High Holy Days

Please note that registration is required to attend all services!

Services and Programming

Click below to access the schedule of services and events for each holiday:

Selichot: September 17th

8:00 PM – Selichot Torah Study Session with Student Rabbi Heather Renetzky, Zoom

Join Student Rabbi Heather in a Selichot Torah study exploring tochecha or rebuke. The season of Elul invites honesty—but how can we respond to being confronted and how can we confront others? We’ll explore Jewish examples of calling people out—and calling people in—from Talmudic stories to the front page of the New York Times. Come ready to be curious and reflective!

9:00 PM – Selichot Service, Zoom

Rosh HaShanah: September 25th-27th

Erev Rosh HaShanah | Sunday, September 25th

8:00 PM – Evening Service, Sanctuary and Livestream

Rosh HaShanah I | Monday, September 26th

9:00 AM – Morning Service, Sanctuary and Livestream

11:30 AM – B’Yachad Morning Service, Camp Chickami and Livestream

2:30 PM – Yeladim Service, Camp Chickami and Livestream

4:00 PM – Tashlich, Wayland Town Beach

Rosh HaShanah II | Tuesday, September 27th

10:00 AM – Morning Service, Sanctuary and Livestream

Tashlich on the Water: October 2nd

Join student rabbi Heather for an ancient ritual with a modern twist. Reflecting and rowing will go hand in hand as we perform the tashlich ceremony—symbolically casting away our sins, worries, and wrongs, all while paddling around Lake Cochituate! An eco-friendly alternative to breadcrumbs will be provided.

Register here

Yom Kippur: October 4th-5th

Erev Yom Kippur | Tuesday, October 4th

8:00 PM – Kol Nidrei Evening Service, Sanctuary and Livestream

Yom Kippur | Wednesday, October 5th

9:00 AM – Morning Service, Sanctuary and Livestream

11:30 AM – B’Yachad Morning Service, Camp Chickami and Livestream

1:30 PM – Afternoon Programming

Spirituality

All Spirituality programs are on Zoom
1:30-2:20 PM 2:30-3:20 PM 3:30-4:20 PM

Mindful Movement with Holly Glick

Expand and deepen your spiritual experience of this sacred holiday through a gentle movement practice. Mindful Movement is offered as a pathway to encounter and embody the holiness of Yom Kippur. Through careful attention to the breath and body, return (t’shuvah) to your truest and best self. All are welcome.

Mussar with Caryl Shaw

Yom Kippur is a time for reflection and renewed commitment to change for the better. The study and practice of Mussar can help you determine where you will focus your efforts and provide a roadmap for your journey. People of all experience levels are welcome.

Meditation with Michelle Goldhaber

Using a combination of meditation, niggunim, breathing exercises, etc. we will explore themes such as compassion, forgiveness, relationship with self, others and G-d, letting go and looking ahead. No experience necessary, all are welcome!

Reflection and Study

1:30-2:20 PM 2:30-3:20 PM 3:30-4:20 PM

The Book of Jonah, Zoom/Beit Midrash

Our Yom Kippur afternoon Haftarah is the Book of Jonah. He may be the most successful Prophet in our Bible, and yet he is most well known for being swallowed by a giant fish. Join Student Rabbi Heather as we delve deeper into the text to learn about Jonah and the lessons for today.

Healing Service, Beit Midrash

Join Student Rabbi Heather for a service of reflective prayer, poetry, comfort, and care in community, for all of us in need of healing—for ourselves and those we love. 

Please note: this service will be offered only in person due to its sensitive nature.

Rabbis in Conversation, Sanctuary

This is becoming an annual tradition, as Rabbi Blumberg and Rabbi Danny share a conversation about the pressing issues affecting Judaism and our world.

