Digging Deeper: Opening Our Hearts

Prayer Spotlight

Though there are many examples of unique liturgy during the High Holy Days season, the awe-inspiring “Unetaneh Tokef” prayer is one of the most well known. This prayer, which we recite during the Amidah, grapples with the uncertainty of our lives and the complex relationship between the concepts of free will and fate. In it, we imagine a Book of Life in which our deeds from the past year are recorded on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur. The haunting melody and poetic words of the prayer reverberate throughout the High Holy Days, urging us to make the most of the one life we have.

Reflection

Throughout the month of Elul, in the lead-up to the Yamim Nora’im, we engage in heshbon nefesh, reflecting on who we are and who we want to become. This process intensifies on Rosh Hashanah, ultimately culminating 10 days later during the 25 hours of Yom Kippur. The prayers, melodies, and blasts of the shofar we hear throughout this period are designed to break our hearts open to make it possible for us to seek forgiveness from God and from those whom we have wronged, and to forgive those who have hurt us.