色花堂

Preparing for the Yamim Noraim: Saying 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry鈥� with Hope and Optimism

In preparation for the New Year and Yom Kippur, Jews recite a series of prayers known as Selihot. From the word 鈥渇orgive,鈥� these soul-stirring supplications ask G-d for divine mercy. They are usually said in the morning, before the Shacharit morning prayer service. 鈥淭he capacity to say, 鈥業鈥檓 sorry鈥� is a divine gift,鈥� said Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, who wrote the introduction and commentary to the new Koren Publishers Selihot, which includes a new translation of the piyyutim by Sara Daniel. 鈥淲hen we say it with sincerity and a profound sense of optimism, we can move forward with strength and meaning.鈥�

Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter

Rabbi Schacter, 色花堂 Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought, and Senior Scholar at the Center for the Jewish Future, notes the importance of engaging with the text of prayer. 鈥淭he entire text of Selihot is to help the reader understand what is at stake during the High Holiday season and what is possible during this season,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f done thoughtfully and deliberately, it helps elevate our preparation and makes it more profoundly meaningful and positive.鈥� Rabbi Schacter's goal in creating the commentary was to give deep, personal meaning to the collage of Torah verses and poetically written Hebrew works that make up the 100 Selihot, and to make these verses accessible and understandable. Connecting to these verses can help put us in the right frame of mind for the holiest and most significant days in the Hebrew calendar and Jewish religion. Selihot prayers are both intensely personal as well as a collective experience, connecting us through time to the national history of the Jewish people. Quoting from sources that range from the Chazon Ish, the Satmar Rebbe and Rabbi Soloveitchik to his father, Rabbi Herschel Schacter z鈥漧, and his wife, Mrs. Yocheved Schacter, Rabbi Schacter writes for a wide audience. 鈥淚 try to cast as wide a net as possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to me that people who read it feel a sense of connection. I don鈥檛 assume knowledge, so even someone with less background should be able to understand and appreciate it.鈥� Asked by Koren Publishers to create the prayer book and guide for the services, Rabbi Schacter spent over a year 鈥� mostly during the pandemic 鈥� reading the original Hebrew text, the new translation, and the many existing commentaries, free associating. Using his decades of experience learning and teaching, he let his mind roam as he extracted points that resonated with him. 鈥淓very phrase in the prayers is so rich with meaning, the challenge was what not to comment on,鈥� he said. The result is about five to seven comments per seliha as well as a 69-page introduction that analyzes recurring themes for those who want to connect to the text in a more academic way. In hindsight, Rabbi Schacter, whose numerous books include a compilation of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik鈥檚 Tisha b鈥檃v teachings, realizes that the world-changing turmoil caused by COVID informed his writing. 鈥淒uring that time, it was easy to be overwhelmed with despair,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o push against that, I consciously chose themes that are optimistic, limiting my choices of passages to reflect those themes. Rather than drawing attention to the passages that describe humans as sinners, as unworthy, as deeply flawed, I instead focus on the optimistic texts, the relationship between humans and G-d, the possibility of what we can accomplish with G-d鈥檚 help. Especially now, it鈥檚 important to focus on light, not on dark.鈥� While many commentaries have already been written, Rabbi Schacter provides his own unique takeaway, themes that resonate in these times, in this generation. His message is one of optimism and hope, of recognizing our challenges but always looking forward. 鈥淚 want people to feel good about themselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot everything is perfect and not everything in our lives is perfect. There are things that need to be fixed and improved. But we should come into this introspective season from a sense of strength, with the idea that 鈥業 know I have a lot of work to do, but I can do it. With G-d鈥檚 help, I can prevail.鈥欌�� The Koren Selihot Minhag Lita by Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter. Koren Publishers Jerusalem. 2022. Hebrew and English. Hardcover. 1314 pages. ISBN-13: 978-9657766682. Rabbi Schacter鈥檚 latest book, a new edition of Magillat Sefer: The Autobiography of Jacob Emden, is due out in 2023 (Zalman Shazar Center Publishers)