1. B’nai Torah
Our house, your homeOur house, your homeOur house, your home
Temple
Welcome to High Holy Days 5776 September 13 - October 5, 2015
Our real journey begins …
My dear friends:
This will be our second “yontif” together. Last year we gathered together as a community and began to work to re-engage
each other in our lives. We embarked on a path of discovery to find out what drew us together. Many of you came to me to
share your personal stories and through laughter and tears, we began to re-envision the kind of community TBT could be-
come. I asked you to bring your light to bear on our future and you did. I asked you to say “Hineini – Here I am” when called,
and you did. It has been a wonderful year.
And as we know, our path now continues together. It is time to build relationships with one another. The beauty of
congregational life is the ability to share in each other’s lives and build lasting relationships with one another. In all my years
of work as an Interim Rabbi, this is the piece I have missed the most and the part of staying here at TBT that I cherish the
most.
This year there are many changes in our High Holy Day offerings. The most important change is our new Machzor –
Mishkan HaNefesh. We are one of the first congregations in the URJ to make this shift to our new liturgy. This is an
exciting change for us and both the Cantor and I are enthusiastic about the new prayerbook. It will create a new conversa-
tion on the High Holy Days and will allow us to create some new opportunities for engagement and involvement.
Its not too late to buy or donate copies of the new Machzor. For $36 per set of regular books or $100 per set for large
print, you can help TBT realize its vision of making this move to the Machzor. It is a beautiful way to remember a loved one
or celebrate a simcha. Help us out this year and make it possible for everyone to have a prayer book in hand for the Holy
Days. Contact the Temple office to make your donation.
This year we are moving to one service. It is hard to pray as a community when you are divided into pockets. This has been
evident in years past. In order for us to re-engage as a community, we need to learn to pray together again. So there is a
new schedule of worship and there are even new worship opportunities within the schedule.
We are hosting a Rosh Hashanah Oneg. In the evening, after the 7:30 PM service, members of the Worship committee and
Board of Directors invite you to join together for refreshments and fellowship. Part of going to a single service was so that
we could celebrate our community in ways that were not possible before. So we will gather on the back patio of TBT to
welcome our new year and reconnect with each other.
Our kids are joining the main service. In prior years, parents went one direction and kids went another. This year we want
to begin and end together as a community. When you come to TBT for the morning services, bring your children with you.
There will be a special seating section for the kids (ages 7-18) and at a dramatic point in our service they will be led by
members of BTY (B’nai Torah Youth) over to the Jewish Day School for a youth friendly service
and program. They will then return, as they have done in years past, for the final shofar blasts
and our closing prayers for the day.
We have a new creative service on Yom Kippur. A new service in our High Holy Day offerings is
“Confessions from my Soul”. This creative service represents the beginning of a journey towards
a greater spirituality and an engaging of Jewish tradition. This is a service designed to create
spiritual movement towards greater introspection and soul searching. In addition, we have cre-
ated healing and meditation moments for our participants.
(Rabbi’s letter to the congregation continues at the top of the following page)
October 2, 2015 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Dinner at 6:00 PM, followed by a brief Shabbat service and
Sukkah dedication. Join us for a special way to celebrate
Sukkot! All ages welcome. Pizza, salad, crafts and more!
Only $10 per family
or $5 per individual
RSVP by Wed., September 30
Please pay by using the payment and
contribution form on page 5.
Sponsored by Temple B’nai Torah Sisterhood.
Temple B’nai Torah 15727 NE 4th Street, Bellevue WA 98008 (425)603-9677
templebnaitorah.org facebook.com/templebnaitorah
Temple B’nai Torah is excited to use the new Central Conference of American Rabbi’s
new High Holy Day prayer book, Mishkan HaNefesh, beginning this Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur. The new prayer book is the first new Machzor to be developed for
Reform congregations since 1978. Mishkan HaNefesh uses contemporary, non-gender
biased language and contemporary prayer themes to enhance the worship experience
for the 21st Century Reform Jew. It is also the companion volume to our regular
Shabbat prayer book, Mishkan T’filah.
Highlights of Mishkan HaNefesh prayer book include an enhanced Shofar service woven throughout the morning Rosh
Hashanah service. Through updated translations, readings, poetry, accessible transliteration and new liturgical innovations,
Mishkan HaNefesh will breathe new life into High Holy Day services. We are excited to be one of the leading congregations to
make this move.
