I suspect that most of us would place Yom Kippur before Rosh HaShanah, as it seems natural to make resolutions for the future before celebrating the new year. Maybe we would even schedule Sukkot, which connects us with mankind, nature and the divine, before the introspection of Yom Kippur. That would give us Sukkot, followed by Yom Kippur, and only then Rosh HaShanah.
It seems that the purpose of Yom Kippur can only be achieved once Rosh HaShanah has passed. Rosh HaShanah enables us to reconnect with God, celebrate His mastery of our world and remind ourselves of our mission as Jews. Once this has been accomplished and we have a renewed sense of our purpose in life, we are able to grapple honestly with our failures and commit to real change. Yet the euphoria and sense of completeness with which we finish Yom Kippur can easily dissipate, so just a few days later we enter the Sukkah to consolidate our relationship with God and our commitment to change. Looking forward to this year’s transformative journey.
Wishing you Shanah Tovah U’Metukah and looking forward to welcoming you in Shul over the Yom Tov season.
RABBI DR HARVEY BELOVSKI
Please click here to download a copy of the Yamim Nora’im and Sukkot service times
While the pandemic is not yet at an end and we must still take some precautions, we are fortunately able to hold services very close to normality for the Yamim Noraim and Sukkot.
We look forward to seeing you in Shul over Yom Tov, and ask that you follow these simple guidelines.
If you have any questions about Yom Tov at GGS, please contact the office.
There will be a full range of programming for children over the Yom Tov season, run by our enthusiastic leaders. Our children’s programmes run throughout the year and feature song-filled tefillah (prayer), games and discussions related to the weekly parashah or festival, each with its own Kiddush.
Children’s programmes will run each day over Yom Tov and are held around the synagogue building and Rimon school hall. Further details and times will be announced. Please take your child to the age-appropriate programme. Children in the Toddlers-Reception and Year 1-3 groups must be accompanied by an adult.
There will also be an option to book your children in for lunch and a puppet show on Yom Kippur.
For more information about each programme contact Hadassah on hadassah@ggshul.org.uk or Joanna in the shul office on office@ggshul.org.uk
Our youth directors, Shira and Tova, will be running the following events over the Yamim Nora’im. All events for Years 7-13 will be held in the Rimon Reception Playground.
1st Day Rosh HaShanah Morning Debate and Discussion with Shofar [11.00am-12.00pm]
2nd Day Rosh HaShanah Morning Youth Programme with Shofar [11.00am-12.00pm]
Yom Kippur Day Themes of the Day [12.00pm-1.00pm]
Yom Kippur Day Hang-out Zone in the Youth Room [between Musaf and Minchah]
The Simchat Torah tea will be after Minchah on Shemini Atzeret (Tuesday 28th September), when we will celebrate with our adult and junior honourees. For Simchat Torah itself we clear the central space on both sides of the Shul to enable men and women the opportunity to dance with the Sifrey Torah.
We are a warm, welcoming and inclusive community. We are proud of our achievements and delighted to see Rimon Jewish Primary School and Little Goldies Nursery flourishing. There are many projects on the horizon, but we cannot fulfil our aspirations for the future without you. Please invest in our community by joining the Shul as a member. With your help, we can continue to provide our particular Jewish environment for future generations.