B’kol Libeinu: The Call of Our Hearts

One of the joys of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayer service is its familiarity. The words we recite are the same words previous generations used as they prayed for a good year. Some of us have prayed with the same congregation for years, and the melodies used in the synagogue feel like home. Although the words don’t change every year, we do . We have had experiences over the previous twelve months that may have changed our perspectives. Our needs are different. Our relationships are different. When we encounter the high holiday machzor in a new year, it may acquire a new resonance. Maybe certain phrases or prayers speak to us positively and give us meaning that we have never seen before. Maybe parts of the liturgy strike us as harsh or painful in light of experiences we have endured. Maybe the liturgy just doesn’t hit the spot, oblivious to what we need right now. In this Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur Machzor Companion, over 40 educators, clergy, writers, and artists reflect on elements of the traditional High Holidays liturgy, drawing connections between their experiences and the words of the machzor. They consider the national trauma of October 7th and its aftermath, and how the words of the prayers speak to them in this particularly heartbreaking year. They also consider how their own personal experiences of joy and challenge intersect with the words of the machzor. For example, what does it mean to hear the prayer of Unetaneh Tokef when dealing with loss? How does one dealing with fertility challenges approach the emphasis on birth on Rosh Hashanah? Contributors created new prayers, art, and poetry to expand and enhance the High Holidays experience, sharing with all of us the emotions, thoughts, and kavanot (intentions) closest to their hearts this year. The contributors hope B’Kol Libeinu will serve as a friend to you during the High Holidays, and that you will hear them whispering in your ears that they are there with you, that your experiences matter, and that when the prayer doesn’t speak to you it is okay to move off the page and offer your own heartfelt truth. Featuring inspiration from: Rabbi Tali Adler, Sarah Allen, Rabba Wendy Amsellem, Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, Dr. Guila Benchimol, Shira Berkovits, Maya Bernstein, Rebbetzin Aliza Bulow, Chanie Chein, Rachel Danziger, Rabbanit Dalia Davis, Talia Engelhart, Zoe Fertik, Dr. Naomi Marmon Grumet, Rabbanit Batya Hefter, Rachel Jackson, Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz, Rabbi Rebecca Kamil, Rachel Kann, Rabbi Avi Killip, Rabbi Melanie Levav, Rebecca Minkus-Lieberman, Rabbi Emily Meyer, Rabbi Heather Miller, Ariele Mortkowitz, Rabbi Marianne Novak, Rabbi Vanessa Ochs, Sarah Osborne, Naama Sadan, Julie Seltzer, Dr. Jane Shapiro, Rabba Anat Sharbat, Rabbi Abby Sosland, Rabbanit Aliza Sperling, Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, Elisheva Thompson, Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, Rabbi Elianna Yolkut, Rabbi Mary Zamore, Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower, and more Created in grateful partnership together with: The Covenant Foundation, The AVIV Foundation, SRE Network, FeedPrayLoveJerusalem, UpStart, Women’s Rabbinic Network, The Eden Center, The Orot Center, Sacred Spaces, A Mitzvah To Eat, Shomer Collective, Bayit, M54, The Multitudes, Maharat, NCJW, Ben Yehuda Press, Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains, and more — ASIN: B0DJ5V1PQG | ISBN13: 9798340405159 | ISBN-13: 979-8340405159