4.1 Introduction

Please review Chapter 1, Section 3.1 (1.3.1 Use of a hearing aid on Shabbat) which also applies to the High Holidays, Chapter 2 on preparation and performance strategies, and 3.1 and 3.2 on Shabbat. The High Holiday services, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, are the most heavily attended of all Jewish Services, and so the likelihood is high that you might be called on to do them. This also means that often the hearing and Deaf congregants are less familiar with the service. In other words they only come to worship once a year. One strategy is to share with the deaf people, five signs that you will use that they might not be familiar with: perhaps how you will sign Rosh Hashana, shofar, Yom Kippur, repent, and sin. If any of they have questions about these concepts, before the worship service starts would be a great time to explain. Besides the etiquette mentioned in 3.2, don’t be obvious in the place of worship that you are eating something, even slipping gum or candy into your mouth on stage, on Yom Kippur, which is a fast day.

4.1.1 Sounding the shofar

The way I represent the sounding of the shofar is to hold an [S] with the non-dominant hand at the mouth to represent the mouth piece and a [C] where the end of the shofar might be and move both hands slightly away from the face in imitation of the frequencies of the blasts. You don’t have to memorize anything because I think it is distracting to fingerspell the names of the blasts, and you can move this shofar classifier to the beats you hear as you hear them. There are three different kinds of blasts: (1) Tekiah is a single blast that lasts about 3 seconds. At the end of the blast you can give the hands a slight nod forward. (2) Truah is a series of about ten short blasts. Vibrate the hands for as long as the ba’al tekiah [the person sounding the shofar] blasts and then a slight nod at the end. (3) Shevarim is a series of three medium length blasts. Move the hands away three times.

Here we return to a summary of Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz’ article “Halacha concerning Jewish Deaf and Hard of Hearing”. On Rosh Hashana [Jewish New Year], it is a mitzvah to hear the blowing of the shofar. This represents God’s power to rule the universe as well as a call for the hearers to repent. The sound of the shofar must be actually heard without alteration or amplification. If a person is unable to hear at all, s/he can not be yotze by blowing the shofar for his/herself and therefore cannot be motzi others. Listening to the shofar with amplification is problematic, because it produces an electronic reproduction, and alterations of the sound prevent a person from being yotze, such as listening only to an echo of this sound or if the shofar is covered with gold or other foreign materials.

Those who are totally deaf are not obligated (and unable) to perform this mitzvah, although it is in the spirit of the holiday to attend services. These are the options available to those who have some hearing in order of most desirable to most questionable, (1) use some form of ear horn, such as a paper cone, to focus the sound of the shofar on the ear canal, (2) stand as close as possible to the shofar using no electronic amplification, and (3) some people say that one can be yotze listening to a shofar blast using personal electronic amplification, but this is the least desirable option in terms of halacha. (4) I have heard of a congregant holding onto the shfar as it is being sounded, assuming that the Baal Shofat [the person sounding it is willing] or using a baloon to feel the vibrations. I don't know if this is a better option than 3 or worse.

4.2 Traditional worship service scripts (Orthodox and Conservative) – See Appendix A to explain gloss, Appendix B for specific signs, pages in parentheses in the upper lefthand corner are from High Holyday Prayer Book by Philip Birnbaum, 1951.

4.2.1 Maariv for Rosh Hashanna [The Evening Worship Service for Jewish New Year]

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IF ADONAI PROMISE, DEPEND CAN. IF PEOPLE ENTER HIS TEMPLE, ACT PURE MUST FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER.

HIS NAME WE MAGNIFY, RECOGNIZE PURE. Cong. AMEN.
IN WORLD HE CREATE LIKE HE REALLY-WANT. PRAY EVERYONE ACCEPT AUTHORITY HIS DURING YOUR”all” LIFE AND YOUR”all” TIME AND LIFE (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE, QUICKLY AND SOON. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY WE CONTINUE PRAISE HIS GREAT NAME FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER-AND-EVER.