Members of Temple B’nai Torah will be able to purchase their own personal copies of Mishkan HaNefesh, dedicate copies in
honor of or in memory of loved ones, and have the opportunity to make donations toward the High Holy Day Prayer Book Fund
to help the temple offset the cost of the new prayer books. And for those who want to take home one of the older High Holy
Day prayerbooks, Gates of Repentance, we will offer them for free to our members. All you have to do is come by the Temple
to claim one.
Each copy of the new 2 Volume prayer book costs $36.00. In order to make a donation or reserve your own personal copy,
please contact the Temple office or send in the form on page 5 with payment.
2. Dear TBT Members,
The High Holy Days are known in our tradition as the “Days of Awe.” Each year, we gather
in the Temple and seek to renew our faith and commitment to living lives of blessings.
Temple B’nai Torah has a long and wonderful history of providing beautiful, moving, and
inspiring worship services for these profound holy days. We look forward to worshipping
with you, to teaching our children about the special meanings of these holidays, and to
sharing our dreams and goals for the Temple B’nai Torah community.
Making sure that all runs smoothly takes a remarkable amount of planning. Our temple
staff and volunteers are hard at work to ensure that your family’s experience during the
High Holy Days will be meaningful.
We are providing all members with a parking pass. We will include the $25 charge on your September Temple bill. We
understand that not everyone will need a parking pass. If this is the case, please write your name on the back of the
pass, and send it to the Temple office, and the charge will be removed from your account.
You will also find two tickets per adult member included, as well as a form to request tickets for children college age or
younger. You can also purchase adult tickets for guests. We also give complimentary exchange tickets to members of
URJ congregations who request them in advance. Note that tickets are required to be shown to ushers this year.
Please read the enclosed information and return the appropriate forms as soon as you can. This guide includes your
High Holy Day additional ticket request, babysitting reservation forms, as well as other important information about the
holidays. There’s also a schedule of all of our holiday programming. Please keep this information handy as it will assist
you in planning your High Holy Days at TBT.
TBT welcomes all un-affiliated members of the greater Jewish Community to come experience our High Holiday ser-
vices. They can call the Temple office at (425) 603-9677 for information regarding tickets. Please share this with any
families you may know.
We look forward to sharing another beautiful "Days of Awe" experience with each and every one of you.
Shanah Tovah u'Metukah - a Good, Sweet New Year!
Howard Wasserteil
Director of Administration
Come meet your new Machzor!
For the first time since 1980, the Reform movement will introduce a new High Holy Day Prayerbook called “Mishkan
HaNefesh”. The Machzor both underscores the central value of Teshuvah, as together we seek repentance, new direction,
and a sense of return to God and the Jewish people; and expands upon the familiar themes that have remained with us
from generation to generation. Come and join in the journey.
Introduction to the New Prayerbook
Rabbi Lipper will be teaching a five-session introduction to this new prayerbook and help us get ready for the High Holy
Days. We will explore the Rosh Hashanah evening service, the Shofar service, the Avinu Malkeinu prayer, the concept of Sin
and Forgiveness and the Unetaneh Tokef prayer. In each session, we will look at other prayer book models to see how
innovative our new Machzor will be.
Dates/Time: Thursdays, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM on July 23, 30, August 6, 13, 20
Cost: Free to TBT Members, $36 for the series for non-members.
Havdallah Event: New Music for the High Holy Days
Share wine and hors d’oeuvres and conversation; listen to fascinating talk; then end with a short and moving Havdallah
service. Cantor Serkin-Poole will weave music and words as we explore how cantors nationwide plan to bring new musical
life to many of the magical new texts found in Mishkan HaNefesh and to other traditional texts found in
the Machzor. Learn how new music will enhance your experience of the upcoming High Holy Days.
Date/Time: Saturday, August 29 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.
Cost: Free to TBT Members, $18 for non-members.
Yom Kippur Study Sessions
(September 23 from 1:00-3:00 PM)
For High Holy Days ticket holders
Yom Kippur Walk
Join us in reflecting silently or sharing with others on the significance and meaning of Yom Kippur and the year ahead as
Loretta Lopez leads us in an outdoor walk near TBT. Don’t forget your walking shoes! Meet at the front of TBT 15 minutes
after the conclusion of the morning service.
Opening Ourselves to TeShuvah: a Text Study with Tim Klass
Together we will examine ancient and modern writings on removing obstacles to learning and understanding our true
selves as we seek the clean start of Teshuvah.
