BATH
Beginning on Sept. 20 and ending at sundown on Sept. 30, Beth Israel Congregation in Bath along with the greater Midcoast Jewish community will join Jewish people all over the world in celebration of the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, also referred to as the High Holidays or the Jewish New Year.
According to Rabbi Lisa A. Vinikoor, Beth Israel Congregation’s new rabbi, the Jewish New Year “is a time to reflect on the recent past and to look forward to the year to come.” On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people celebrate life and the possibility of new beginnings. In addition to attending morning and evening services at a synagogue, some common traditions include sharing honey cake and apples dipped in honey to symbolize a wish for a sweet new year, serving round loaves of challah bread as a reminder of the cycle of life, and performing the ritual of tashlich, a ceremony in which pieces of bread are tossed into a body of water to represent all we hope to let go of in the new year. Rabbi Vinikoor will lead Beth Israel Congregation community members in a version of this custom on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 21, along the Kennebec River in Bath.
Blowing a ram’s horn called a shofar is another ancient custom still practiced today during the High Holiday season. Rabbi Vinikoor describes this as a “wake up call” to rededicate ourselves to living our deeply held values in order to positively shape the world.
“During the season, we ask for forgiveness for our mistakes from the past year and then move forward to pray and act for peace and wholeness in our community and for all of humanity,” Rabbi Vinikoor said.
Surrounded by ocean, rivers, lakes and ponds, orchards and local farmers’ markets, Midcoast Maine in September is a precious spot for gathering apples to dip in honey, casting away regrets, and listening to the sounds of the shofar ringing in hope for a sweet New Year. For a full list of High Holiday services and activities with Rabbi Vinikoor and Beth Israel Congregation, visit bethisrael-maine.org.
Services are free and open to the public. All are welcome.
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