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