Selichot can be a meaningful experience just by coming together and listening to the prayers. It can be an even more meaningful experience when you do the internal work of self-reflection. As Ben He He said:
(כג)בֶּן הֵא הֵא אוֹמֵר, לְפוּם צַעֲרָא אַגְרָא:
(23)Ben He He said: According to the labor is the reward.
In other words, the more you put into this experience, the more you will get out of it.
1. The Selichot service is centered around The Thirteen Attributes of G-d that were revealed to Moses after the Golden Calf. Which of these attributes speaks to you this year?
1. Merciful God, 2. Merciful God, 3. powerful God, 4. compassionate and 5. gracious, 6. slow to anger, and 7. abundant in kindness and 8. truth. 9. Preserver of kindness for thousands of generations, 10. forgiver of iniquity, 11. willful sin and 12. error, and 13. Who cleanses (Exodus 34:6–7)
You may notice that #1 and #2 are the same. Rashi quotes the Talmud as explaining that #1 is mercy before somebody messes up, and #2 is mercy after they repent for their mistake (Rosh Hashanah 17b:6).
2. Why did you choose this trait?
3. Tashlich is a part of the High Holiday experience where we let go of things from the previous year. What do you want to get rid of or let go from last year (a character trait, an interaction, a memory, etc.)?
4. What do you want to keep from the past year as you go into the new year?
5. Much of our liturgy during the High Holidays is about our interpersonal interactions. Which relationship(s) in your life need strengthening?
6. We eat apples and honey for a sweet new year. What does "a sweet new year" look like?
7. How can you create that for someone?
8. Based on this work, what is your To-Do List in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah?