When I was younger, the High Holidays had always been an opportunity for me to miss school without the burden of make-up homework and tests. My non-Jewish friends would always thank me for being Jewish because they wouldn’t have homework, either. But as I grew up and learned more about the values of Judaism and the significance of our heritage, I found a deeper meaning in the High Holidays, rather than just a “get-out-of-school pass.”

I normally start daydreaming about all the things I want to do—read more books, eat more sushi, take long walks, attempt a tan, launch my country music career—when I shouldn’t be. I have an incredible knack for making these lists under deadlines of all sorts—exams, papers, applications—you get the point.

When a 14-year-old yawns during a youth group Rosh Hashanah service, what should the leader do?

There's one group of thought that urges patience. Another says, “Throw the kid out.”

The important question to ask, however, is, “What can I, as the leader, do to make services for my youth group better?” At my synagogue in Newton, Mass., we've tried everything.