This seder was celebrated immediately after Shabbat Shuvah.
For this reason, the holiday kiddush, the kindling of the Shabbat lights, etc.,
were omitted.
On Rosh Hashanah, the sound of the shofar summons us to turn inward so we can
reach outward, so we can repair (where necessary) and strengthen (when
possible) our relationships with other people. In the days leading up to the
formal inauguration of the Jewish New Year 5775, I found myself thinking of our
brothers and sisters who self-identify as Jews even though their connection to
Am Yisra’el, that is, the worldwide Jewish community, grows more tenuous with
every passing year.
The Torah Has Seventy Faces, Shivim Panim
L’Torah!
This exegetical principle serves to remind us that there isn’t one way to be
Jewish, one way to go about doing something considered to be Jewish. In truth,
for every Jew, there is a Judaism!
Sixty-two percent of American Jews, for instance, define their brand of Judaism
in terms of ancestry and culture rather than religious belief, and thirty
percent prefer to keep their distance from brick-and-mortar Judaism, that is,
remain unaffiliated.
The greatest merit of the synagogue, despite its imperfections, is that it
serves as a place where the ancient voices of our tradition can be heard and
celebrated. The Bet HaMikdash isn’t the only place where this occurs but the
primary one. As the paradigms shift, and we move from
bimah to shulchan just as
we moved from mizbeach to bimah, many of the synagogues and
temples are emptying out.
What will become of our unsynagogued brothers and sisters? How long can they
sustain themselves on lighting Chanukah candles and trekking to their
grandparents’ place for Passover? What will become of them? Indeed, what will
become of us?
There’s more to the New Year than apples ‘n’ honey over
breakfast cereal, isn’t there?
These questions
helped to give rise to the Rosh Hashanah
Seder: A Night of Renewal. This short work, through the medium of the
ancient Rosh Hashanah seder, brought the celebration of Rosh Hashanah to those
who wouldn’t be going to the synagogue for the High Holy Days.
From the onset,
the Seder reminded participants that
observance of the New Year hinges on return, on return to their true selves.
The radiance of Adam and Eve, who were created on Rosh Hashanah, helped them to
focus on the Light they carry within themselves—“Adam’s heel outshone the globe of the sun”—and on their
responsibility to be in right relation to others so that that Light can shine
unencumbered and unobstructed, thereby renewing the world.
The Seder stressed the necessity of repentance—such an old-fashioned
word—particularly, restitution, that is, righting the wrongs committed against
others to the fullest extent possible, and introduced participants to the Four
Rs, which are in continuous motion at Rosh Hashanah: Remembrance, Repentance,
Return, and Renewal.
Said Rabbi Abaye, “[One] should regularly eat
pumpkins, fenugreek, leeks, beets, and dates on New Year’s Day.”
Alongside the familiar apple, date, and pomegranate, new
foods—based on English words puns—were added to facilitate the process of introspection.
Take the food CAULiflower, for example.
What does Charles Williams Jr. have to do
with Rosh Hashanah?
In 1877, the first residential telephone line in the world was installed.
Charles Williams Jr., who lived in Somerville and worked in Boston, was given
two telephone numbers—1 and 2—which connected his home and office.
In the decades since, the lines and numbers have proliferated. With the rise of
social media, the old fashioned phone CALL seems to becoming rarer and rarer.
Danielle Steele, the best-selling novelist in the world, once said, “I need
context, nuance and the warmth and tone that can only come from a human voice.”
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that we
eat CAULiflower, we remember from time to time to CALL one another so we can
hear the voice of God on the other end of the line.
Lastly, mindful of the teaching that the world was created in the month of
Tishrei, the Seder invited participants
to enter into a life partnership with the earth by making the Vow to the Earth, which countless people
made at the very end of the People’s
Climate March in New York City, before
the art installation Birth Canal to the
Future:
I
(Your Full Name), do take Planet Earth, source of all which sustains me,
as my life partner from this moment forth. At this time of public outcry, I
offer my solemn vow to consider You with every step I take upon You. I may not
be perfect, but strive to find that place where my gifts meet Your dire need
for respect. Forgive my shadows + blindspots. I hold this now as a sacred task:
to bring us all into Harmony. To use less, enjoy more + co-create with
sustainability. Beautiful Earth, I promise to respond, love, respect + cherish
You, so long as I shall live.