Summer & High Holy Days learning
...supports a dynamic Jewish education for everyone in the Temple—old and young alike.
…provides us with inspirational and family-friendly worship in a caring environment.
...affords us a talented and faithful staff who are friendly and hard working.
Torah, worship and acts of loving kindness
For more information on how you can participate, please see the form included in this packet on page 5
or call Temple B’nai Torah at (425) 603-9677.
...gives us the opportunity to perform “mitzvot.”
Your gracious gift
during High Holy Days...
(Rabbi’s message continued)
Our Choir will be in key. Cantor Serkin – Poole has been assembling an array of voices and talent to make these Holy Days
even more beautiful. There is renewed passion for the music in the choir and our ranks are growing weekly. Consider
becoming a part of the music scene at TBT and help us make a righteous noise as we sing our songs of peace and joy.
We have so much to be thankful for at this season. Let us be the blessing that God asks us to be by changing our lives and
renewing our commitments to family, faith and community. On this New Year, as we begin our 48th year as a “Kehilah
Kedosha - A Sacred Congregation” let us dream and let us build and let us vow to work together in the pursuit of our Godlike
qualities. And as we move towards 5776 may each and every one of us have a healthy and happy New Year.
L’Shanah Tovah U’metukah,
Rabbi David A. Lipper
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RememberRememberRemember --- Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.
3. High holy day Services 5776 at Temple B’nai Torah
This year we are welcoming our congregation together as one unified prayer community while we introduce our new High
Holy Day Machzor, Mishkan HaNefesh. This prayer book offers meaningful liturgy for both regular service attendees and
those new to Jewish spirituality and practice. It inspires a multifaceted experience of Yamim HaNoraim—from feelings of
awe to moments of solace, from the solitude of contemplation to the solidarity of song and worship. It bridges the personal
and the communal, the ritual and the ethical dimensions of Yamim HaNoraim and embraces the rich liturgical voices of the
Jewish past and the aspirations of our people today.
Erev Rosh Hashanah, September 13, 2015
7:30 PM Evening Service
Rosh Hashanah is a deeply religious occasion. The customs and symbols of Rosh Hashanah reflect the holiday's dual
emphasis on both happiness and humility. Preparation for the High Holidays begins a full month before Rosh Hashanah. The
entire Hebrew month of Elul is dedicated to readying ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This service begins our
“call to repentance”.
Rosh Hashanah Day, September 14, 2015
9:00 AM Family Service (infant – 1st
grade)
Bring your family and celebrate the beginning of 5776 with other TBT families. Rabbi Lipper and Ben Siroka, our NFTY NW
song leader, will tell a story, lead songs and prayers.
10:30 AM Morning Service (1st
grade – 12th
grade)
Our Rosh Hashanah Day service will take advantage of a new model for the blowing of the Shofar. Instead of holding this
important tradition to the end of liturgy, we will be blowing the shofar throughout the morning service, continually calling
our members to prayer and introspection. Everyone gathers together as a community of prayer for services, and then our
students will be led by members of BTY (B’nai Torah Youth) to the Jewish Day School for continued worship and Holy Day-
based activities. They will also split up into smaller age-appropriate groups facilitated by our High School youth leadership
team. After their worship and program time is complete, they will return to the main service and join the community for
the final shofar blasts.
4:00 PM Sha’arei Tikvah - Celebration for all! (Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1441 16th Avenue, Seattle WA 98122)
Led by Rabbi Aaron Meyer and Cantor David Serkin-Poole, this community-wide service is accessible to people of all abilities
and ages.
5:00 PM Tashlich
Led by Rabbi Lipper, we honor Rosh Hashanah’s first day celebration of symbolically casting off sins (or “negative emotional
baggage”) by gathering at Bellevue’s Phantom Lake (2050 156th Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98008) to cast small pebbles into
the water and recite prayers of repentance.
Rosh Hashanah 5776 at Temple B’nai TorahRememberRememberRemember --- Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.
PreferredServiceTimestoVolunteer
ErevRoshHashanah(9/13)7:30PM______Bagdistributionimmediatelyafterservice______
RoshHashanah(9/14)9:00AM______Bagdistributionimmediatelyafterservice______
KolNidre(9/22)7:30PM______
YomKippur(9/23)9:00AM______
Confessions(9/23)1:00PM______
Mincha(9/23)3:00PM______
Yizkor-YomKippur(9/23)5:00PM______
Ne’ila-YomKippur(9/23)6:00PM______
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Congregant Survey
The TBT 20/20
visioning survey is about to
launch— watch your mail for
more information.
