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Description:
Noam Zimmerman’s original clay sculptures enhance the prayer’s passages by acting as a visual aid to the text. The imagery in this Yom Kippur prayer book is particularly meaningful to children because they were created from the perspective of a the artist, who is a child.

Jewish and universal themes from the Yom Kippur prayer service such as the sound of the Shofar, Divine mercy, sacrifice, the temple, sin, repentence, prayer and charity are represented in a way that is endearing and intreguing to adults as well as children.

Every child will now be able to better understand the meaning and essence of this holy day celebrated by Jews throughout the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Noam Zimmerman, age 14, lives in Kfar Adumim in Israel. She has been engaging in the art of “fimo”, or clay sculpting, for over four years. The original publication of this machzor was given as a gift at her Bat Mitzvah celebration; Zimmerman worked on the project for over nine months.

“In order to connect to the prayers and understand them on Yom Kippur… In order to feel the words and tune the heart to the sanctity of the day, I have made these clay images that reflect passages from the prayer.”
– Noam Zimmerman, Age 14
July, 2006


Here are samples of the Yom Kippur Prayers included in this prayer book

Evening Prayer - Maariv

Kol Nidrei
May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their
midst, for all the people are at fault.
Please forgive the iniquities of this people, according to Your abundant kindness,
even as You have forgiven this people ever since they left Egypt.
The Lord said: “I pardon them as you have asked.”


Confession - Viduy
We have acted treasonably, aggressively and slanderously.
We have acted brazenly, viciously and fraudulently.

Our God, act for Your own sake, not ours;

look at our condition, how low and destitute we are.
Bring healing to a drifted leaf;
have compassion on man who is mere dust and ashes.

From the Piyutim recited after Maariv

As helm in the hand of the seaman,
who handles or abandons it at will,

so are we in Your hand, gracious God;
heed Your pact, heed not the Accuser.

Morning Prayer Shacharit
Extol the Lord with a harp; sing to Him with a ten-string lyre:
Sing to Him a new song; skillfully play sounds of jubilation.


We are Your Congregation and You are our Destiny;
we are Your sheep and You are our Shepherd;
we are Your vineyard and You are our Watchman;
we are Your work and You are our Creator;

we are Your faithful and You are our Beloved.

Our Father Our King - Avinu Malkeinu
Our Father, our King, we have sinned before You.
Our Father, our King,
tear up the evil sentence decreed against us.

Our Father, our King, fill our storehouses with plenty.

Our Father, our King, have compassion on us,
on our children and our infants.

Our Father, our King, be gracious to us and answer us,
though we have no merits;
deal charitably and kindly with us and save us.

Additional Holiday Prayer - Mussaf

Unetaneh Tokef Kedushat Hayom
Let us tell how utterly holy this day is and how awe-inspiring.
It is the day when Your dominion shall be exalted,
Your throne shall be established on mercy, and You shall occupy it in truth.
It is true that You are judge and arbiter, discerner and witness,
inscribing and recording all forgotten things.


You open the book of records
and it reads itself; every man’s signature is contained in it.


The great shofar is sounded; a gentle whisper is heard;
the angels, quaking with fear, declare: “The day of judgment is here
to bring the hosts of heaven to justice!”
Indeed, even they are not guiltless in Your sight.
All mankind passes before You like a flock of sheep.


As a shepherd seeks out his flock,
making his sheep pass under his rod,


so do You make all the living souls pass before You;
You count and number Your creatures,
fixing their lifetime and inscribing their destiny.


But repentance, prayer and charity
annul the severity of the decree.

But repentance, prayer and charity
annul the severity of the decree.

But repentance, prayer and charity
annul the severity of the decree.

He is like a broken clay pot,
withered grass
a flower that fades, a shadow that passes, a cloud that vanishes,
a breeze that blows, dust that floats
and a dream that flies away.

The Temple Service - Seder Haavodah
For his sake You made the covenant of the rainbow as a statute,
and in Your loving regard of his savory offering, You blessed his children.

You gave him twelve tribes,
beloved of the exalted G-d; they were called “loved ones” from their very birth.


A forehead-plate, a robe, a breastplate, an ephod,
a tunic, linen breeches,
a turban and a sash.


He was then given the golden vestments which he put on;
he sanctified his hands and feet
from a golden pitcher.


Arousing within himself feelings of reverence, he entered the
Holy of Holies, and when he reached the Ark, he set down
the fire-pan between the staves of the Ark.

He transferred all the incense from the ladle into his hands,
put it on the glowing coals to the west side
and waited there until the Holy of Holies became filled with smoke.


He hastened and took the blood of the bullock from the
stand whereon he had placed it,

dipped his finger in the blood...
and sprinkled from it upon the curtain...

And thus he would count: One!
One and one; one and two; one and three;
one and four; one and five; one and six; one and seven!


When the priests and the people standing in the Temple court
heard God’s glorious and revered Name
clearly expressed by the high priest
with holiness and purity,

they fell on their knees, prostrated themselves and worshiped;
they fell upon their faces and responded:
Blessed be the name of His glorious majesty forever and ever.


…and he took off the golden vestments. His own garments were brought to him and he
put them on; and they accompanied him to his house.
He would celebrate a festive day for his coming out
from the Holy of Holies in peace.


How glorious indeed was the high priest when he safely left the holy of holies!


Like the clearest canopy of heaven was the countenance of the priest.
Like lightning flashing from benign angels was the countenance of the priest.
Like the purest blue of the four fringes was the countenance of the priest.
Like the wondrous rainbow of the bright cloud was the countenance of the priest.
Like the splendor G-d gave the first creatures was the countenance of the priest.
Like the rose in a beautiful garden
was the countenance of the priest.

Afternoon Prayer

Make our sins white as snow and wool,
as it is written: Come now, let us reason together—says the Lord—


even if your sins will be as scarlet,
they will become white as snow;


even if they will be red as crimson, they will become [white] as wool.

Ne’ila (Concluding) Prayer

Open for us the gate of prayer,
even at the closing of the gate,
even now that the day has declined.

When the day declines into sunset,
let us enter into Your gates.

Almighty King…

O G-d, who instructed us to recite the thirteen divine qualities,
remember, in our favor, the covenant of the thirteen qualities,
as You revealed them to gentle Moses...
Then the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed:


Hashem, Hashem, G-d,
Compassionate and Gracious,
Slow to anger and Abundant in Kindness and Truth.
Preserver of kindness for thousands of generations,
Forgiver of iniquity, willful sin, and error,
and Who cleanses.


And seal all Your people of the covenant for a happy life.


May we and all Israel Your people be remembered and sealed before You
in the book of life and blessing, peace and prosperity,
for a happy life and for peace.


Shema Yisrael
Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Three times:

Blessed be the name of his glorious majesty forever and ever.


Seven times:

The Lord is God!

The shofar is sounded once.
Next year in Jerusalem!
Reviews:
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 Childrens 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 Childrens Machzor is a wonderfully innovative prayer book for young children, whose illustrations will delight and inspire the entire family!

Anna Dogole
The Jewish Eye
September 12, 2006

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