Dear Temple B’nai Emet Community,
Before I get to the detailed holiday schedule, an important order of business about Sukkot:
“Four Species” sets (Lulav and Etrog bundles)
For those of you not familiar with the “Four Species” of plant life we use on Sukkot, it as a treat for the senses, especially sight, touch, and smell, that we bundle together in a symbol of unity and bounty, helping us pray not just with our words but with the motions of our bodies. The lulav, or palm frond branch, is undled with willows and myrtle branches, and held together with the etrog, or citron, possibly the most pleasant-smelling fruit in the world. We literally wave or shake these bundles all around ourselves during our joyous Hallel prayers and later march with them. It’s a truly engaging experience.
The synagogue will order a few sets for those who need at services. However, it is ideal for you to have your own, both to help everyone fully engage with these wonderful natural items, and to enable you to use them at home. To encourage this beautiful Mitzvah, Temple B’nai Emet is offering to obtain and sell them at their wholesale cost. (Most synagogues charge for the service.) The sets are $41.45 each, with premium sets at $46.45 or top-of-the line at $51.45. Please notify us and make respective donations by Monday, September 7, 2026.
High Holiday Season Schedule for 5787
There are several different dates discussed below. They fit together like a puzzle. Rosh Hashanah calls us to attention, Yom Kippur brings us to attempt change for the better, Sukkot helps us celebrate the goodness we just prayed for in those first two holidays, and Simchat Torah celebrates our dedication to tradition and legacy. Key word—celebrate!
More simply, the “Days of Awe” require solemn devotion, and the rest of the season brings us a fuller sense of joy and satisfaction. Of course, prioritizing attendance on the Days of Awe is perfectly reasonable. At the same time, if you at all can, give the rest of the season a try and end on especially happy, rewarding notes, not only with prayer but also with food, drink, song, and dance. Attendance is especially easier given that most dates fall on weekends this year. I will make extra effort to keep the schedule running on time, so that everyone has a reasonable idea when services end. Please come and be prompt to help us stay on schedule!
Selichot/Holiday Prep Morning September 6, 2026 (Sunday) 24 Elul, 5786
7:30 am Light/quick breakfast (nutrition bars, yogurt pouches, bananas, etc.)
8:00 am Selichot (please be here beforehand!)
9:00 am Shacharit (morning services, ends with quick shofar blasts)
10:00 am Brunch (bagels, lox, veggies, etc., discussion and song)
Though most synagogues do a late-night service on Saturday, it is perfectly appropriate and, in our case, far better to have services in the morning. This helps us keep a sane sleep schedule and it gives us a beautiful opportunity to have a weekday service full of the request-full Amidah we normally do not get to say together on Shabbat. Plus, every morning weekday service in the month before Rosh Hashanah, including this one, ends with a short sampling of the key shofar blasts to get us in the mood for the holiday. And we’ll have time to eat together, discuss our experience, talk about what we envision for ourselves and each other in the year to come, and preview some liturgical tunes. What better way to get ready for the holidays?
Rosh Hashanah Day (One) September 12, 2026 (Saturday) 1 Tishrei, 5787
9:00 am Doors open, greetings (more chances to honor community)
9:15 am Services begin (awe-filled liturgy builds)
10:00 am Shacharit Amidah (the early crescendo of our prayers)
10:50 am Torah/Haftarah reading (Sarah and Hannah’s legacies of children)
11:20 am Shofar Blasts Begin (yes, even on Shabbat—see below)
11:45 am Musaf Amidah (powerful combo of Shofar and deep prayer)
1:15 pm Food set-up
1:30 pm Kiddush, Hamotzi, Feast
7:41 pm Day fully ends (earliest time for candles, night rituals)
This is the first of the big High Holiday services, with two key differences from last year:
(1) I will manage the time much more strictly this year to ensure a smooth experience and a reasonable end time. Times are still approximate, but with a short leash. I will still deliver brief remarks as appropriate to explain the prayers and help us find meaning in our ancient liturgy.
(2) This year, Rosh Hashanah begins on Shabbat, which raises complicated reasons for not blowing the Shofar. After research and a thorough discussion with membership, the general consensus is to still blow the Shofar, something I believe is actually the most appropriate action given our traditional principles and our community’s needs. There will still be some differences in the liturgy, however, and a number of ways to demonstrate our devotion to Shabbat.
