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Category: Appointed Times

The Prayer Liturgy of the High Holy Days

Tags:  blessings, Days of Awe, liturgy, prayer, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur

By Aaron Eby

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are holidays for which intense and lengthy liturgical prayers have been written. These days (and the days in between) are known as the High Holy Days. In Hebrew, they are called Yamim Nora'im, which means "Fearsome Days" or "Days of Awe."

While the three pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) are characterized by great rejoicing, the High Holy Days carry a very different range of emotion. Beginning on Rosh Hashanah, solemn introspection is combined with resolve and hopefulness; by Yom Kippur, the mood has turned to penitence and utter dependence upon God.

These ten days are traditionally characterized by a sense of awe and trepidation--a constant acknowledgment that we are standing before the King of the Universe. This time is understood as a time of judgment for the coming year.

The High Holy Day prayers follow the same Jewish liturgical structure as weekday, Sabbath and festival prayers. However, there are many significant features of and additions to these prayers, which will be examined in this article.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the holiday prayers that sets them apart from those prayed the rest of the year is that they contain piyyutim, which are liturgical poems meant to embellish these prayers. On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, piyyutim constitute very substantial portions of the daily prayer services.

Let us look at some of the unique stanzas and thoughts behind the High Holy Day prayers.

Rosh Hashanah

The Hebrew name Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year," but is known in the Torah as Yom Teru'ah1 ("A Day of Blasting") and Zikaron Teru'ah2 ("A Remembrance of Blasting").

The predominant message of the Rosh Hashanah prayers is the acknowledgment and acceptance of God as King over the entire world. A secondary theme is th...

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© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from Messiah Magazine #97 .

For more information about this issue, click here.

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