WE THANK, PRAISE, RECOGNIZE HIS BEAUTY ADVANCED. LIFT-UP HIS SPLENDOR. SING HIS NAME PURE AND SUPREME. Cong. BOW-DOWN-TO HIM. WE REALIZE THANK, SING, PRAISE, AND COMFORT WE SPEAK HERE WORLD, NOT ENOUGH DESCRIBE ALL HIS MANY CHARACTERISTIC #AT-ALL. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY HEAVEN SEND (<) PEACE OVERFLOW, (>) LIFE GOOD, FOR US, PLUS (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

LIKE GOD MAKE PEACE FAR-AWAY HEAVEN, PRAY HE HAVE-MERCY-ON-us MAKE PEACE FOR US HERE AND FOR (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

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Reader: ADMIT-TO ADONAI, WE NEED PRAISE HIM.

Cong. and Reader: WE PRAISE ADONAI FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER.

(CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)... NIGHT, DAY, YOU SEPARATE. DARK'gradually', DAY SHUT-DOWN. SUNRISE, NIGHT FADE-AWAY. (2h)alt.INDEX FOLLOW YOUR LAW. WHY? YOU MAKE (2h)alt.INDEX. WE HOPE YOU IDEA-LIKE KING WILL SUPERVISE US FOREVER. WE PRAISE ADONAI. WHY? YOU CAUSE NIGHT DARK'gradually'.

(CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)... PLEASE TEACH-us US TORAH, COMMANDMENT. INSPIRED WE. TWO-OF-THEM, WE (2h)THINK-ABOUT ALL-DAY, ALL-NIGHT. WHY? WE REALLY-WANT YOU CHERISH US CONTINUE"over time'. WE PRAISE ADONAI. WHY? YOU CHERISH JEWISH PEOPLE.

(2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE PAY-ATTENTION, KNOW-THAT ADONAI OUR GOD. ADONAI ONLY-ONE. (CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)...

[In an undertone: PRAISE NAME HIS KINGDOM HAVE GLORY FOREVER-AND-EVER.]

Some congregations say the first paragraph of the Shema out loud:

YOU'singular' SHOULD LOVE ADONAI, YOUR GOD USE WHOLE HEART, USE WHOLE SOUL, USE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. MY MITZVAH PUT-DOWN-ON HEART.

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TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THROUGH-AND-THROUGH. SIT"over time" HOME, HASH-OUT. GO-FOR-WALK-TO, CONVERSE. GO-TO-BED, GET-UP, THINK-DEEP-ABOUT. MITZVAH, PUT-DOWN-ON-bicep WRAP-AROUND-arm. PUT-DOWN-ON-forehead TIE-AROUND-head. PUT-DOWN MEZUZAH, HOUSE, GATE.

(CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)...

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ADONAI YOUR-pl GOD, REAL. (CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)...

LONG-AGO GOD CONTROL"each" JEWISH PEOPLE, THEY ACCEPT. THEY SING TOGETHER MOSES.

ADONAI WHO HAVE AUTHORITY LIKE YOU, PURE* NAME-SHINY. PEOPLE SCADS-OF PRAISE++ YOU. YOUR WORK WONDERFUL*. WHO LIKE YOU? HAVE-NONE.

LONG-AGO JEWISH PEOPLE THEY CONFRONT RED SEA, YOU DIVIDE. YOUR POWER, CLEAR. THEY SHOCKED. (role play) HE, OUR GOD.

ADONAI CONTROL IDEA-LIKE KING FOREVER. (end role play)

TORAH, TELL-STORY. (2h)LONG-AGO JACOB SLAVE. BUT ADONAI LIBERATE. WE PRAISE ADONAI. WHY? HE WILLING LIBERATE, JEWISH PEOPLE SAVED. (CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)...

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EVERYTHING WE DO, PLEASE TAKE-CARE-OF-us FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER. WE PRAISE ADONAI. WHY? YOUR PEACE SPREAD, PROTECT IDEA-LIKE TENT'stretch over head' FOR US, FOR JEWISH PEOPLE GENERAL, FOR JERUSALEM.

