High Holy Days

(members only)

ORacle Greetings

Important Deadlines

September 5 – Deadline for: prayer book loan request and Yiskor list changes

September 12 – Deadline for: in-person registration, ORacle High Holy Day Greetings, Rosh HaShanah lunch orders, and High Holy Days Singers participation

September 14 – Deadline for: Selichot dinner registration

September 19 – Deadline for: online-only High Holy Day service registration

High Holy Days Volunteer Sign Up

Temple Beth Or members are needed to help make the High Holy Days a meaningful expression of our TBO family/community. Please consider giving an hour or two (or more) of your time to assist. Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles including: set up and clean up on Rosh HaShanah, assisting with prayer book pick up and returns, and serving as a greeter on Yom Kippur. For a full list of volunteer opportunities and an easy online sign up, please visit the link below.

Volunteer Sign-Up

Registration for Non-members

Non-members are invited to register for our online High Holy Day experiences free of charge, but must do so in advance for security purposes. Non-members are also welcome to register and attend our Rosh HaShanah Retreat with no registration fee. As we currently have limited capacity in our synagogue, in-person attendance for Yom Kippur services is limited to members and immediate family. (Youth services are open to non-members with pre-registration.) Security is a priority for all of our programming. You must pre-register to attend services in person and/or online, as Zoom links will not be publicly shared. Last minute links will not be available.

Click Here for Non-member Registration

Supplemental Elul Programming

Please see the schedule for information on our supplemental program offerings. Although there is no registration deadline, signing up at least several days in advance is preferred and will help our presenters prepare for their offerings. Guests are welcome to attend. Register online at the link below. Links for online programming will be provided at the time of registration.

Supplemental Programming Registration

Rosh HaShanah Information

We welcome members and guests of all ages to celebrate our New Year on Monday, September 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm at a Snohomish County retreat center. Please note the times and detailed information about our day on the schedule. There will be parallel programming for our youth and children’s services. You are welcome to attend for all or part of the day. There are a number of activity options planned for adults and youth in the afternoon after lunch. Please note – only the 11:00 am worship service will be streamed.

Youth Programming

Morning Youth Programming is for Pre-K (fully potty trained) – 7th grade aged children.
Babies and toddlers are welcome at all programming and will especially enjoy stories with Rabbi Kort in the afternoon.
8th graders and older are invited to assist with Youth Programming in the morning, or can attend Morning Mindfulness and Worship Services. Our Youth Group Advisor, Eian Snyder, will lead a special program for middle and high school students in the afternoon.
Please let us know the names and ages of children in your registration so we can plan accordingly.

Rosh HaShanah Lunch Information

For your convenience, we are offering boxed lunches from Housing Hope Kindred Kitchen again this year. The deadline for ordering is September 12. Lunch registration is included on your High Holy Days registration form. Adult lunches are $20, Kids lunches are $10. Please feel free to bring your own lunch. Water will be available in the dining room.

Adult lunch choices – each comes with a beverage (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, or La Croix Lemon Lime), chips, and a signature cookie:

Turkey Berry Sandwich – Roasted turkey breast, tomato, lettuce, whole berry cranberry sauce, and mayo on a rustic roll. (Sandwich only is Dairy Free)
Vegetarian Sandwich – Tunisian carrot spread, house-made hummus, Swiss, Havarti, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and lettuce on a rustic roll.
Market Fresh Wrap – Hummus, Tunisian carrot spread, spinach, cucumber, pickled red onion, matchstick carrots, sunflower seeds wrapped in a gluten free tortilla. (Gluten Free including chips and cookie, Dairy Free and Vegan except chips and cookie)
Sesame Ginger Salad – Roasted chicken, seasonal greens, cucumber, green onion, chow mein noodles, toasted almonds, and sesame ginger dressing.
Tex-Mex Chopped Chicken Salad – fresh lettuce, chopped green cabbage, sweet corn, black beans, toma- to, red onion and grilled chicken with white balsamic dressing. (Gluten Free, including chips and cookie)

Kid’s lunch choices:

Turkey Sandwich – half turkey sandwich, fruit, cookie, chips and juice.
Fruit and Yogurt – Yogurt, fruit, cookie, chips and juice.