Participants concluded the Rosh Hashanah Seder: A Night of Renewal in these words:
We continue the journey that began with
the sounding of the Great Shofar! The foods we have eaten helped us to remember
the work that we must undertake and complete in order to progress on the
spiritual path. Remembrance leads to Repentance, Repentance leads to Return,
Return leads to Renewal, Renewal leads to Life, and Life leads to Light!
Happy New Year! Shanah Tovah!
The Rosh Hashanah Seder
Leader: Rabbi Isaac Luria
(1534-1572), the Ari (lion), the Father of Kabbalah, reminds us that the
celebration of Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year,” has everything to
do with return, so much so that it could be called the Return of the Year.
“Every year, on Rosh Hashanah,” he taught, “everything returns to its very
beginning. Creation is renewed. All that was created in the beginning comes
into being again. Thus each Rosh Hashanah the world is re-created.” 1
All: Return leads to renewal. Rosh
Hashanah is an invitation to return, to return to ourselves. If we return to
our true selves, our purest selves, we will renew our selves, the world, and
all of creation.
Reader: What is the meaning of
return?
All: There is more than one answer
to this question. The Hebrew word teshuvah (T-SHU-VA) can be translated as
return. Return is a process. One return makes another possible. There is a
series of returns that lead up to the Great Return.
Reader: What is the meaning of true
selves?
All: Once again, there is more than
one answer to this question. Some would say that the one’s true self is the
most authentic version of oneself. Kabbalists would go further, however.
Leader: Every single thing, animate
and inanimate, kabbalists would say, contains a Drop of Light that is in the
process of returning to the Ocean of Light. They refer to the Drop as Ohr
Memale (OR MEM-A-LE), the Ocean as Ohr Ein Sof (OR AYN SOF), and the Return as
Kelot Ha’nefesh (C-LOT HA-NE-FESH).
Reader: If Return leads to Renewal,
what leads to Return?
All: Repentance. According to the
Talmud, the Divine brought repentance into existence before creation
itself.2
Reader: In rabbinic thought,
Complete Repentance or Teshuvah Gemurah (T-SHU-VA G-MU-RA) consists of
five elements, including restitution, which is key. Repentance is also a
process. One repentance leads to another. Repentance clears the path for
Return.
All: From the Jewish perspective, if
we’ve harmed another person, the Divine doesn’t want to hear from us unless
we’ve gone to that person to right the wrong. We are expected to walk the walk
instead of talk the talk. The Talmud reminds us that “the Day of Atonement,”
that is, Yom Kippur, “atones for sins against God, not for sins against [human
beings], unless the injured party has been appeased.” 3
Leader: The power of righting the
wrong to the fullest extent possible cannot be underestimated. It is
karma-busting par excellence. The concept of karma exists in Kabbalah. The
maxim What goes around comes around, for instance, is known as Hok Ha’gemul
(HOC HA-GE-MUL).
“Every year, on Rosh Hashanah,” the Ari taught, “everything returns to its very
beginning.” So, let us go back to the beginning. To help us step into the Time
Before Time, I invite you to hold up to your ear the shell of the Australian
Trumpet—Syrinx Aruanus. Rosh Hashanah, incidentally, is also known as Yom
Teruah (YOM T-RU-A), the Feast of Trumpets.
Participants pass around a large shell so
they can take turns holding it up to their ears. They can make short comments
while the shell is being passed, but they must remain silent while someone is
pressing to his or her ear.
Leader: In this Silence Beyond
Silence something extraordinary occurred.
Reader: “E-LO-HEEM said, ‘Let there
be light;’ and there was light. E-LO-HEEM saw that the light was good, and
E-LO-HEEM separated the light from the darkness. E-LO-HEEM called the light
Day, and the darkness…Night.” (Genesis / B-RAY-SHEET 1:3-5)
Leader: And as the story goes, E-LO-HEEM
went on to create over a period of six days.
Reader: On the sixth day, “E-LO-HEEM
said, ‘Let us make man [woman] in our image, after our likeness…. And E-LO-HEEM
created man [woman] in His [Her] image, in the image of E-LO-HEEM He [She]
created him [her]; male and female He [She] created them.” (Genesis /
B-RAY-SHEET 1:26-27).