Young Families

1:30-2:20 PM 2:30-3:20 PM 3:30-4:20 PM
 

Yom Kippur Yeladim Service, Camp Chickami

It’s time for Yom Kippur Yeladim, a service designed for our youngest (and most adorable) members- kids 0-5- with songs, prayers, dancing and a story.

 

2:30 PM – Yeladim Service, Camp Chickami and Livestream

4:30 PM – Afternoon Service, Sanctuary and Livestream

5:30 PM – Yizkor, Sanctuary and Livestream

6:00 PM – Neilah: Closing the Gates, Sanctuary and Livestream

Sukkot and Simchat Torah: October 9th-18th

Sukkot I | Monday, October 10th

8:00 AM – Sukkot Morning Service, Zoom and Livestream

Simchat Torah | Sunday, October 16th

5:00 PM – Simchat Torah Celebration featuring Hands on the Future with Mike Wirth, TST

Simchat Torah | Monday, October 17th

8:00 AM – Yom Tov Morning Service with Yizkor, Zoom and Livestream


Service Descriptions

Click below to access the service descriptions to learn more:

Selichot

Selichot is a beautiful tradition of joining together on the Saturday evening before Rosh Hashanah to mark the beginning of the High Holy Day season, including reflection, song, and changing the Torah scrolls into their special white mantles for this sacred time.

Tashlich

Tashlich (תשליך/lit. casting away) is a ritual performed each year during the High Holy Days as a way to symbolically cast off sins by tossing leaves, stones, bread crumbs, etc. into natural bodies of flowing water.

Morning Services

Our 9:00 am Rosh HaShanah Morning and Yom Kippur Morning services will be available in-person and online, offering a full, traditional service. Registration is required for members and is also available for extended family and guests.  All are welcome to join us by Livestream.

B'Yachad Services

We will be offering on the field at Camp Chickami and via Livestream. It will be an interactive service for everyone, especially geared for families with children in grades 3-7. B’Yachad means “together” and this is intended a service for us all to join together in prayer and song. (Note that in previous years, this was offered as our Early Morning Family Service). 

Camp Chickami is located directly behind Temple Shir Tikva and offers a beautiful outdoor venue for us to celebrate together. The path to Camp Chickami contains some uneven ground and a flight of stairs. It is possible to access the field in a wheelchair, however it is not easy. You must bring your own seating (chairs or blankets): no chairs will be provided. You are encouraged to dress appropriately for an outdoor service (wear comfortable clothing and sunblock, shoes for walking across fields, and bring water). Space is plentiful, and we encourage you to brings guests, however, we are still requesting that you register them ahead of time.

In the event of bad weather, we will offer an indoor service in the Sanctuary with more limited seating, as well as Livestream.  All updates about the location of the service will be provided here on the Temple Shir Tikva website.

Yeladim

For families with young children (yeladim/ילדים), ages 0-5. These services are designed for the whole family to join us as we sing, dance, and pray together.  These services will also be held on the Camp Chickami field, adjacent to Temple Shir Tikva.  Space is plentiful and we invite you to bring your friends and neighbors; we are asking you to register for this service so we can alert you to weather-related service changes.

These services are part of our Yeladim offerings, which are open to all young families. Due to continued interest, we are offering our monthly Shabbat Yeladim services! It is a growing program, offering ways for young families to connect with each other through Temple Shir Tikva.

Yom Kippur Services

Afternoon Service

We continue our day of reflection, music, and prayer with the traditional afternoon service, including the humorous story of the book of Jonah.

Yizkor

We join for a service of memory, in song, poetry, and quiet contemplation, remembering those who have we’ve lost.

Neilah: The Closing of the Gates

Join us for the closing service of Yom Kippur. As we conclude the day, our mood shifts from solemnity to joy, as we celebrate our emergence into the new year.


Registration

For Members of Temple Shir Tikva

Registration is required for all services. We are asking that you register for services so that we can alert you of any last minute scheduling changes. Physical tickets to services will not be mailed. Once you register for services, you will receive a confirmation with your service information. You must be a member in good standing to register for services, as indicated by your response to our membership mailing this summer.