Ushersandgreeters-pleasereport45minutespriortothestartofserviceandyou
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4. Erev Yom Kippur, September 22, 2015
7:30 PM Evening Service
For many Jews, the essence of the Yom Kippur service takes place at the very beginning of the holiday, at the evening
service that ushers in Yom Kippur. It is called Kol Nidre, the name derived from the first major piece of the Yom Kippur
prayers, dramatically chanted at the evening service. All the Torahs are taken out, the entire congregation stands, and
the cantor chants this prayer. It asks God to annul vows we may make (to God) during the coming year, either
innocently or under duress. In other words, vows made unintentionally through the careless use of words or vows
made because a person was forced to do so. It is a transformational moment for the community.
Yom Kippur Day, September 23, 2015
9:00 AM Family Service (infant – 1st
grade)
Bring your family and celebrate the beginning of 5776 with other TBT families. Rabbi Lipper and Ben Siroka, our NFTY
NW song leader, will tell a story, lead songs and prayers.
10:30 AM Morning Service (1st
grade – 12th
grade)
Everyone gathers together as a community of prayer for services, and then our students will be led by members of BTY (B’nai Torah
Youth) to the Jewish Day School for continued worship and Holy Day-based activities. They will also split up into smaller age-
appropriate groups facilitated by our High School youth leadership team. After their worship and program time is complete, they
will return to the main service.
1:00 PM “Confessions from my Soul” Service
A new service in our High Holy Day offerings is “Confessions from my Soul.” This creative service, assembled by Rabbi
David Lipper, represents the beginning of a journey towards a greater spirituality and an engaging of Jewish tradition.
In attempting to create a Holy Day prayer book that would meet the needs of children and adults, we have layered
readings and prayers from other texts and interspersed some writings by Rabbi Lipper. This is a service designed to
create spiritual movement towards greater introspection and soul searching. In addition, we have created healing
moments for our participants.
3:00 PM Mincha Service
We take a moment to reflect and focus, praying for peace and grace. The centerpiece of this service is the reading of
the Book of Jonah.
5:00 PM Yizkor Service
Our Yom Kippur Yizkor service will create a moment of transcendent remembrance as we light candles to remember
those who have died and the many memories that they have left behind. As light warms our bodies in times of dark-
ness, so will this light guide our way through these moments of memory.
6:00 PM Neilah Service
The Neilah prayer which we recite at the close of Yom Kippur has the potential to be the most concentrated, intense
prayer of the year. It has been a slow, deliberate, 40 day ascent from Rosh Chodesh Elul to the climactic moment of
Neilah. Indeed, all the gates, below and above, are about to close. There is no more time for process. And, after 40
days of process and one intense moment of transformation, we hope that the potent combination of preparation and
process will sustain the intense introspective and continue to impel us toward becoming whom it is that we really can
be throughout the year and throughout our lives.
7:00 PM Break-the-Fast
Yom Kippur 5776 at Temple B’nai Torah
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1._______________________________________________________________________________4._____________________________________________________________________
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Remember - Tickets are required for HHD entrance this year.
Mitzvah&VolunteerOpportunities
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ContactGaryKornbluhatgkornbluh@a.templebnaitorah.orgwithquestionsorformoreinformation.Thankyou!
Listthetimesyouwillbeavailableonthebackofregistrationformandpleaseprintyourcontactinformationclearly.Pleasereadthespecialinstructionontheback,
ifyouarevolunteeringtobeanusher,greeter,WelcomeTableorareinvolvedinthedistributionofcharitablegiftbags.
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AdditionalGuestTickets($100peradultforsingleserviceor$250peradultforallservices)$____________
YizkorMemorialBookListing(suggested$25pername)$____________
BabysittingforSeptember14,10:30AMservice($25perchild;ages2-Kindergarten)$____________
BabysittingforSeptember23,10:30AMservice($25perchild;ages2-Kindergarten)$____________
PizzaintheHut($5perindividualand$10perfamily)$____________
AdditionaltaxdeductibledonationtoTBT$____________
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HighHolyDaysPaymentandContributionForm(includesbabysittingreservation)
PleaseremitwithpaymenttotheTempleoffice,usingthepaymentenvelopeincludedinthispacket.
PleasemakeyourpaymenttotheTemplebySeptember1,2015.
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