Reader: According to the spiritual
teachers who came before us, on Rosh Hashanah, that is, the First of Tishrei
(TEESH-RAY), in the fourth hour, the Divine breathed a soul into Adam (A-DAM);
in the fifth hour, Adam stood on his feet; and in the seventh hour, the Divine
created Eve (CHA-VA). 4
All: Rosh Hashanah is the birthday
of Adam and Eve, the birthday of humankind. Rosh Hashanah is our birthday!
Leader: “E-LO-HEEM said, ‘Let us
make man [woman] in our image, after our likeness.”
In our image: B-TZAL-MAY-NU. After our likeness: CEED-MU-TAY-NU.
Participants chant B-TZAL-MAY-NU
CEED-MU-TAY-NU four times.
Reader: It is said that “Adam
possessed a body of Light, which shone from one end of the world to the other.
This Light was identical with the primordial Light that was created on the
first day. So bright was this Light that Adam’s heel outshone the globe of the
sun; how much more so the brightness of his face.” 5
As participants say the following text,
the Leader should encourage them to make eye contact with each another,
especially when they exclaim, “You were radiant!” Repeating the text three or
four times not only communicates a powerful truth but provides levity.
All: Adam was radiant! Eve was
radiant! I was radiant! You were radiant! We were all radiant!
Participants chant B-TZAL-MAY-NU
CEED-MU-TAY-NU four more times.
Leader: The Days of Awe or
YA-MEEM NO-RA-EEM, the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,
give us an opportunity to return, to rediscover this radiance.
Reader: According to the Talmud, “on
Rosh Hashanah, three books are opened—one with the names of the completely
righteous, one with the names of the completely wicked, one with the names of
those who are neither completely righteous nor completely wicked. The
completely righteous: their verdict—life—is written down and sealed at once.
The completely wicked: their verdict—death—is written down and sealed at once.
Those neither completely righteous nor completely wicked: their verdict is
suspended between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If they are deemed to deserve
it [by resolving to repent], they are inscribed for life; if [they fail to
repent] and are therefore deemed not to deserve life, they are inscribed for
death.” 6
Reader: What is meant by Life? And
what is meant by Death?
All: Perhaps Life and Death, in this
context, refer to spiritual states: Life to being Awake or Aware and Death to
being Asleep or Unaware.
Leader: According to Rabbi Isaac,
“Four things cancel the doom of a man [or woman], namely, charity,
supplication, change of name, and change of conduct.”7
Reader: And what of the Rosh
Hashanah Seder? Does it cancel the doom of a man or woman?
All: The Rosh Hashanah Seder helps
us to focus on change of conduct. It helps us to remember, to remember the work
that we must do to be in right relation to ourselves, to the universe, that is,
one another, and to the Divine. This work must be undertaken and successfully
completed if doom is to be canceled or spiritual death kept at bay.
All: At Rosh Hashanah, four Rs are
in continuous motion: Remembrance, Repentance, Return, and Renewal.
Reader: And what of the foods at the
Rosh Hashanah Seder?
Reader: Said Rabbi Abaye (d. 339
C.E.), “[One] should regularly eat pumpkins, fenugreek, leeks, beets, and dates
on New Year’s Day.”8 His words gave rise to the first New Year’s Seder, which
originated among the Jews of the Middle East, Portugal, and Spain. One version
of this ancient text (taken from the Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah by
Mesorah Publications) is embedded in this Rosh Hashanah Seder: A Night of
Renewal.
Leader: Let us continue the journey
that began with the sounding of the shofar!
All: Let us continue the journey!
May the foods we eat enable us to remember the work that we must undertake and
complete in order to progress on the spiritual path, which leads to Light.
Remembrance leads to Repentance, Repentance leads to Return, Return leads to
Renewal, Renewal leads to Life, and Life leads to Light!
Kindling the Light(s)
Note: Though it isn’t Rosh Hashanah or
Shabbat, Light can be kindled to honor the seder and the ongoing spiritual work
that it facilitates.
One or more participants kindle the
light(s).
All: May this Light / these Lights
whisper the Truth that One Bright, Pure, White Light looks the eyes of the
many.
Let us, then, proclaim:
“Blessed is the Light within each person. BA-RUCH HA-OR
BA-A-DAM.”
