High Holidays
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur
Kol Nidre
"All Vows;" prayer recited on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar;
L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu
"May you be inscribed [in the Book of Life] for a good year" is a greeting offered on Rosh HaShanah.
machzor
"Cycle;" High Holiday prayerbook; plural: machzorim.
N'ilah
Literally, “locking.” The service that concludes Yom Kippur. The name alludes to the metaphorical locking of the heavenly gates at the end of the day.
Shabbat Shuvah
"Sabbath of Return;" the Shabbat (sabbath) between the holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. A special haftarah is read and traditionally the rabbi gives a sermon related to repentance.
shofar
Ram’s horn most commonly blown throughout the month of Elul and during the High Holiday season.
Selichot
"Forgiveness;" special penitential prayers recited during Elul and the High Holidays.
Tashlich
"Casting away;" A traditional ceremony held during the Yamim Nora-im (Days of Awe), usually on the first day of Rosh HaShanah, in which individuals symbolically “cast away” their sins or wrongdoings from the past year by throwing breadcrumbs into a flowing body of water.