COVID-19 Information for Members

At the time of writing, our Board approved plan for members is:

We continue to encourage all who are eligible to be vaccinated to do so. All who are eligible must be vaccinated and boosted to attend. Fully vaccinated members who are not yet boosted may self-attest with a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 48 hours of the service/event.
Proof of vaccination will not be required for members at this time. However, members must provide a self-attestation of their vaccine status.
Members are encouraged to update their vaccine status at: templebethor.org/vaccine-reporting.
Masking and other COVID-19 requirements will be based on current case counts and metrics.
To be inclusive of our most vulnerable members, a masks-required section will be provided at our outdoor service. Please be sure to mark the box on the registration form if you would prefer seating in this section at Rosh Hashanah services.
Our procedures will include requiring reservations for members and guests to attend High Holy Days services. This procedure is necessary for safety and security reasons as well as to support our COVID-19 measures. Pre-registration will facilitate check-in and contact tracing, if necessary.
At this time, we are limiting attendance in the sanctuary to 60.
Members are welcome to attend multiple Yom Kippur services this year. Please sign up early to ensure you have a seat.
We will continue to use contact tracing protocols and have hand sanitizer readily available.
In-person HHD services will also be live streamed.
We will continue to update our protocols based on recommendations and guidelines from federal, state, and local authorities.
In registering to participate in a TBO in-person service, event, or activity you agree that if you test positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of the activity you will notify the Rabbi, TBO Office Administrator, or the President immediately, so that others in attendance can be contacted. Your identity will remain confidential unless you grant permission to share it.

For more information on our COVID-19 protocols please visit: templebethor.org/covid

COVID-19 Information for Non-Members

At the time of writing, our Board approved plan for non-members is:

All who are eligible must be vaccinated and boosted to attend in-person events.
Proof of vaccination is required.
Fully vaccinated non-members who are not yet boosted may attend by showing proof of a PCR test taken with 48 hours of the event.
Masking and other COVID-19 requirements will be based on current case counts and metrics.
To be inclusive of our most vulnerable participants, a masks-required section will be provided at our outdoor service. Please be sure to mark the box on the registration form if you would prefer seating in this section at Rosh Hashanah services.
Our procedures will include requiring reservations for members and guests to attend High Holy Days services. This procedure is necessary for safety and security reasons as well as to support our COVID-19 measures. Pre-registration will facilitate check-in and contact tracing, if necessary.
Due to space limitations, in-person attendance for Yom Kippur services is limited to members and immediate family.
We will continue to use contact tracing protocols and have hand sanitizer readily available.
In-person HHD services will also be live streamed.
We will continue to update our protocols based on recommendations and guidelines from federal, state, and local authorities.
In registering to participate in a TBO in-person service, event, or activity you agree that if you test positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of the activity you will notify the Rabbi, TBO Office Administrator, or the President immediately, so that others in attendance can be contacted. Your identity will remain confidential unless you grant permission to share it.

For more information on our COVID-19 protocols please visit: templebethor.org/covid

Rosh HaShanah

Rosh HaShanah (“Head of the Year”) is observed on the first day of the month of Tishrei. It marks the beginning of the High Holy Days, which culminates on Yom Kippur. The customs and symbols of Rosh HaShanah reflect the holiday’s emphasis on both happiness and humility. On Rosh HaShanah, we sound the shofar, use round challah, and eat apples and honey for a sweet new year.

Selichot (“forgiveness”) is the candlelight service marking the Jewish week preceding Rosh HaShanah. Held after sundown on Saturday, this service begins our cheshbon nefesh (“accounting of the soul”) as part of t’shuvah (“return”) to our truest selves. We begin with dessert, Havdalah and a worship service; then close the evening in quiet reflection as the parokhet (ark curtain) and Torah covers are prepared for the coming High Holy Days.

Tashlich (“casting off”) is a symbolic dispersal of our errors to the winds and the sea, after we have begun the process of t’shuvah. Our Tashlich service is generally held along the flowing waters of the Snohomish River, but this year will be held at the lake of our retreat center on Rosh HaShanah afternoon.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”) is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. In three separate passages, the Torah states, “the tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be a sacred occasion for you: You shall practice self-denial.”(Leviticus 23:27). We fulfill this commandment by fasting, which also enables us to put aside our physical desires and to concentrate on our spiritual needs through prayer, repentance and self-improvement. It is customary in the days before Yom Kippur to seek out friends and family whom we have wronged and ask for their forgiveness.

The Shabbat Shuvah (“The Shabbat of Return”) Service, occurs on the Saturday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is considered to be a time of reflection leading up to the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur concludes with a Yizkor (“remembrance”) Memorial Service, where the names of members’ immediate family are read aloud.