Giving Thanks for This moment
Leader: Let us gives thanks for this
moment:
All: BA-RUCH
A-TA YAH E-LO-HAY-NU
RU-ACH HA-O-LAM, SHE-HE-CHE-YA-NU V-CEE-Y-MA-NU
V-HEE-GEE-A-NU LA-Z-MAN HA-ZE.
Blessed are You, Yah, our Power, Breath of All, Who has kept us alive and has
sustained us and has brought us to this season.
Giving Thanks for the Bread
Reader: According to some, the One
Round Bread / One Round Challah (CHA-LA) represents the crown of the Divine,
the King, the Queen. Notice that the bread is surrounded by flowers. The Ring
of Flowers represents our crown and reminds us of our divinity. “E-LO-HEEM
said, ‘Let us make man [woman] in our image, after our likeness.” And according
to others, the One Round Bread / One Round Challah (CHA-LA) reflects Oneness,
the seamless Oneness of All.
All: May this One Round Bread / One
Round Challah (CHA-LA) whisper the truth that we are ALL in it together, and
whatever we do to others, we do to ourselves.
BA-RUCH
A-TA YAH E-LO-HAY-NU
RU-ACH HA-O-LAM, HA-MO-TZEE
LE-CHEM MEEN HA-A-RETZ.
Blessed are You, Yah, our Power, Breath of All, Who brings forth bread from the
Earth.
Participants, especially if they haven’t
done so yet, dip a piece of bread in honey.
All: I am you, and you are me. We
are them, and they are us. As we help the Truth of Oneness dispel the Falsehood
of Separateness, may life become sweeter for every being the face of the earth.
Everyone eats the bread / challah that
was dipped in honey.
The Foods on the Rosh Hashanah Seder
Plate
All: Chai (CHY), the Hebrew word for
Life, has a numerical value of 18. Our Rosh Hashanah Seder Plate contains 18
foods, which are arranged in the shape of the Neolithic (New Stone Age) spiral,
which, among other things, symbolizes rebirth.
Leader: In the Rosh Hashanah Seder,
we’re asked to do two things at once: set an intention (for ourselves, one
another, and / or the world) and eat. In a very real sense, the foods of the
seder function as intentions and the eating of those foods as the fulfillment
of those intentions. In other words, food is prayer and eating is praying.
Before we eat, however, the ancient text of the seder calls on us to look to
the Divine and speak aloud the words, Yehi Ratzon (Y-HEE RA-TZON), May it
be Your will.
Let us prepare ourselves for the seder.
Participants chant Yehi Ratzon
(Y-HEE RA-TZON) two to four times, each time stretching out the word
Yehi.
Y-HEE, -EE, -EE, -EE, -EE, (pause) -EE, -EE, -EE, -EE, -EE RA-TZON.
Note that the word Traditional identifies the ancient text of the seder.
Apple (Traditional)
Say the blessing over the apple
(TA-PU-ACH), dip the apple in honey (D-VASH), pray aloud, and then eat.
All:
BA-RUCH A-TA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH
HA-O-LAM BO-RAY P-REE HA-AYTZ.
Blessed are You, Yah, our Power, Source of All, Who creates the fruit of the
tree.
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU
SHE-T-CHA-DAYSH A-LAY-NU SHA-NA TO-VA UM-TU-CA.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that You
renew the year for us so that it is good and sweet.
WATERmellon
Reader: On the first day of Rosh
Hashanah, Jews read the story of Hagar (HA-GAR) and her son Ishmael
(EESH-MA-AYL) who were literally dying of thirst in the wilderness of Beer
Sheba (B-AYR SHA-VA) until “[The Divine] opened her eyes and she saw a
well of WATER.” (Genesis / B-RAY-SHEET 21:19)
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat WATERmelon, we let go of
the past, mindful of the adage, “It’s WATER under the bridge,” and open our
eyes so that we can see the sources of life-giving WATER, the sources of
blessing, all around us.
PEAR
Reader: “Too much self-centered
attitude, you see,” says the Dalai Lama, “brings, you see, isolation. Result:
loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of
suffering.”9 In short, we need one another. There are needs of ours that only
another person can satisfy. He or she may emerge as the collaborator, the
friend, the lover, or the spouse for whom we have longed and prayed. Blessed be
the PAIR. In Kabbalah, for example, spiritual friendship, that is, a PAIR of
spiritual friends or hitkashrut (HEET-CASH-RUT), who bring out one another’s
best qualities, is especially celebrated.