Every part of the liturgy takes on a musical mode intended to inspire awe. Some of the most extraordinary melodies are close to the beginning of the service, so plan to arrive early!
Rosh Hashanah Morrow (Day Two) September 13, 2026 (Sunday) 2 Tishrei, 5787
9:00 am Doors open, greetings
9:15 am Services begin (briefer but still unique, full of meaning)
10:15 am Informal Torah reading (the tear-jerking Binding of Isaac)
10:30 am Shofar Blasts
10:50 am Food set-up, optional Musaf
11:00 am Kiddush, Hamotzi, Brunch/Lunch
12:15 pm Tashlich (especially on this day this year)
7:39 pm Day fully ends
As we did last year, we will have a shorter, more low-key service the next day. The general structure will be based on the “weekday” prayers that have extra liturgy and meaning in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Those of us that celebrate a second day of Rosh Hashanah have the opportunity to recite its unique Amidah once again. Those that wish to recite a weekday Amidah have the opportunity to weave our heightened sense of need for repairing ourselves and our world with the routines of our daily lives.
Because Rosh Hashanah began on Shabbat, this is the first opportunity to say and sing the powerful words of Avinu Malkeinu, and to make our annual trip to nearby water bodies for the meaningful ritual of Tashlich. In Tashlich, we symbolically cast away negative things within or about ourselves into the flowing water in an attempt at starting our spiritual journeys anew. We invite the community to come together at driveway for the Home2 Suites by Hilton by the waters of the Bella Verde Golf Course, at 988 Bella Verde Drive, Montebello, CA 90640, a very short drive from Temple B’nai Emet. If you are missing morning services but still wish to meet us, please contact myself or Ricardo to coordinate, as the timing may not be exact.
Erev Yom Kippur + Kol Nidre Night September 20, 2026 (Sunday) 9-10 Tishrei, 5787
4:15 pm Doors open, pre-fast set-up (come help or grab a snack)
4:45 pm Kapparot, Mincha/afternoon services (unique ritual and liturgy)
5:15 pm Pre-fast meal (protein- and vitamin-heavy goodness)
5:55 pm Clean-up (dental hygiene items provided, just in case)
6:15 pm Candle set-up (includes holiday and yahrzeit candles)
6:33 pm Candle lighting
6:45 pm Kol Nidre (must start sharply on time, before sunset)
7:00 pm Yom Kippur Night Sermon
7:10 pm Maariv/Arvit/Evening services
(High Holiday liturgy deepens)
8:50 pm Approximate end time
As with last year, I strongly encourage you to come for the pre-fast program. Yom Kippur eve is infamous for folks trying to cook, eat, and brush their teeth as they fly out the door for services! Instead, why not leave the food to us? Simple and nutritious fish, whole grain challah, and the like will help you weather the fast. We start things off with the ritual of Kapparot—a beautiful physical act where, instead of using ancient animal sacrifices, we use charity to purify ourselves and our families. And Mincha/Afternoon services before the fast are the only time of the year where we make all the many requests of the weekday Amidah and begin the confessional of Yom Kippur. It is an incredibly meaningful prayer not to be missed.
Kol Nidre is especially beloved for its Ashkenazi melody but underappreciated for its ritual purpose—disowning our vows for the coming year. This is more than just a technicality. It means, among other things, that making real change doesn’t come from mere promises. We are challenging ourselves to understand why we behave the way we do and how we can actually do better. This is a process that goes on throughout the holiday (and is heavily contemplated in the days eading up to it as well). Let us frame it in the best way possible.
