I grew up going to services. A lot of services. I was adept at counting the ceiling tiles, reaching into the thousands as my grasp of numbers grew more sophisticated.

Long before I became a rabbi, I was a DJ and a hip-hop-head. Music always scored my life, and for years I've wondered, "How can that music be harnessed for religious practice?"

As we approach the most unusual High Holidays in recent memory, ReformJudaism.org is here to help you find ways to observe, celebrate or commemorate the holiday season that work best for you. Here are some helpful tips.

1. Find streaming services.

2020 may

For the first time this year, High Holidays will be conducted remotely for our community – but it will show us that we can, as Rabbi John Rosove taught, truly “overcome the past for the sake of a better future.”

If the High Holidays were to be pared down to their very essence, what are some words and phrases that might come to mind?

Belonging. Connection. Memory. An accounting of the soul.

These are just some of the words that drove the creation of the URJ

The rituals of our tradition help us reflect on the reality and permanence of death and loss, remind us of our need for belonging and connection to others, and keep us tethered to the beauty of living.

At its heart, this is a religion which holds dear the idea of connection – of belongingness. To each other, to self, to your understanding of God. What you bring matters.

Elul is a time of self-reflection, forgiveness, and exploration. These three new tools can help you make the most of this month before the High Holidays.

I’m praying that these weeks of consolation before the High Holidays will give us the time to confront our sins and respond in ways that will help us to heal from our brokenness and find the courage and resolve to build a better year for all.