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat PEAR, we become one of a
PAIR.
BLUEberry
Reader: The BLUEs or depression can
be fleeting or long-lasting. Sometimes the source is known, other times
unknown. It is estimated that 6.7% of American adults experience the often
debilitating effects of major depression.10
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat BLUEberry, we remember
that we are bigger than our afflictions and diagnoses and summon the strength
to successfully manage or eliminate them.
CANTaloupe
Reader: The word CAN’T is necessary
for self-preservation. Saying I CAN’T or I cannot enables each of us to draw or
establish necessary boundaries.
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat CANTaloupe, our ability
to say I CAN’T as well as our ability to discern under what circumstances to
say I CAN’T increases.
APricot
Reader: As of September 2014, there
were 1,300,000 APps available in the iPhone APp Store. 11
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat APricot, we choose APps
and other technologies that help rather than hinder our efforts to understand
and connect to ourselves and each other.
Date (Traditional)
All: TA-MAR, Hebrew for date, is
related to SHE-YEE-TA-MU, which means “perished.”
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU SHE-YEE-TA-MU SO-N-NAY-NU.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that those
who hate us perish.
BANana
Reader: What habitual thoughts,
words, and behaviors must be BANished from our lives? What group behaviors must
be BANished from the face of the earth so that the Messianic Age—which peoples
from various faith traditions await—can come upon us?
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat BANana, we clearly see
the steps that we must take to remove these internal and external life-takers
from our midst.
Pomegranate (Traditional)
All: REE-MON, Hebrew for
pomegranate, is explicitly mentioned in this prayer.
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU SHE-NAR-BE Z-CHU-YOT C-REE-MON.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that we
have as many merits as a pomegranate has seeds.
At this point in the seder, between the
fruits and the vegetables, participants may want to freshen their drinks and /
or stretch a bit.
TURNip
Reader: Rosh Hashanah has everything
to do with T-SHU-VA, which means, among other things, “turning.” Once again, we
can engage in the work of TURNing. If we so choose, each of us can TURN away
from thoughts, words, and behaviors that inevitably take us away from our
higher ourselves, and each of us can TURN toward those whom we have harmed,
hurt, and wronged and say, “I am sorry, let me repair what I have broken.” In
addition, we can turn toward those pursuits that we have put off over and over
again, which will enable us to emerge as more authentic versions of ourselves.
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat TURNip, we turn away from
Darkness and toward Light.
Cabbage (Traditional)
All: C-RUV, Hebrew for cabbage, is
related to SHE-YEE-CAR-TU, which means “destroyed.”
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU SHE-YEE-CAR-TU SO-N-AY-NU.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that those
who hate us be destroyed.
Beet (Traditional)
All: SE-LEC, Hebrew for beet, is
related to SHE-YEES-TAL-CU, which means “removed.”
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU SHE-YEES-TAL-CU O-Y-VAY-NU.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that our
enemies be removed.
CAULiflower
Reader: What does Charles Williams
Jr. have to do with Rosh Hashanah?
In 1877, the first residential telephone line in the world was installed. Charles
Williams Jr., who lived in Somerville and worked in Boston, was given two
telephone numbers—1 and 2—which connected his home and office.12
In the decades since, the lines and numbers have proliferated. With the rise of
social media, the old fashioned phone CALL seems to becoming rarer and rarer.
Danielle Steele, the best-selling novelist in the world, once said, “I need
context, nuance and the warmth and tone that can only come from a human
voice.”13
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that we
eat CAULiflower, we remember from time to time to CALL one another so we can
hear the voice of God on the other end of the line.
PEPpers
Reader: We’re exhausted! According
to the National Sleep Foundation, 25% percent of us get between 6 and 7 hours
of sleep each night and 14% less than 6.14 Nevertheless, on so little energy
we’re expected to do so much.
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat PEPper, we have enough
PEP to finish everything before us so we can sleep more than 8 hours.