Temple Shir Tikva members may register family members (children over the age of 25 or other family member) for $150 a person.  Friends who are not members of other congregations can purchase non-member registration at $400/person.  See below for information on complimentary registration for members of other congregations.

Register here

For Members of Other URJ Congregations

We welcome members of other congregations to worship with us at TST. Please be in touch with your home synagogue for a link to request tickets through the Union for Reform Judaism’s Courtesy Seating Request Program. Because of limited seating at many services, synagogues are adopting varying practices with respect to accepting guests from other congregations. If you wish to have a member of another congregation join you for services at our services, please contact Karen Edwards ().

Register here


Things to Know

COVID Precautions

We strongly encourage you to only attend in person if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19.  We request that you abide by our COVID screening guidelines.  At this point, masking will be optional, though we may change that depending on local guidelines or CDC recommendations at the time of services.

Accessibility

Sanctuary Services

Services held in the Sanctuary are accessible by those with mobility supports (canes, crutches, rollators, wheelchairs) by flat brick paths and carpeted floors. The bathrooms available for these services are behind two doors that do not open electronically. There are accessible stalls with stability supports. 

If you are in need of seating such as an accessible aisle seat, a chair with arms, or space for a wheelchair, please reach out to Karen Edwards (508-358-9992, ) by Tuesday, September 20th, to let her know which service(s) you plan to attend and what type of assistance we can provide. We ask that you arrive early so that we can ensure appropriate accommodations.

Camp Chickami Services

Services held at Camp Chickami are difficult to access for those with mobility support needs. The main path includes a flight of stairs and uneven ground. It is possible to access the field through a uneven side path, however it is not easy. Additionally, seating is not provided, so please remember to bring chairs or blankets! If it is your preference to attend the Chickami services and you would like to make an access plan, please contact Karen Edwards (508-358-9992, ) and we will be sure to have ushers there to offer support.

Additional Information

Assistive Listening Devices are available from our Ushers / Greeters.

Accessible Parking: If you anticipate needing accessible parking, please contact Karen Edwards (508-358-9992, ) by Tuesday, September 20th, to let her know which service(s) you plan to attend and what type of assistance we can provide.

If you have other accessibility needs, we would love to work with you to provide what accommodations we can. Please contact Karen Edwards (508-358-9992, ) to discuss your needs.

Scroll of Remembrance

Each year, we honor the memory of our loved ones on Yom Kippur and festivals throughout the year through the Scroll of Remembrance. Watch the video above to learn more from Rabbi Danny about the purpose of the Scroll and its importance as a ritual for our community. The deadline for submitting names for the 5783 Scroll is September 1st, 2022.

To see the names you submitted last year, click the button below:

5782 Scroll of Remembrance Names

To submit names for the 5783 Scroll of Remembrance, click the button below:

Submit your loved ones’ names

Parking

Both accessible and general parking will be available in the Temple Shir Tikva lot.  Overflow parking will be available at the Camp Chickami lot and the Islamic Center of Boston located at 126 Boston Post Road.

Security

Safety and security are of utmost important for all of us. Please keep the following points in mind while you are worshipping with us during our High Holy Days:

  • Police officers and/or uniformed security personnel will be on duty at all times, monitoring our property and assisting with traffic control.
  • The front entrance to the Temple will be open, and all other doors will be locked. For services in the sanctuary, please enter and exit through the front doors only
  • When you arrive at TST please have your tickets out and ready to be checked.

Borrowing Prayer Books

Books may be picked up at the Temple Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. If you cannot make it to the Temple to pick up prayer books, we can try to have them delivered to you. If you require this, please contact Karen Edwards ().

Usher and Greeter Volunteers

We are looking for ushers and greeters to welcome and direct our community. Please contact Mary Beth Rettger () if you can help greet during the holidays.