Yom Kippur Children's Machzor
By Noam Zimmerman
Gefen Publishing House: Jerusalem and New York, (2006)
ISBN: 965-229-362-8
Reviewed by Anna Dogole - September 12, 2006
The concepts, significance, and traditions associated with Yom Kippur can be difficult for children to understand. A new book, the Yom Kippur Children's Machzor serves as both an educational and inspirational text that will help to introduce the Yom Kippur Machzor (holiday prayer book) to young children. This Machzor includes extracts drawn from the Machzor HaMikdash for Yom Kippur, which highlight important concepts and prayers. The text is presented in vowelized Hebrew along with an English translation of the text. By far, however, the focus of this book is on the illustrations...
The Yom Kippur Children's Machzor is illustrated with clay images that were designed and sculpted by Noam Zimmerman, using Fimo, a polymer clay that you can harden in a household oven. Zimmerman, who lives in Kfar Adumin, Israel, comes from an Orthodox family and she created these clay creations as part of her Bat Mitzvah project. The sculptures used to illustrate this text range from faceless figures in prayer to sheep, flowers, and architectural elements. The sculptures are extremely detailed and engaging to look at. In all, this project took her nine months to complete. The clay sculptures are not 'mere' illustrations. Rather they serve to give a visual representation to the emotions, concepts, and traditions contained within the prayers of the Yom Kippur Machzor.
Yom Kippur Children's Machzor is a wonderfully innovative prayer book for young children, whose illustrations will delight and inspire the entire family!
Related Reviews:
The Complete ArtScroll Machzor for Yom Kippur, by Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. The Weinberg Foundation's large type edition of the ArtScroll Yom Kippur Machzor, offers the complete text of the standard print Yom Kippur Machzor, with abridged commentaries. Text is presented in vowelized Hebrew with English translations on the facing pages. (large print)
Teshuva: To the Abyss and Back, by Rabbi Ari Kahn.
The essence of this lecture is the question, What is Teshuva and how is it achieved? And, is there ever a point that, once crossed, in which Teshuva becomes impossible? In discussing this issue, Rabbi Kahn offers an explanation of what the soul is, our relationship with G-d, and what the purpose is behind Teshuva. He also discusses the nature of sin, and the damaging effect it can have upon the soul. (Audio)
