28 | OCTOBER 3 • 2019

T

hough Yom Kippur
services can feel over-
whelming with unfamiliar
prayers, crowded sanctuaries
and growling stomachs, there are
opportunities on this holy day to
create a sense of intimacy with
God and family. Rituals such as
the ancient Kohanim blessing,
which dates back to the times
of the Temple, and newer ones
such as families and individuals
approaching the Ark to offer
their own private prayer during
Ne’
ilah create spe-
cial memories.
Rabbi
Aaron Starr of
Congregation
Shaarey Zedek in
Southfield said to
ascend the bimah
during the final
moments of Yom
Kippur gives con-
gregants a sense of
awe and nearness
to God.
“Our desire for
more participato-
ry, spiritual prayer experiences
led us to invite all those who feel
moved to stand before the Aron
HaKodesh at Ne’
ilah,
” Starr said.
“Every time we gather, we seek
to bring our members closer to
God and to each other, to feel the
love of our Heavenly Parent and
of our brothers and sisters.
”

Andrew Beider of Traverse
City remembers the Kohanim
ceremony from his childhood
when he attended synagogue
with his father and grandfather
at Beth Abraham Synagogue in
Detroit. For the last 40 years,
he and the congregants of

B’
nai Israel Synagogue of West
Bloomfield stand with their fam-
ilies, heads enshrouded under a
single tallit as they hum a word-
less niggun during the priestly
blessing.
Beider said the ritual is mean-
ingful because it stands as a
reminder of the blessings given
to us by God every day.
“How many times in your
(adult) life do you actually get
blessed?” Beider said. “But when
we stand for the blessing like
that, we understand that every
day we are alive is a blessing.
Words in our prayer liturgy say
this is the day God has made.
The most precious thing about
our existence is that we are bless-
ed by God. That is what I will be
reflecting about this year during
the Kohanim blessing.
”
Another Yom Kippur tradition
also happens during the Ne’
ilah
service. Some Conservative
congregations in town allow
all congregants to have a final
reflection before the Torah
scrolls as the final prayers of the
day are recited. Though no one

is sure when this ritual took root
in Detroit, Rabbi Robert Gamer
of Congregation Beth Shalom
in Oak Park said Conservative
congregations such as his have
integrated this practice into their
Ne’
ilah services since the 1970s.
Rabbi Shalom Kantor said
he introduced this ritual to
Congregation B’
nai Moshe in
West Bloomfield four years ago.
Kantor said approaching the
Ark during Ne’
ilah gives every-
one a chance to have that one
moment of being honored to
stand directly before the Ark
when it is open.
“In Judaism, there is no inter-
mediary party between God
and the individual,
” Kantor said.
“Every person has (his or her)
own relationship with God.
Going right up to the Ark gives
congregants a closer connection,
more depth to their prayers they
may not experience when stand-
ing with the rest of the congre-
gation. In that private moment
before the Ark, if the ritual is
done with the right solemnity, it
can have a powerful and deeply
meaningful impact.
”
Some say this ritual can even
have life-changing powers.
Tamara Friedman of West
Bloomfield remembers going up
to the bimah with her parents
during Ne’
ilah at Congregation
Beth Israel in Flint since the syn-
agogue adopted the tradition 15
years ago.
Two years ago on Yom Kippur,
she approached the bimah with
her husband, Ben. The rabbi
whispered to the new couple
that because they were the last
to approach the bimah during
Ne’
ilah, they would be blessed
with a child in the new year. And
that year, baby Gabriella, now 15
months, was born.
“That previous year we real-
ly were trying to have a baby,
”
Tamara said. “Now that we have
Gabriella, that moment standing
before the Ark during Ne’
ilah
this year will be all the more
meaningful.
”

STACY GITTLEMAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Closer to God

Yom Kippur synagogue traditions offer added meaning.

TOP: The open Ark at
Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, with
Torahs dressed for the
High Holidays.
ABOVE: The Friedman
family: Tamara,
Gabriella and Ben.

COURTESY FRIEDMAN FAMILY

KELLI DADE HAINES/SHAAREY ZEDEK

Yom Kippur