can, are invited to stand throughout the entire Neilah service. If, for any reason, you cannot, you should not feel obliged to do so. Neilah should end by around 6:45 pm or so, and then we will daven Ma'ariv, and recite Havdalah, before blowing the shofar, sometime after 7:00 pm. All shofar blowers are welcome to bring their shofarot and participate in our communal tekiah g'dolah that marks the conclusion of our worship together.
I hope that this review is helpful to you and will encourage you to participate in as much of our worship and reflection as possible. As I hope you found out on Rosh Hashanah, our new mahzor is full of thoughtful reflections and intriguing poetry, and will, I hope, serve us well for many, many years.
Let me wish all of you a shanah tovah u'm'tukah! May all of us be blessed with a healthy, fulfilling 5772.
Gmar Hatimah Tovah,
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
PS The letter above deals with details of our Yom Kippur service schedule; there was no room to comment on various customs of the holiday. For further information on that, please consult the letter I sent last year at this time by clicking here.
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