High Holidays Resources

High Holiday Resources from the Rabbi Marshall R. Lifson Library

FOR ADULTS
Required Reading
Days of Awe: Being a Treasury of Traditions, Legends and Learned Commentaries
concerning Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur by S. Y. Agnon.
Compiled by one of the greatest Hebrew writers of the 20th century and first published in 1948,
Days of Awe is the long-acknowledged classic companion to the High Holy Days prayer book. If
you have not read this yet, this is the year to do so.

Preparation
60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to the High Holidays by Simon Jacobson. This book offers day by
day practical and spiritual tools to revitalize and reinvigorate your passage through the holiday
season, beginning on the first day of Elul.
Beginning Anew: A Woman's Companion to the High Holy Days by Gail Twersky Reimer is
an anthology of women's spiritual writing for the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippurs, includes
new interpretations of the Biblical texts used throughout the liturgy of this period.
Preparing Your Heart for the High Holy Days: a Guided Journal by Kerry M. Olitzky. "In
these splendid and heartfelt meditations, rabbis Olitzky and Sabath weave a colorful tapestry of
repentance and renewal from the threads of Scripture and tradition." (Library Journal review).
Repentance: The Meaning and Practice of Teshuvah by Dr. Louis E. Newman examines how
our society deals with moral failings and how the Jewish principle of teshuvah is the key to
rehabilitation and reconciliation, both divine and human.
Return: Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe by Erica Brown leads the reader on a
transformative journey spanning the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared: the Days of Awe as a Journey of
Transformation by Alan Lew. The late Rabbi Lew takes the reader on a journey of spiritual
transformation-"from birth to death and back to renewal again"...He is a perceptive thinker and a
highly skilled writer, making this book a hard-hitting yet compassionate cry for spiritual renewal
during the High Holy Days as well as the rest of the year. (Publisher's Weekly review)
Waiting for Rain: Reflections at the Turning of the Year by Bryna Jocheved Levy.
This book offers fresh insights into traditional rabbinic interpretation, together with the author's

perspective as a modern Orthodox woman bible scholar. Levy explores the psyches of the
biblical characters and addresses issues such as our connectedness to others, the tragedy of
wasted opportunity, confronting evil, the denial of death, faith and doubt, personal and
communal responsibility, universalism versus particularism, the challenge of leadership, sin and
atonement, and the efficacy of prayer.

Prayer
Prayers of Awe Series -six volumes edited by Lawrence A. Hoffman.
Naming God: Avinu Malkeinu-Our Father, Our King
All the World: Universalism, Particularism and the High Holy Days May God Remember:
Memory and Memorializing in Judaism-Yizkor We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in
Judaism-Ashamnu and Al Chet
All These Vows-Kol Nidre
Who by Fire, Who by Water-Un'taneh Tokef
"A multi-volume series designed to explore the High Holy Day liturgy and enrich the praying
experience for everyone-whether experienced worshipers or guests who encounter Jewish prayer
for the very first time." (from website)
The Days Between :Blessings, Poems, and Directions of the Heart for the Jewish High
Holiday Season by Marcia Falk. For those seeking to connect more deeply with their Judaism,
and for all readers in search of a contemplative approach to the themes of the fall season, poet
and scholar Marcia Falk re-creates the holidays' key prayers and rituals from an inclusive
perspective.
Entering the High Holy Days: a Guide to the Origins, Themes and Prayers by Reuven
Hammer provides the needed historical background to understand the complex liturgy of the
holidays. The book also interprets the ideas, practices and prayers of the Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur.
The Easy Guide to Shofar Sounding by Arthur L. Finkle is both a history and how-to guide
about the shofar.

Collections
1001 Questions and Answers on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Jeffrey M. Cohen. This
volume presents an astounding breadth of information about the High Holy Days, tracing their
origins and development, describing their essential spirit, both at home and in the synagogue.
The Rosh Hashanah Anthology by Philip Goodman.
The Yom Kippur Anthology by Philip Goodman.
These two standard anthologies of treasures from the Bible, Talmud, and Midrash and by writers
from medieval to modern times strike a balance between the solemn and the festive.

Rosh Hashanah Readings: Inspiration, Information, and Contemplation

Yom Kippur Readings: Inspiration, Information, and Contemplation
both edited by Dov Peretz Elkins
Drawn from a variety of sources, these anthologies of readings, prayers and insights explores the
opportunities for inspiration and reflection inherent in the subjects addressed on the Jewish New
Year.

