The High Holidays — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — are an opportunity for Jews to collectively celebrate, atone and prepare themselves for the coming year. At My Jewish Learning, we not only have hundreds of articles that will help you familiarize yourself with all aspects of Jewish holiday customs, prayers and foods, but we also offer classes that take you deeper into the traditions of the season.
Here are nine classes you can watch or listen to on your own schedule that will help you get the most from this Jewish season of renewal.
Learn to Navigate the Mahzor, the High Holiday Prayer Book
Are you someone who find the mahzor overwhelming? This 3-part series gives you the fundamentals to understand the logic and organization of the High Holiday prayer book. You’ll also compare and contrast different prayer books and traditions and discuss what to expect in your own synagogue. You’ll come away from the class empowered to navigate the mahzor on your own!
Sing High Holiday Melodies from Morocco and Gibraltar
Join Isaac Montagu, co-creator of gender-egalitarian Siddur Masorti, to learn two Spanish melodies that bring special piyyutim (poems) alive on Rosh Hashanah evening. Then, singer Laura Elkeslassy will teach you Moroccan melodies for significant Yom Kippur liturgical songs, including Lekha Eli Teshukati, Kol Nidre, Anna Bekoreinu and more.
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Familiarize Yourself with the Holiday’s Symbolic Foods
Join food writer Vered Guttman to learn more about the symbolic foods of the Jewish New Year. Then, there will be a tutorial on making chraime (a North African fish dish) and date cake.
Grow Your High Holiday Hebrew Vocabulary
Professor Tamar Kamionkowski will teach you key vocabulary for the language of the mahzor, the prayer book used on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, so that you’ll be more confident walking into High Holidays services.
Join This Shofar Workshop
You may wonder what the practical, spiritual, and religious implications of blowing the shofar are. Find answers to your questions about the origins, production and use of the shofar in this class with Rabbi Mark Goodman.
Find Inspiration In Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook’s Writings
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935), first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi in Palestine and mystic poet, is the author of Lights of Teshuvah, a now classic guide for Jewish repentance. Join Rabbi Dorothy Richman to read selections from this masterwork, looking for inspiration and practical guidance for our own teshuvah work.
Take A Closer Look At How Remembrance Relates To Rosh Hashanah
So much of Jewish ritual is designed to preserve our collective memories. Join David Gottlieb to develop a deeper understanding of how memory expresses itself as a motif in the High Holiday liturgy and in the relationship between God and humanity.
Enjoy This Series On High Holidays Foods From Around the World.
From instant pot brisket to Syrian crispy leek fritters, these High Holiday delicacies are sure to inspire your own feast this fall.
Learn About Sephardi/Mizrahi Selichot Traditions, Old and New
Artist Galeet Dardashti takes us on a musical journey through the world of Persian selichot. The album, titled Monajat, is inspired by old and haunting recordings of the prayers of Selichot chanted by Galeet’s late grandfather, Younes Dardashti, a famous master singer of Persian classical music in 1950s/60s Iran. Riffing off these old tapes, Galeet sings with remixed samples of her grandfather and composes a soundscape of original music performed by an acclaimed ensemble of musicians.
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