Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

In the September Shofar I recommended only three books for the High Holy Days, because I did not have more space. Now I would like to append that list with one more book, from the many I did nit mention. Ronald H. Isaacs‘ Every person’s guide to the High Holy Days is relatively short: 200, not too big pages with really nice typography (using 12 pint Weiss fonts.) The author describes the book on his site this way:

[It] is intended to help people properly prepare for the Days of Awe and to also assist them in understanding the prayers that have become part of the High Holy Day Machzor. The goal is to be basic but comprehensive, providing both home and synagogue observances that are essential to the Days of Awe.

Accordingly the second half of the book first half of the book takes you through all the major prayers of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, giving a modern translation and a short commentary on every one of them. But before that the first half provides background information in these areas:

• Preparing for the Days of Awe
• The Shofar
• Selichot (Penitential prayers)
• The meaning of sin, confession, and repentance in Jewish tradition
• Rosh Hashanah
• Rosh Hashanah: home and synagogue observance
• Selected Rosh Hashanah laws, customs, omens and quotations
• Rosh Hashanah in short story
• Ten days of repentance
• Yom Kippur
• Yom Kippur: home and synagogue observance
• Selected laws, customs, and quotations for Yom Kippur
• Yom Kippur in short story