An essential part of Kehilat Hadar's mission is to provide meaningful tefilah (prayer) experiences. This is a particular challenge on the High Holidays when, despite the beauty and power of the traditional liturgy, our lack of familiarity with it sometimes makes it inaccessible.

In order to make the High Holidays as meaningful as possible, Kehilat Hadar is excited to present a 6-session course on the themes of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy entitled: "Ki Anu Amekha" - Because We Are Your Children: Images of God and Relationship in the High Holiday Liturgy. We will explore images of and metaphors for God in the liturgy - what they are, and what they mean for our understanding of God, ourselves, and the covenant between God and the Jewish people. The series will be taught by Julia Andelman and Rabbi Shai Held, and is suitable both for those who attended last year's course as well as for newcomers.

We will also offer a class from 6:45-7:15pm reviewing the basic structure of the Siddur and Mahzor, to provide a general context for understanding the High Holiday liturgy discussed in the main class, for those who are less familiar with traditional Jewish prayer. There is no extra charge for this class. Taught by Julia Andelman.

Cost: $25 for the entire course, or $5 per class.
Class 4 of 6 (other dates: 9/20,9/27)
Taught by Julia Andelman

Session 4: From the Throne of Justice to the Throne of Mercy: Moving God and Ourselves
Last week we explored God's Judgment (Din); this week we move to the divine attribute of God's mercy (Rahamim). According to the Talmud, when we blow the shofar, God moves from the throne of judgment to the throne of mercy. How does the liturgy negotiate the tension between traditional understandings of God as both judging and merciful? What does it mean to move God, and how does this relate to our process of movement, i.e. the Teshuvah (return, repentance, renewal, repair) that we are expected to do on the High Holidays?

Those who register for all six classes will receive a complimentary Silverman Machzor (High Holiday prayerbook) to use on the High Holidays and throughout the course. If you plan on coming, please RSVP to learning@kehilathadar.org.

Julia Andelman is a fifth-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she is also pursuing an MA in Talmud. She previously learned for three years in Jerusalem at the Conservative Yeshiva and received her BA in Visual Arts from Harvard. Julia leads High Holiday services at Hadar.

Rabbi Shai Held serves as Scholar-in-Residence at Kehilat Hadar, teaches at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and is a Jacob Javits Fellow in Religion at Harvard University. Shai was Director of Education and Conservative Rabbinic Advisor at Harvard Hillel. He has taught for institutions such as Drisha, Hebrew College, Meah, UJA-CJP, and the Rabbinic Training Institute.