I've attended Yom Kippur services as a congregant for many years, and I've also conducted Yom Kippur services when serving as a pulpit rabbi for several years. From both ends I can tell you: Yom Kippur can be rough.

The proliferation of coffee that is probably behind the proliferation of one of the most intense Jewish rituals: the waking up before sunrise for the recitation of Selichot -- literally, "Forgiveness."

One year can seem like a lifetime when reviewing one's own actions in detail. Going from reflection to renewed action can seem overwhelming. Yet this year, I came across a new tool in my repertoire of reflection for the sake of future action: memory.

From this place it is not so scary to self reflect, to make amends, to face the "judgment." From this place we can heal and let go of conscious and unconscious messages that we are projecting on to ourselves, others and the world.

It isn't easy to look in the mirror and see our own spiritual leprosy. If you do get a glimpse, don't turn away in disgust or shame. Remember, underlying life is a river of love and compassion.

Crowning God as "King" is a hard concept for me to wrap my head around, and it's also one of the main psychological/spiritual/liturgical themes of Rosh Hashanah. So I have to turn to an unconventional source as a reference point.

During this time of the Jewish month, we are considering and reflecting on how we may have hurt others. However, before we utter an apology, we have to consider whether we genuinely wish to bring peace to the other person through our words or bring peace of mind to ourselves.

Originally, G-d didn't care about good and evil or the Torah. Then, out of an act of absolute selflessness He decided He would care about this stuff. With all this in mind, we can now begin to appreciate the secret of Rosh Hashanah according to Chassidus.

The Baal Shem Tov taught that the sound of the Shofar is the sound of the Prince crying out to his father the King. It is the sound of our yearning to return to the Source of our true selves.

Yom Kippur 2011 is observed on Oct. 7-8, 2011. Known as the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur falls on 10 Tishrei 5772 on the Hebrew calendar, which...

As you reflect on why your dreams have not been realized, how will your frustrations and disappointments impact you moving forward in the New Year?

The blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah calls out to all of us: "Wake up! You have been sleeping!" The slumber is clear. The choice is ours. But to what is it that we awaken?

Repentance and forgiveness are powerful conscious processes that bring growth and lasting healing. That is why for Jews the holiest days of the year are those when we commit our lives to these processes.

For me, doing inner work in a Jewish community setting is truly another coming home, a return -- a teshuvah -- so appropriate at this season of our turning.

In looking at the continued imprisonment and mistreatment of people who have not been convicted of or tried for a crime, I think that the Jewish notion of personal responsibility and teshuvah is not being followed.

We may not fix all the wrongs done by our fellow Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, or Hindus, but we have the power, and the responsibility, to be constantly improving ourselves and our communities.

Heart-searching is at the heart of the High Holy Days. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur offer us the opportunity to come out of hiding, to honestly assess our current life circumstances, and to begin paving the way for the New Year.

Elul is an opportune time to engage in teshuvah, the process of repenting after committing a sin. In our world where men tend to dominate women, men have a special task to reflect on their relationship to women.

Repentance, even when it falls short, is still a mark of moral resolve and personal courage. This is the moral lesson that I take from the life of Robert Byrd in the weeks leading up to this Yom Kippur.