Heal. Deepen. Grow.
High Holy Days 2024/5785
After a heartbreaking year, the Hebrew month of Elul (pre-High Holy Days) and the High Holy Day traditions and practices give us the opportunity to heal wounds and inspire hope for a better future. We have curated a dynamic and interactive line up of classes, services, and gatherings, along with resources to provide our community with spaces to learn and reflect, to meaningfully connect with one another, and to renew ourselves as we journey through the High Holy Day season together.
Shana Tova! Here’s to a happy, healthy, and peace-filled 5785.
Elul: Pre-High Holy Day Warm Up
The Hebrew month of Elul (Sep 4 - Oct 2), the month preceding the Jewish High Holy Days, is a traditional period for spiritual reflection, introspection, and caring for our relationships through conversation and repair. We look forward to gathering with you as we prepare for this High Holy Day season with the following offerings:
HiHo Hikes & Learning
Sundays - September 8, 15, 22 • 10:00am-12:00pm
Jewish mystics retreated into nature as a way to experience a more profound sense of intention and attention to their lives. We’ll be guided on our hikes by our very own “hike captains” (nature lovin’ folks from the Den), followed by learning and discussion to get us warmed up for the season. BYO snack + water bottle. No experience necessary, all welcome! Sign Up Below:
The Only Constant is Change: Learning + Reflection on Change as a Spiritual Experience
Wednesday, Sept 11 • 7:00pm-9:00pm
The High Holy Day liturgy and Torah readings portray a God that is always changing. And so are we. After a challenging year, join Rabbi Emmanuel for an evening of study, conversation, and storytelling as we reflect on the ways we have changed, and how we hope to change in the New Year. We will gather in Arlington, VA. Sign up by Sept. 10.
Cultivating Hope in Troubling Times: Challah Bake + Study
Wednesday, September 18 • 7:00pm - 9:30pm
We’ve been through a lot over the past year — collectively and individually. Join Rabbi Aderet for an intimate evening of deep connection, sweet challah baking, and exploration of Jewish teachings addressing the question, “How do we cultivate hope during troubling times?” We’ll learn to braid round and sweet Rosh Hashana challahs then move into our learning as the challahs are baking. We will gather in Bethesda, MD. Sign up by Sept 15.
Lessening Our Suffering: Shabbat Morning Meditation + Learning
Saturday, Sept 21 • 10:00am-12:00pm
Join Rabbi Aderet for a Shabbat morning text study and meditation, where we will discover new approaches to the practice of making teshuva, a return to our inner essence during this sacred time of year. We will explore Hassidic teachings and mindfulness practices that will support us in the practice of letting go of what no longer serves us. We will learn practices that we can integrate into our daily lives, learning to soften and release, inviting us to rest in the core of our inner essence and lessen suffering in our lives. Everyone is welcome. No prior meditation experience necessary. We will gather in Bethesda, MD. Sign up by Sept 19.
God as a Four-Letter-Word? Connecting and Disconnecting to God During the High Holy Day Season
Monday, Sept 23 • 7:00pm-9:00pm
Whether you are flipping through a High Holy Days prayer book for the first or fiftieth time, sitting in synagogue or outside reflecting in nature, you just may encounter a diversity of names and images for God. Which of these do we find challenging, or hard to relate to? Which offer us inspiration or comfort? Join Rabbi Emmanuel for an evening of learning and reflection as we consider our relationships with High Holy Day prayer, God, and our personal hopes for the holiday season. Sign up by Sept 22.
Selichot: Havdalah + Singing Circle
Saturday, September 28 • 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Selichot = Prayers asking for forgiveness. On the Saturday night before we move into the new year, it is an ancient custom to enter the week of the High Holy Days with the tunes of the season in our ears and on our hearts. Everyone is invited to join us for this in-person “Selichot Service,” complete with havdalah marking the end of Shabbat and soulful singing with members of our Den Band. We will gather at a location in DC, address will be shared with registrants. Everyone welcome! Sign up by Sept 26.
Rosh Hashana: the Jewish New Year
Rosh Hashana Services
Please reach out if you’d like us to help you find a service near you or one that speaks to your interests.
Aseret Yemei Teshuva: the Days Between
[the 10 days between Rosh Hashana + Yom Kippur]
Kayaking Tashlich on the Potomac River
Sunday, October 6 • 10:30am - 12:30pm
Join the Den for our annual Kayaking Tashlich experience on the Potomac River as we experience a meaningful and relaxing way to take part in the powerful ritual of Tashlich. Tashlich, or “casting away”, is performed during the Ten Days between the start of Rosh Hashana and the beginning of Yom Kippur. Our rabbis will guide us in this ritual experience on the water, and then you are invited to enjoy the riverside scenery and find a spot to eat lunch together. We’ll meet at the Fletchers Cove Boathouse for introductions + intention setting before heading out on the water for our Tashlich service together. All are welcome!
** Two steps: 1) Sign Up by Oct. 3 AND 2) Reserve one hour Kayak (11am-12pm)**
Confronting Death, So We Know How To Live
Thursday, October 10 • 7:00pm - 9:00pm
In the West, popular culture often casts the end-of-life as a taboo or private matter. Yet Yom Kippur speaks in a different voice, with many of the day’s traditions simulating Jewish customs around the process of dying. Join Rabbi Emmanuel for study, discussion, and reflection on how Yom Kippur offers us a “near death” experience, and in doing so, offers us a unique perspective on how we want to live. We will gather in Arlington, VA. Sign up by Oct 8th.
Yom Kippur: the Day of At-One-Ment
Yom Kippur Services
Please reach out if you’d like us to help you find a service near you or one that speaks to your interests.
High Holy Day Resources
the Den’s High Holy Day Blessings + Ritual Guide - We lovingly put together this resource for your holiday celebration and observance to take you from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, including Tashlich! We include candle lighting times, explanations of rituals, as well as all blessings in Hebrew, transliteration, and English translations. Enjoy!
the Den's Symbolic Foods of Rosh Hashana Guide - We designed this easy-to-follow, printable guide to the most common symbolic foods of Rosh Hashana. Each food has a blessing/intention that you say along with it! You can use this on Rosh Hashana, to add more intentionality to your festive meal.
JConnect - For those with small kiddos at home, check out this great resource for High Holy Day family services, communal events, holiday recipes and more!
Join our friends at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, in preparing for the Jewish New Year by reflecting on the past year and returning to your most authentic self in a month-long mindfulness study group.
The Blue Dove Foundation has a collection of mental health resources for the High Holy Days. Highlights include a Chesbon Hanefesh - Accounting of the Soul, and a Mental Health Tashlich.
Check out OneTable to join or host a Shabbat meal on Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return (10/4), between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Mizrahi and Sephardic Rosh Hashana recipes - Explore these recipes from our friends over at JIMENA, an organization dedicated to educating and advocating for Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.
Or HaLev, an international Jewish spirituality + meditation organization, shares a 7 minute Forgiveness Meditation for the High Holy Day season.
Shana Tova Coloring Book from Recustom - Enjoy11 pages of coloring fun for the young and young at heart.