Chorus: GOD COMMAND JEWISH PEOPLE CELEBRATE SHABBAT CONTINUALLY. COVENANT, TEACH"each" CHILDREN PASS-DOWN FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER.

WHY? SHABBAT SHOW"all" JEWISH PEOPLE CONNECT-TO-God STRONG*. Chorus

LONG-AGO GOD SET-UP HEAVEN, SET-UP EARTH, SIX-DAY CONTINUE (2h)alt.INVENT MAKE++. Chorus

BUT SEVENTH DAY ARRIVE, GOD STOP, REST; PUSH-ASIDE, REST; GET-OFF-MIND, REST. Chorus

HAPPEN MOON BECOME NEW, SOUND SHOFAR. TIME-PERIOD GOD DECIDE WE SHOULD CELEBRATE OUR HOLIDAY. THAT LAW NOT INTUITIVE FOR JEWISH PEOPLE, BUT JACOB HIS GOD KNOW*.

HIS NAME WE MAGNIFY, RECOGNIZE PURE. Cong. AMEN.
IN WORLD HE CREATE LIKE HE REALLY-WANT. PRAY EVERYONE ACCEPT AUTHORITY HIS DURING YOUR”all” LIFE AND YOUR”all” TIME AND LIFE (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE, QUICKLY AND SOON. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY WE CONTINUE PRAISE HIS GREAT NAME FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER-AND-EVER.

WE THANK, PRAISE, RECOGNIZE HIS BEAUTY ADVANCED. LIFT-UP HIS SPLENDOR. SING HIS NAME PURE AND SUPREME. Cong. BOW-DOWN-TO HIM. WE REALIZE THANK, SING, PRAISE, AND COMFORT WE SPEAK HERE WORLD, NOT ENOUGH DESCRIBE ALL HIS MANY CHARACTERISTIC #AT-ALL. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

(CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)...

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The Shemoneh Esreh is recited here silently.

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LONG-AGO GOD SET-UP HEAVEN, SET-UP EARTH. SIX-DAY, HE WORK++'sta', BUT SEVENTH DAY ARRIVE, WORK PUT-ASIDE, REST. GOD DECIDE SHABBAT SPECIAL, DO-UP PURE. WHY? PEOPLE WORK++'sta' SIX-DAY ENOUGH++, SEVENTH DAY REST++ MUST.

WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD AND GOD OUR ANCESTORS WORSHIP. ABRAHAM HIS-lf GOD, ISAAC HIS-ctr GOD, AND JACOB HIS GOD. GOD GREAT, STRONG, AWESOME, GOD SUPREME. MASTER CONTROL HEAVEN, EARTH.

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HE AND HIS WORD PROTECT OUR ANCESTORS. IF SOMEONE DIE, HE COMMAND WAKE-UP, LIVE CAN. HE KING PURE. NONE OTHER EQUAL. SHABBAT PURE, HE HAPPY ESTABLISH. FOR-FOR? ALLOW HIS PEOPLE REST. HIM WE SERVE, RESPECT AND AWED. EVERYDAY WE THANK HIS NAME CONTINUALLY. HOW? MANY WAY AND ACTION, WE BLESS"over time". HE GOD WE THANK SHOULD. ADONAI OFFER PEACE, MAKE SHABBAT PURE AND SEVENTH DAY BLESS. HE CAUSE HIS PEOPLE THRILLED REST PURE, LOOK-BACK REMEMBER HE CREATE UNIVERSE.

OUR GOD AND GOD OUR ANCESTORS WORSHIP, ACCEPT OUR REST. MAKE US PURE THROUGH YOUR MITZVAH, AND ALLOW US SHARE TORAH PASS-DOWN. SATISFY US WITH YOUR GOOD THINGS. LIBERATE, WE INSPIRED. MAKE OUR HEART PURE. FOR-FOR? SERVE YOU TRUE-BIZ. YOUR LOVING GRACE HELP US FOLLOW LAW SHABBAT PURE AND CONTINUE PASS-DOWN. JEWISH PEOPLE WANT SHOW"all" YOUR NAME PURE. HOW? WE REST DURING SHABBAT. WE PRAISE ADONAI. WHY? HE MAKE SHABBAT PURE.

