Compiled by S.Y. Agnon, one of the greatest Hebrew writers of the twentieth century and winner of the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature, Days of Awe is the long-acknowledged classic companion to the High Holy Days prayerbook. Here in one volume are readings from the meditations from the Bible, the Talmud, the Midrash, and the Zohar, to deepen the spiritual experience of the holiest days of the Jewish year. More than three hundred texts. selected from the vast storehouse of Jewish literature from ancient to modern times, are arranged to follow the order of the synagogue service for the High Holy Days. "From the moment of its appearance," writes Judah Goldin in the Introduction, "[this] volume seemed as though it had always been here, as though it had always been the companion of the holiday prayerbook."

A guide to the Days of Awe, a period in which members of the Jewish faith participate in a series of prayers and rituals that reenact the soul's experiences of a lifetime and open themselves to God.

In 5 parts. Part 1 offers parallel English & Hebrew blessings and prayers for home, synagoge, and other settings. Part 2 offers a psalm (poem) and a direction (essay) for each day between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Part 3 is parallel English & Hebrew blessings and prayers for Yom Kippur. Part 4 is a newly constructed non-hierarchical liturgy (Entering the Gates), and Part 5 is an essay about the newly constructed liturgy of part 4.

Provides needed historical background and also interprets the ideas, practices, and liturgy that lend them contemporary relevance to today's Jews.

"What kind of person do you want to be in the coming year? While many of us attend High Holiday services each year, how many of us feel prepared and inspired? This year, instead of just 'showing up' prepare yourself with easily digestible and compact Jewish wisdom from Rabbi Mark Wildes ... Each reading, to be studied each day from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur, is followed by a challenge question to personalize that teaching so the book can serve as a spiritual diary as you approach the High Holidays. The 40 day challenge will help you use this special time on the Jewish calendar to become the very best version of yourself, and connect to God at a time when He is closest"--

Discusses the origin and development of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, their major symbols, and ways of observing them in the world today and in different times in history.