For Children
PRESCHOOL - PRIMARY
APPLE DAYS by Allison Sarnoff Soffer. Katy's favorite holiday is Rosh Hashanah, when she
gets to pick apples and make applesauce with her mother. But what happens when the tradition is
interrupted by the early arrival of her baby cousin?
ENGINEER ARI AND THE ROSH HASHANAH RIDE by Deborah Bodin Cohen. Engineer
Ari learns how to he's sorry.
THE HARDEST WORD by Jacqueline Jules. Bright pictures show big bird learning that the
hardest word is "sorry."
HOW THE ROSH HASHANAH CHALLAH BECAME ROUND by Sylvia Epstein. Yossi's
mistake starts a new holiday tradition.
I'M SORRY GROVER by Tilda Balsley and Ellen Fischer. Brosh can't find his blue cap, and
suspects that one of his friends has taken it. When Grover returns the lost item, Brosh is glad that
the High Holidays offer him a chance to say, "I'm sorry."
NEW YEAR AT THE PIER by April Halprin Wayland. A child's perspective on atonement and
repentance, expressed in meaningful and childlike ways, is sustained throughout a narrative that
emphasizes both personal and communal atonement.
A ROSH HASHANAH WALK by Carol Levin. Learn about the custom of tashlich by joining a
group of children.
ON ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR by Cathy Goldman Fishman. A little girl
observing the High Holidays considers their importance to her, her family, and Jews everywhere.
SAMMY SPIDER'S FIRST ROSH HASHANAH and SAMMY SPIDER'S First Yom
Kippur by Sylvia Rouss. Curious Sammy learns about the High Holy Days as he watches the
Shapiro family.
SOPHIE AND THE SHOFAR: A NEW YEAR'S STORY by Fran Manushkin. Sophie learns
the meaning of repentance after she wrongly accuses her Russian cousin of stealing the shofar.

SOUND THE SHOFAR by Leslie Kimmelman. A family observes the High Holidays, written at
a level that young children can understand.
WHAT A WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR by Jacqueline Jules. Beginning the New Year in
a new city isn't easy, and it definitely isn't starting out very well for Dina and her family! But
when they're welcomed by warm and generous hosts in their new community it becomes a very
happy New Year for all.
WHAT'S THE BUZZ: HONEY FOR A SWEET NEW YEAR by Allison Ofanansky. Visit a
bee farm and learn how honey is made.
THE WORLD'S BIRTHDAY by Barbara Diamond Goldin. Filled with anticipation for autumn
and Rosh Hashanah, Daniel plans a special party to celebrate the New Year. The delightful
illustrations capture a warm family in vibrant color.
YUSSEL'S PRAYER by Barbara Cohen. This classic story for Yom Kippur shows how the
heartfelt prayers of an illiterate shepherd reach heaven while the prayers recited by rote by less
humble people do not. Winner of a Sydney Taylor Book Award.

PRIMARY - ELEMENTARY
AVRAM'S GIFT by Marji Blumberg. An easy to read and attractively illustrated chapter book
with strong Jewish values and a likable hero who learns to sound the shofar.
DAYS OF AWE: STORIES FOR ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR by Eric A. Kimmel.
Puffin Books, 1991. Stories about the meaning of the High Holy Days, adapted from traditional
sources.
EVEN HIGHER by Richard Ungar. Reuven learns much about kindness in this picture book
retelling of "If Not Higher" by I. L. Peretz. "
GERSHON'S MONSTER: A STORY FOR THE JEWISH NEW YEAR by Eric A. Kimmel. A
Hasidic legend retold in sparkling language and pictures. Winner of a Sydney Taylor Book
Award.
THE SECRET SHOFAR OF BARCELONA by Jacqueline Dembar Greene tells the story of
Don Fernando and his son, Rafael, who conspire to blow the shofar in Inquisition Spain.
THE UNINVITED GUEST AND OTHER JEWISH HOLIDAY TALES by Nina Jaffe. Stories
for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur begin this wonderful collection of holiday stories. Winner of
a Sydney Taylor Book Award.
WHEN THE CHICKENS WENT ON STRIKE by Erica Silverman. Based on a story by
Sholom Aleichem, this shows a mischievous boy drawn into a dispute between the village
poultry and the villagers themselves. Funny and wise.