MAIZE
Reader: Sometimes we find ourselves
in a situation that’s so confusing and complicated we feel as though we’re
trapped in a MAZE, which can be very scary. The ancient Mayans believed MAIZE
to be the source of humankind, and to this day, their descendants address an
ear of corn as “Your Grace.” 15
All: May it be Your will, Yah, our
Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that as we eat MAIZE, we become evermore
conscious of our indwelling divinity in which fear cannot dwell.
Carrot (Traditional)
(GE-ZER)
All: In this prayer, the Hebrew word
SHE-YEER-BU means “increased.” At this point, it is customary to eat any food
that conveys the notion of abundance. MEH-REN, Yiddish for carrot, also means
“to increase.” RU-B-YA, Aramaic for fenugreek, implies “increase.”
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU SHE-YEER-BU Z-CHU-YO-TAY-NU.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that our
merits be increased.
Squash (Traditional)
All: CA-RA, Aramaic for squash, is
related SHE-YEE-CA-RA, which means “torn asunder.”
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU
SHE-YEE-CA-RA RO-A G-ZAR DEE-NAY-NU V-YEE-CAR-U
L-FA-NE-CHA Z-CHU-YO-TAY-NU.
May it be Your Will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that the
bad part of the decree of our sentence be torn asunder and our merits be proclaimed
before You.
Leader: We have one more ritual food
to eat together, but before we do, I would like to point out the obvious:
Everything we ate, everything we took into our bodies, came from the earth. Our
bodies came from the earth, and in the fullness of time, they will return to
the earth.
Rosh Hashanah calls on us to initiate a “change of conduct,” to take the steps
required to ensure that we are in right relation to ourselves, to the universe,
which includes Planet Earth, and to the Divine.
At the very end of the People’s
Climate March, I visited the installation Birth Canal to the Future where marchers were given an opportunity
to be in harmony with their natural surroundings. They were invited to enter
into a life partnership with the earth by making the Vow to the Earth.
Let’s each of us embrace the earth.
Together, participants read the vow
below.
Entering into a Partnership with the
Earth
All: I (Your Full Name), do take
Planet Earth, source of all which sustains me, as my life partner from this
moment forth. At this time of public outcry, I offer my solemn vow to consider
You with every step I take upon You. I may not be perfect, but strive to find
that place where my gifts meet Your dire need for respect. Forgive my shadows +
blindspots. I hold this now as a sacred task: to bring us all into Harmony. To
use less, enjoy more + co-create with sustainability. Beautiful Earth, I
promise to respond, love, respect + cherish You, so long as I shall live.16
Leader: Let us continue.
Fish (Traditional)
Candy or Swedish Fish can be used in
place of the head of a fish or sheep, which various versions stipulate.
All: DA-GEEM, Hebrew plural for
fish, is explicitly mentioned in this prayer.
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU
SHE-NEEF-RE V-NEER-BE C-DA-GEEM.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that we be
fruitful and multiply like fish.
As a head: L-ROSH. And not as a tail: V-LO L-ZA-NAV.
Y-HEE RA-TZON MEE-L-FA-NE-CHA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU VAY-LO-HAY
A-VO-TAY-NU
SHE-NEE-YE L-ROSH V-LO L-ZA-NAV.
May it be Your will, Yah, our Power, and the Power of our ancestors, that we be
as a head and not as a tail.
Concluding the Seder
Leader: Let us conclude the Rosh
Hashanah Seder: A Night of Renewal.
All: We conclude this Rosh Hashanah
Seder, but we continue the journey that began with the sounding of the Great
Shofar! The foods we have eaten helped us to remember the work that we must
undertake and complete in order to progress on the spiritual path. Remembrance
leads to Repentance, Repentance leads to Return, Return leads to Renewal,
Renewal leads to Life, and Life leads to Light! Happy New Year!
SHA-NA TO-VA!
Blessings
(As needed.)
Washing the Hands
All: May what prevents us from being
our true selves—thereby preventing us from being in right relation to
ourselves, to others, and the to the Divine—be washed away.
BA-RUCH
A-TA YAH E-LO-HAY-NU
RU-ACH HA-O-LAM, A-SHER CEE-D-SHANU
B-MEETZ-VO-TAV, V-TZEE-VA-NU AL
N-TEE-LAT YA-DA-YEEM.
