On Saturday night into Sunday, the reading of Selichot – special prayers recited directly before Rosh haShanah – began at Dnipro’s central synagogue “Golden Rose.”
The first reading of Selichot took place at night, and the subsequent ones, according to tradition, will take place early in the morning before the Shacharit prayer. According to custom, Selichot begin to be read on the Saturday immediately preceding Rosh haShanah, but if fewer than four days remain until it, then Selichot, as this year, begin to be read a week earlier.
In the Chabad tradition, special attention is paid not only to the texts but also to a particular type of spiritual work. The Lubavitcher Rebbe repeatedly emphasized that the main purpose of Selichot is inner work on oneself, awakening awe before the Days of Judgment. The central moment of Selichot is the recitation of the “Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy” (Exodus 34:6,7).