HIS NAME WE MAGNIFY, RECOGNIZE PURE. Cong. AMEN.
IN WORLD HE CREATE LIKE HE REALLY-WANT. PRAY EVERYONE ACCEPT AUTHORITY HIS DURING YOUR”all” LIFE AND YOUR”all” TIME AND LIFE (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE, QUICKLY AND SOON. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY WE CONTINUE PRAISE HIS GREAT NAME FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER-AND-EVER.

WE THANK, PRAISE, RECOGNIZE HIS BEAUTY ADVANCED. LIFT-UP HIS SPLENDOR. SING HIS NAME PURE AND SUPREME. Cong. BOW-DOWN-TO HIM. WE REALIZE THANK, SING, PRAISE, AND COMFORT WE SPEAK HERE WORLD, NOT ENOUGH DESCRIBE ALL HIS MANY CHARACTERISTIC #AT-ALL. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

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HEAVENLY-FATHER, PLEASE ACCEPT WHAT (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE PRAY AND BEG. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY HEAVEN SEND PEACE OVERFLOW, LIFE GOOD, FOR US, PLUS (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

LIKE GOD MAKE PEACE FAR-AWAY HEAVEN, PRAY HE HAVE-MERCY-ON US. MAKE PEACE FOR US HERE AND FOR (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY "WHAT"? PRAISE ADONAI HIMSELF CONTROL (2h)#ALL. ANNOUNCE HE ADVANCED*, HEAVEN, EARTH HE SET-UP. OTHER PEOPLE THEY WORSHIP "WHAT", WOOD WHITTLE SHAPE, STONE CHISEL SHAPE. WE BEND-KNEES BOW-DOWN. WHY? HE KING TOP, PURE*. APPROPRIATE PRAISE HIM. HEAVEN, HE SET-UP IDEA-LIKE TENT'stretch over head'. EARTH, HE FOUNDATION. STARS DOT-THE-SKY SHOW US HIS NAME-SHINY. MOUNTAIN, WE LOOK-AT"over time", HIS POWER CLEAR. HIMSELF, OUR GOD ONLY-ONE. HIMSELF, OUR KING. PEOPLE RULE EARTH COMPARE GOD, THEY NOTHING-TO-IT. TORAH, TELL-STORY QUOTE, NOW+ KNOW-THAT ADONAI HIMSELF TRUE GOD. HE CONTROL HEAVEN AND EARTH. HIS AUTHORITY SUPREME. (CONTINUE PRAY QUIET)...

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BIBLE PREDICT QUOTE ADONAI WILL BECOME KING. MEAN, HE CONTROL EARTH THEREABOUTS COMPLETE*. SAME-TIME HAPPEN, ADONAI BECOME ONLY-ONE. PLUS HIS NAME BECOME ONLY-ONE.

HIS NAME WE MAGNIFY, RECOGNIZE PURE. Cong. AMEN.
IN WORLD HE CREATE LIKE HE REALLY-WANT. PRAY EVERYONE ACCEPT AUTHORITY HIS DURING YOUR”all” LIFE AND YOUR”all” TIME AND LIFE (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE, QUICKLY AND SOON. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY WE CONTINUE PRAISE HIS GREAT NAME FROM-NOW-ON FOREVER-AND-EVER.

WE THANK, PRAISE, RECOGNIZE HIS BEAUTY ADVANCED. LIFT-UP HIS SPLENDOR. SING HIS NAME PURE AND SUPREME. Cong. BOW-DOWN-TO HIM. WE REALIZE THANK, SING, PRAISE, AND COMFORT WE SPEAK HERE WORLD, NOT ENOUGH DESCRIBE ALL HIS MANY CHARACTERISTIC #AT-ALL. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

PRAY HEAVEN SEND (<) PEACE OVERFLOW, (>) LIFE GOOD, FOR US, PLUS (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

LIKE GOD MAKE PEACE FAR-AWAY HEAVEN, PRAY HE HAVE-MERCY-ON-us MAKE PEACE FOR US HERE AND FOR (2h)#ALL JEWISH PEOPLE. COME-ON SAY, AMEN.

