Return again, return again, return to the land of your soul,
Return to who you are, return to what you are, return to where you are
Born and reborn again.
Rosh Hashanah
Akeidah for Yom Kippur
After Sarah died, Abraham went to Isaac—
his son, his only one, whom he loved.
And he said:
”Is it too late, my son? Forgive me. Please, forgive me.”
From "Faith, Doubt, and Meaning in the Machzor"
“The prayers of our tradition may speak of God as Judge, but they lead ups, instead, to judge ourselves—to undertake a searching assessment of our own nature and behavior. Releasing ourselves from a literal reading of the machzor frees us to embrace the meaning of the high Holy Days and find value in the prayers, regardless of our theological beliefs. For who among us does not need to reexamine our lives? Who among us does not have regrets? Who among us does not want to atone for a wrong that we have committed? Who among us does not want to make peace with those we have wronged? Who among us does not want to make a better world? Who among us does not have the obligation to search the deepest recesses of our soul for what it means to stand in the world? And who among us does not have the capacity to do so?”
- Rabbi David Ellenson, from Faith, Doubt, and Meaning in the Machzor
Blessings for the New Year
“Let there be peace. Grant goodness, blessing, and grace, constancy and compassion to us all.
Avinu — bless and unite all human beings in the light of your presence; for your light has shown us a holy path for living: devotion to love, generosity, blessedness, mercy, life, and peace.”
- from CCAR Machzor for Rosh Hashanah