Blessed are You, Yah, our Power, Breath of All, Who sanctifies us with
commandments and commands us regarding the washing of the hands.
The Fruit of the Tree
All:
BA-RUCH A-TA A-DO-NY E-LO-HAY-NU ME-LECH
HA-O-LAM
BO-RAY P-REE HA-AYTZ.
Blessed are You, Yah, our Power, Source of All, Who creates the fruit of the
tree.
The Fruit of the Ground
All:
BA-RUCH A-TA YAH,
E-LO-HAY-NU RU-ACH HA-O-LAM
BO-RAY P-REE HA-A-DA-MA.
Blessed are You, Yah, our Power, Source of All, Who creates the fruit of the
ground.
Giving Thanks / Saying Grace
All: PO-TAY-ACH ET YA-DE-CHA,
U-MAS-BEE-A L-CHOL CHY RA-TZON.
BA-RUCH ATA YAH,
HA-ZAN ET HA-COL.
“You open Your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16
‘RSV’). Blessed are You, Yah, Who nourishes all.
We are thankful, above all, for the opportunity to return to ourselves, to
repair that which is broken, so that we can return to You and glisten like
snow.
Pronunciation Key
A as in A piece of fruit
AY as in The DAY after tomorrow
E as in LET me do it
EE as in MEET me there at noon
Y as in BY the seaside
O as in OH no not again
U as in Follow the RULE
TZ as in The BERLITZ foreign language series
CH as in The composer BACH
CH makes a slight gargle-like sound.
Notes
1 Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls (Oxford University Press, 2004), 292. Schwartz
created this text based on Sefer Netivot ha-Shalom, quoting a teaching
attributed to the Ari; Likutei Moharan 1:2.
2 Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 39b.
3 Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 8:9.
4 Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 38b; VaYikrah Rabah beginning Parshah 29 ‘on
Emor.’
5 Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls (Oxford University Press, 2004), 130. Schwartz
created this composite text based on Bava Batra 58a and Sanhedrin 38b;
Leviticus Rabbah 20:2; Genesis Rabbah 8:9-10, 11:2, 12:6, 20:11. Deuteronomy
Rabbah 11:3; Numbers Rabbah 13:12; Song of Songs Rabbah 30:3; Midrash ha-Gadol
126-130; Midrash Mishlei 31; Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 4:4, 12:1, 26:3: Pesikta
Rabbati 14:10; Zohar 1:142b; Kedushat Shabbat 5, p. 13b.
6 Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16b.
7 Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16b.
8 Babylonian Talmud, Horayoth 12a. Fenugreek—fenyəˌgrēk—is “a white-flowered
herbaceous plant of the pea family, with aromatic seeds that are used for
flavoring, especially ground and used in curry powder.” Jews of the Middle East
are known as Mizrachim [MEEZ-RA-CHEEM] and Jews of Portugal and Spain as
Sephardim [S-FA-RA-DEEM].)
9 “Mental Illness Facts and Numbers,” NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness.
nami.org. (accessed September 20, 2014).
10 “Dali Lama,” Brainy Quote.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/loneliness.html. (accessed
September 20, 2014).
11 Sam Costello, “How Many Apps Are in the iPhone App Store?,” about
technology.
http://ipod.about.com/od/iphonesoftwareterms/qt/apps-in-app-store.htm. (accessed
September 20, 2014).
12 Atlas Obscura.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-site-of-the-world-s-first-residential-telephone-line. (accessed
September 20, 2014).
13 “Danielle Steele,” Brainy Quote.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/human_voice.html.(accessed
September 20, 2014).
14 Jones, Maggie, “How Little Sleep Can You Get Away With?” New York Times,
April 15, 2011, Magazine.
15 Eric J. Thompson, “The Meaning of Maize for the Maya,” in The Mexico Reader:
History, Culture, Politics eds. Gilbert M. Joseph and Timothy J. Henderson
(Duke University Press, 2009), 86.
16 I encountered people making the Vow to the Earth: Commitment Ceremony for
the People’s Climate March at the very end of the People’s Climate March (21 September
2014), in front of the art installation Birth
Canal to the Future created by Sarah Levine, also known as Salix Roots.
Devin Kyle Irby, also known as Eco Lake, informed me that the text of the vow
was co-authored by a working group that gathered in Sporatorium and May Day
spaces.
