Rosh Hashanah Selichot

Ariel Ben-Klezmer

13 September 2017

Selichot

“The day of awe and judgement, of reflection and repentance, are a time when Jews use their prayers to seek the Father Who hovers nearby awaiting their call.”  (The complete Art scroll Selichot) The period starting on the month of Elul, (Hebrew Calendar this year 5777 it started on the 23rd of August 2017), for Sephardic Jews means the preparation for the 10 days of awe starting on Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah) and culminating in Yom Kippur (The day of Attornment).  Also, known as the feast of Trumpets, derived from blowing of the Shofar, but most commonly known as the Jewish new year, and On Yom Kippur, the judgment for our deeds entered in these books are sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.

Within our Jewish global community there are some markedly differences in which we approach our daily living, prayers and worship styles.  For example, the largest groups more well-known Jews in the world are Sephardic, and Ashkenazy, of course there are a few others, like Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews (Hebrew: יהודי תימן Yehudi Teman), are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen.  Additionally, there are Mizrachi Jews (Hebrew: יהודים מזרחי Yehudim Mizrachim), also known as Mizrachi (Hebrew: מזרחים Mizrachim) in short are Jews descended from local communities of the Middle East. and Ethiopian Jews or Beta Israel (Hebrew: בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, Beyte (beyt) Yisrael; “House of Israel" or "Community of Israel”), also known as Ethiopian Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדֵי אֶתְיוֹפְּיָה: Yehudi Etyopyah), are Jews that developed and lived for centuries in the area of Kingdom of Aksum and the Ethiopian Empire that is currently divided between Amhara and Tigray Regions of Ethiopia. Most of these peoples have emigrated to Israel since the late 20th century.

What does this have to do with Rosh Hashanah, you may ask? Well simply put they all have a unique way of expressing their cultural diversity within the context of Judaism.  Let me give you two brief examples:  In Sephardic culture prayers of repentance are said from the first of Elul, 40 days of prayers, until Yom Kippur these are known as Selichot plural of asking forgiveness. The rational of 40 days of asking forgiveness for one’s actions is derived from the fact that the original custom was ten days of prayers Teshuvah 3:4 but my Sephardic ancestry decided ten days in not enough and we had to enter Rosh Hashanah with the process of prayer. Those forty days were in remembrance of the golden calf incident to not fall ever again into idol worship by a mediocre lifestyle. Noe there is a lot more to it but for the sake of brevity I will leave it at that. 

In Ashkenazy culture the prayers begin after two criteria, one the 25th of Elul and Motzei Shabbos (The night after Shabbat).  Note here that Ashkenazim never pronounce or even write the T everything ends in “s”.  Now why on this day, well according to tradition Adam and Eve were created on Rosh Hashanah, which was a Friday the six day of creation.  On the basis that of the pristine state of creation before sin entered the world, starting to pray in this day will remind us of our need to return to a primordial state of “Pristine Sinless-ness” as in the days of creation.  Additionally, four days of Selichot before Rosh Hashanah to symbolise the four days an animal need s to be inspected before a sacrifice.  This brings me to what the Tanach teaches what HaShem desires, true worshipers and a repentant heart are more valuable than all the burnt offerings, (paraphrased). This brings me to one last thing got my attention as I was studying for this period of Jewish life, and it hit me right between my eyes, from Rosh Hashanah 31a one can derive that sin is caused by self-deception, our sages teach us that no one sins unless a spirit of foolishness enters him.  and in our current environment there is no greater evidence than this.

Take this time of self-analysis as you come before HaShem in your prayers and ask for self-deception to be revealed, as you know you never know you are being deceived until after it’s over.  Likewise ask for the spirit of foolishness to be removed from your life, in this way we usher to return of Messiah.