Current - Temple Emanu-El

Meekantor’s Kol Tuv
High Holy Days - Standing at the Foot of Mount Sinai
Part I: Selichot (Forgiveness) and the 13 Attributes of God
Imagine yourself standing at the foot of Mount Sinai. Around you – arid, yellowish brown dunes of sand and a
few scattered dry desert bushes. Though subtle, a quiet murmur can be heard, the ambient sound is eerily
quiet. You are summoned, by an inner voice stronger than your ability to comprehend or understand “why,” to
stand with the other people of your “tribe,” at the foot of a mountain, and wait. You are not completely sure what you are doing
here. You look at other people who are congregating here with you. Some are still waking up from their sleep. Children are playing
quietly, while the adults are busy “doing.” All you know is that you need to be here, to experience something you are not sure
how, or if it will impact your tomorrow.
At Ma’a’mad Har Sinai, the Theophany at Mt. Sinai (the Revelation of God on Mount Sinai), the Israelites were summoned to
stand by the foot of the mountain. Waiting for Moses to come down, they didn’t know exactly what was about to happen; they
intuitively only sensed the power of an upcoming event. According to the Jewish tradition (Exodus 19:24), this earth-shattering
encounter between the Israelites and God was the defining moment of our history as a People. We consider our Torah (The Five
Books of Moses) as the story of the development of the evolving, yet enduring relationships between the People of Israel and God.
Now let’s travel in time a few thousand years forward from that momentous event at Sinai. Of course, in the present, most of us
don’t actually stand as a community at the foot of Mount Sinai to welcome Moses, receive Torah carved in tablets, or witness
God’s miracles through clouds and burning bushes. But we do get an annual opportunity to spiritually bring ourselves to a place
of a gathering, begin the process of Teshuvah, an opportunity to turn inward, and engage in an honest, private conversation with
God. Yes, the setting is different: instead of an open space in the desert, we come together in a synagogue or another communal
gathering space. The other members of our “tribe” are friends from the synagogue or acquaintances from the larger community.
Moses left quite a long time ago; now clergy serve as Klei Kodesh, holy vessels to channel sacred work. The Tablets are nowhere
to be found. They were replaced by a Torah scroll, made by people, covered in a white mantel, to signify the sacredness of the
occasion. God’s voice can be heard as a Kol D’mama Daka, a soft, small, yet powerful voice of silence; an inner spiritual murmur,
if we allow ourselves to hear it. Our ancestors stood by the mountain as a People, they heard the voice of God calling them. While
the language may be different, we can still hear it as well. Some people join the congregation for the High Holy Days, because
that’s what they’ve always done since childhood; it’s a tradition they feel they want or have to keep. Some are here to teach their
children. Some feel that they have to come for “the wife, you know,” and others come for the yearly “tune up,” or the “recharging
of spiritual batteries.” No reason is better or worse than another. The fact is, you are here --- even if you fall asleep during the
Rabbi’s sermon or the Cantor’s new version of the Hashkiveinu prayer, you are still HERE. And while asleep, your subconscious
is having a private conversation with God.
In our daily lives, we are all familiar with the complexity of relationships; Ma’amad Har Sinai was the first recorded testimony to
such an intensity, a spiritual reflection of a relationship Bein adam La’chavero (between one person to another), and Bein adam
la’Makom (between a person to a place or source of holiness, a physical manifestation of Godliness).
In the Hebrew month of Elul, also called the “Month of Selichot” (Forgiveness, in plural form), observant Jews around the world
pray daily to ask for forgiveness from God. In most Reform congregations, we don’t pray daily, but we do have a specific day
when we get into the mode of preparation for the sacred moments to come during the High Holy Days that culminate on Yom
Kippur, called Selichot, which usually occurs on the last Saturday evening before Rosh Hashanah.
One of the key phrases or intense moments for this spiritual preparation is called “God’s 13 Middot Ha-Rachamim,” God’s 13 Attributes
of Mercy, or Divine Attributes. During the High Holy Days (as well as the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, Sukkot, Passover
and Shavuot), we utter this threefold repetition during the Torah Service: Adonai, Adonai El, Rachum, v'Chanun… Adonai
(translated as Lord), Adonai, God, Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Kindness and Faithfulness, Extending
Kindness to the Thousandth Generation, Forgiving Iniquity, Transgression and Sin …(Exodus 34:6-7).
In its biblical context, the revelation of the Thirteen Divine Attributes of God are the essence of God's self, the climactic revelation
to Moses after God’s having forgiven the sin of the golden calf. Moses has asked to see God as a sign of Divine favor; God refuses
this request (since no person can see God and live), but shows Moses a portion of the Divine Presence by passing by him, only
allowing Moses to see what trails behind God.
Jewish tradition understands that God gave Moses a liturgical formula that can be used in the future to invoke Divine Pardon
and Forgiveness whenever Israel sins, just as happened in the story of the golden calf. Thus, these verses came to be used as a
liturgical invocation of God's mercy during the self-examination season of the High Holy Days. This powerful phrase serves as a
spiritual bridge between our ancestors and our people today, and will continue to serve future generations as well.
I invite you to join your clergy, members of our Makhela (choir), cellist and pianist and readers from Ritual Committee, to stand
with us in front of the open ark, as we embark on our communal as well as individual journeys inward, beginning with Selichot
(Saturday 8/31), through the intense High Holy Days.
Adonai, Adonai, El Rachum ve’Chanun, Erech Apayim ve’Rav Chesed ve’Emet….
Please join us for our Selichot study session, reception, and service
on Saturday, August 31 beginning at 7:00 PM.
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