Thursday, September 18, 2008
Ask The Rabbi: Erev Rosh Hashannah?
Editor’s Note: Questions should be submitted to . All writers will be unnamed in the column.
Dear Rabbi Art,
My spouse comes from a reform background and I come from a conservative background and we were discussing how important it is to attend services on Erev Rosh Hashanah? My family never went to synagogue for that service because in the conservative synagogue it was only 45 minutes and the rabbi didn’t speak; he only spoke during the morning services. Instead, we had a nice meal and went to synagogue the next day for a very long service. My husband’s family attended the evening service for Rosh Hashanah and he remembers it was a full service with his rabbi giving a sermon just like Kol Nidre. We were wondering since haven’t ever come to Erev Rosh Hashanah at Ohav Shalom what is our tradition here?
Thanks,
Wondering What To Do
Dear WWTD,
Thank you for your question. Traditionally, many conservative synagogues, following the orthodox model, offered early evening Rosh HaShanah services that were brief (45 minutes) and then the men would go home for a festive dinner with family and friends. In the reform movement, however, late night evening Rosh Hashanah services mimicked the late night Friday evening services that were a major innovation at the time. Also, the later service time followed the evening service for Yom Kippur that we now call, Kol Nidre. With the creation of this later evening, after-dinner Rosh HaShanah service the reform movement offered a convenient time for adults to attend services.
Over time this evening service had taken on an important role in the reform movement. Not only did it allow people to see and greet each other a long summer break, but since it was primarily a service attended by adults it allowed rabbis to offer longer and more serious topical sermons about the critical issues of the day that were not necessarily based upon the Torah readings of the morning services.
I would encourage you to attend our later evening Rosh Hashanah service (which starts at 7:30 PM) and have a more leisurely dinner on the second night of Rosh Hashanah since we do not hold second evening services only second day morning services. Our Erev Rosh HaShanah service is usually quite festive, filled with our favorite High Holy Day prayers and both beautiful ancient and modern melodies. Of course, I usually do speak a little longer on Erev Rosh Hashanah and Kol Nidre than at a weekly Shabbat service, but I try to follow the advice of one of my seminary professors who taught us, “If you don’t strike oil after eighteen minutes, stop boring!”
A sweet and joyous New Year,
Rabbi Donsky
