Rabbi Micah Friedman, the new rabbi of Temple Israel, is hosting a learning series throughout the month of August focused on preparing for the High Holidays. The course, titled “Fundamentals and Flairs of Jewish Prayer,” highlights the core components of Jewish prayer since antiquity and invite interactive discussion with the hope of deepening people’s experience in services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as throughout the year.

The course is free and open to anyone in the community, though donations are welcome. It began on August 2 and is hosted at Temple Israel and over Zoom on Wednesdays, through August 30, from 6:30-8 pm. For more information, contact Temple Israel at 607-723-7461 or e-mail Friedman at rabbimicahfriedman@gmail.com.

“The core components of Jewish prayer should be seen as spiritual technologies that have their roots in the practices of our ancient ancestors and have been sharpened and honed over the course of many generations,” Friedman remarked. “Both those of us who have been going to synagogue for years and those who are newcomers can discover anew the wisdom of Jewish tradition when we look more closely at the siddur (regular prayer book) and the mahzor (holiday prayer book).”