DAVID 'S. ADONAI HE (<) MY LIGHT, (>) MY SALVATION. (CONTINUE PRAY QUIETLY.) ...

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PATIENT, WAIT FOR THE ADONAI HELP US. PATIENT, BRAVE, WAIT FOR THE-rt ADONAI HELP US.

On Shabbat Eve: SIXTH DAY END. GOD FINISH CREATE HEAVEN, EARTH AND EVERYTHING CONNECTED. SEVENTH DAY ARRIVE, GOD END HIS CREATIVE WORK, AND HE REST DURING SEVENTH DAY. HIS WORK DO-UP, SET-ASIDE. T-H-E-N GOD BLESS SEVENTH DAY AND MAKE PURE. WHY? HE REST. ALL CREATIVE WORK DO-UP, SET-ASIDE.

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WITH YOUR PERMISSION, WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD, RULE UNIVERSE. WHY? YOU CREATE GRAPES.

WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD, RULE UNIVERSE. WHY? (2h)#ALL NATION, YOU PICK JEWISH ADVANCE. LANGUAGE VARIOUS, YOU MAKE HEBREW TOP. MITZVAH MAKE JEWISH PEOPLE PURE. YOU, ADONAI OUR GOD, GIFT-TO US SABBATH REST PLUS ROSH-HASHANAH. TODAY (<) WE LOOK-BACK REMEMBER SOUND-SHOFAR CHERISH (>) DAY WE ASSEMBLY, LOOK-BACK, REMEMBER LEAVE EGYPT FREE. YOU PICK US. YOU MAKE US PURE MORE-THAN OTHERS. YOUR WORD TRUTH ESTABLISH FOREVER. WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD, RULE UNIVERSE. WHY? YOU MAKE SHABBAT, JEWISH PEOPLE AND ROSH-HASHANAH PURE.

On Saturday night add: 
 WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD, RULE UNIVERSE. WHY? YOU CREATE FIRE. LIGHT, SPREAD.

WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD, RULE UNIVERSE. WHY? (<) PURE, (>) EVERYDAY; (<) LIGHT, (>) DARK; (<) JEWISH PEOPLE, (>) OTHER PEOPLE; (<) SEVENTH DAY, (>) SIX-DAY WORK'sta', GOD SEPARATE (2h)#ALL. ADONAI, WE PRAISE WHY? (<) PURE, (>) REGULAR, YOU SEPARATE.

WE PRAISE ADONAI, OUR GOD, RULE WORLD. WHY? (1-OF-3) GIFT-TO US LIFE, (2-OF-3) HELP US BE-STRONG, (3-OF-3) ALLOW US ARRIVE NOW+ TIME-PERIOD.

ADONAI RULE UNIVERSE 
LONG-AGO WORLD THERE NOT-YET.
HAPPEN HE CREATE WORLD 
EVERYTHING ADMIT HE KING.
SOME-DAY OLD WORLD END, HE STILL ALONE RULE.
ADONAI SAME-OLD-THING. 
HIS GLORY CHANGE NEVER.

HE ONLY-ONE, OTHERS CAN'T 
EQUAL HIM, HELP NOT-NEED.
WITHOUT START, WITHOUT END, 
POWER, AUTHORITY, HIS ALWAYS.
HE MY GOD, PAY-OFF MY DEBT. 
HAPPEN GRIEF, ESCAPE TO HIM. 

HE MY MIRACLE, AND PROTECTOR. 
ANY TIME ME SUMMON, HE ANSWER.

EVERY-MORNING AWAKE, EVERY-NIGHT FALL-ASLEEP,

MY SPIRIT OFFER-UP-TO HIM. 

SUPPOSE MY SPIRIT SPIRAL-UP GO-AWAY, 

NOT-NEED FEAR, WHY? GOD WITH ME.