Yom Kippur Day September 21, 2026 (Monday) 10 Tishrei, 5787
9:00 am Doors open, greetings (caring for each other is a part of it all)
9:15 am Services begin
10:00 am Shacharit Amidah (prayers reaching deeply into holiness)
11:15 am Torah/Haftarah readings (evolutions of understanding atonement)
11:45 am Yizkor/Memorial service (individual and communal memorials)
12:15 pm Musaf Amidah (reimagining of the ultimate Temple service)
2:00 pm Break (see emails for updates on logistics)
4:00 pm Gathering back
4:10 pm Mincha/afternoon services (includes reading of Jonah)
5:30 pm Ne’ilah/closing services (climactic end of Yom Kippur)
7:18 pm Maariv/evening services (brief, very meaningful “weekday” services)
7:28 pm Yom Kippur ends (Havdallah, break-fast, moonlit blessing)
This is of course the most intense day of prayer on the calendar. It is also marked by a number of opportunities for reflection. I intend to ask each of us a number of questions about the many awful things we read about in the Vidui (“confessional”)—ways in which we have been hurt, ways in which we hurt others, ways in which we see society going wrong. It is my hope that we can each find at least some small way of improving ourselves and the world around us.
Last year, we had a wonderful set of services toward the end of the fast day. We will try to make arrangements to have the break period relatively easy to return from—please see upcoming emails. The reflections I speak of get progressively deeper, first as we have the early opportunity to read the Book of Jonah (in many ways, a story about a man that cannot tolerate forgiveness), then with our last full confessional in the Mincha Amidah, and then as the climax of the High Holidays arrives with Ne’ilah—the metaphorical closing of the gates. Finally, we bring ourselves back into our daily lives with new determination, with some fruit and beverages, and by blessing the waxing moon and wishing peace upon each other (yes, this is actually a traditional and beautiful short Jewish ritual). Please come make the end of the fast as meaningful as possible!
Sukkot, First Day September 26, 2026 (Saturday) 15 Tishrei, 5787
9:30 am Services begin
1:00 pm Kiddush/lunch in the Sukkah
Sukkot is the joyous festival that the Days of Awe lead up to. This year it begins on Shabbat, maximizing our sense of joy and peace. We can leave the Lulav sets (the four plant species) at home this first day and just sing Hallel together, celebrate with our Hoshanot prayers, and read selections from the extraordinary wisdom book of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes.
Sukkot, Second Day September 27, 2026 (Sunday) 16 Tishrei, 5787
9:30 am Services begin
11:15 am Kiddush/lunch in the Sukkah
Now we get to wave those Lulav sets! It’s just so special to be able to encircle ourselves with the spirit of life and nature—in such a literal way. And when we call out for salvation in Hoshanot, we march in joy. Notice that these services will be much shorter as well, as they are compatible with “weekday” style prayers, but still with all the happy ritual of the holiday.
Hoshanah Rabah October 2, 2026 (Friday) 21 Tishrei, 5787
8:00 am Services begin
10:30 am Brunch in Sukkah
The most physical prayer experience of the holiday is actually on a weekday! Given that the only other day requiring time off on a weekday this year is Yom Kippur, we had a discussion, and it looks like there is interest. And you don’t need to take off for the whole day to carve out some time in the morning.
This service includes a unique combination of weekday, High Holiday, and Festival liturgy and is marked by a full seven marches with our lulav set around the bimah, a unique gathering of willows, and a joyous heralding of the goodness we’ve been praying for through Yom Kippur.
Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah October 3, 2026 (Saturday) 22 Tishrei, 5787
9:15 am Doors open
9:30 am Services begin
10:45 am Hakafot/Circlings (grand opening of the Ark and joyous dance with Torah)
11:15 am Torah reading (conclusion of the entire Torah and starting new cycle)
12:00 pm Yizkor/Memorial (briefer than Yom Kippur, honors departed at time of joy)
12:30 pm Musaf (includes unique prayer for seasonal rain as harvest closes)
1:15 pm Lunch, Drinks (be safe if you drink—have a designated driver)
1:45 pm Dancing, singing, dessert (as long as we want!)
Yes, it’s possible to pull off this program. We did it last year, and we’ll do it again this year—with more people! We can conduct a respectful Yizkor and still dance and sing our hearts out. This is the end of season shindig! Ask someone who was there last time and you’ll be sold. Come celebrate in grand Temple B’nai Emet style. This congregation knows how to party!
Look for more updates by email. A special “Shuva Drasha” (lesson on forgiveness), a Sukkah potluck, and possible nighttime activities for Simchat Torah are all possible.
Shanah Tovah, a truly good year, to each of us,
Michael J. Feldman
