"Penitence, prayer and charity avert the evil decree." We say those words at one of the climaxes of our worship on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. For centuries our ancestors said those words, knowing what each of them means.

Penitence defines our relationship with ourselves. Prayer is part of our relationship with God. Charity is about our relationship with other people. We still know what it is to be penitent. We fall short, make mistakes, and seek forgiveness. And we know what it is to be charitable. We remain a generous community, giving out of all proportion to our numbers.

But for many, prayer has become difficult. They find it hard to connect to the synagogue service or to the prayers themselves. Too few people nowadays find prayer meaningful, especially on the High Holy Days when the prayers are long and complicated. 

That is why, together with a wonderful team, I’ve undertaken a new project that I hope will make a difference. We’ve created a new Rosh Hashana machzor. Of course, in Judaism, the word “new” is relative. The Hebrew stays the same. But everything else is different: the translation, the introduction, the commentary, and the actual physical appearance of the machzor. 

We think this is a first in Anglo-Jewish history. The siddur – familiarly known as “the Singer’s” – has always been produced by Chief Rabbis, but not the machzor, “the Routledge”. We felt the time had come for this to change. Prayer has to speak to us if it is to speak to God. We have to be able to understand it if we are to put into it our heart and soul.

In the translation, we've tried to bring out the poetry and power of the prayers. In the introduction, we explain the meaning and history of Rosh Hashanah. In the commentary, we've provided not just explanation but also reflection on what these holy days mean for our lives. Eventually we hope to bring out machzorim for the other festivals as well. 

Prayer matters. It's our conversation with God. Imagine having a relationship with your spouse, your child or your parent, in which you never speak to them. It can't be done. A relationship without words is almost a contradiction in terms. So it is with God. 

When we converse with God – when we pray – we enter into a relationship with the Force that moves the universe, the Voice that spoke to our ancestors, the Power that shaped our history as a people, the Presence that still listens to our hopes and fears, giving us the courage to aspire and the strength to carry on. 

Prayer makes a difference. It’s our way of giving thanks for the good in our lives and of enlisting God’s help as we wrestle with the bad. It’s our regular reminder of the world beyond the self, of the ideals and aspirations of our people. When we pray we speak with the words of our ancestors, joining the great choral symphony of the Jewish people throughout the ages and the continents. True prayer, said from the heart, has the undiminished power to make us feel that “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me.” 

May we, this year, pray from the heart. May our prayers be answered, and may it be for you, your families, and the Jewish people, a good and sweet New Year.

Bebirkat ketivah vechatimah tovah,

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks