Drisha: Examining the High Holiday Prayers

Analyzes the context and content of the 13 Middot and reflects on the placement of Yom Kippur in the cycle of the Jewish calendar.

Explores the tefilla of Neilah and its role as the culmination of the Yom Kippur service.

Explores the structure and themes of the avodah service, and its vivid description of the sacrificial ritual in the Bet Hamikdash

Explores the Torah and Haftarah readings of Yom Kippur

Explores the structure of the Yom Kippur mussaf.

Explores the power of the individual to engage in self-transformation.

Discusses the narratives of Genesis chapters 21 and 22, and explores the idea of God intervening in human affairs.

Two different aspects of shofar are explored; the joy that accompanies proclaiming God as king and the hesitations and doubts that are an inherent part of being judged.

Discusses the blessing of Shofarot and the symbolism and transformation of the shofar as it moves from the past to the present and future.

Discusses the second part of the blessing of Zichronot with covenant as its dominant theme. In this section, the account of the binding of Isaac is presented as the moment of discovery of sacred space and the climax of God's creative activity.

Discusses the first part of the blessing of Zichronot and explores the motif of God as judge who engages in both collective and individual judgment of all created beings.

Explores the blessing of Malchuyot and its connection to the nature of Rosh Hashanah as a day designated for God.

The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in the story of the Golden Calf and in the story of the spies, as contexts to understand the nature of selichot.

The structure of selichot and the Ashkenazi practice of starting selichot on a Saturday night--BeMotza'ei Menucha