Making the Machzor an Open Book

Recited alternately in the Shacharit and Musaf services on both days of Rosh Hashanah, its focus is G-d’s way in judgement. Crack the code and discover the secret keys for unlocking favor and mercy on the Day of Judgement!

Recited in the repetition of the Musaf Amidah on both days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it highlights our universal beliefs about G-d's organic relationship with humanity. Discover the fascinating code embedded within this piyut, and a novel understanding of its rich meaning.

Recited on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah near a body of water, preferably containing live fish; it expresses prayerful hope that G-d cast our sins into the murky depths of the sea and is rich in symbolic and mystical meaning.

Recited in the repetition of the Shacharit Amidah on both days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this foundational piyut (poetic prayer) inaugurates the other piyutim by offering special praise to G-d. Although its author remains a mystery, we learn much about its extraordinary structure that is filled with insight, scholarship and profound spirituality.