Shabbat

Shabbat Services & Programming

Shabbat is the most joyous day of the week, set aside for spiritual replenishment, contemplation and the appreciation of God’s creation. We remember that God ceased work on the seventh day and that we too must cease our mundane efforts. We gather in our homes with family and friends and in our synagogues with our community. We observe Shabbat with acts that enhance the day’s holiness and refrain from acts that diminish it.

Our Shabbat service includes silent meditation, quiet chanting, communal singing and study. Read through the prayers, whether in Hebrew or in English translation, at your own pace. Linger over them. Notice the sounds, the images, the beauty of the words, the melodies. Allow yourself to meditate upon them. Don’t expect to be moved by every prayer, and don’t worry about keeping up. You are likely to respond to different prayers in different ways at different moments in your life.

On many Shabbat mornings, the congregation celebrates a bar or bat mitzvah. This milestone marks the occasion when a Jewish child is expected to begin to observe all the mitzvot (Jewish ethical and religious obligations). The child participates by being called to the Torah, reading from it, chanting the haftarah, and leading other parts of the service.  Members of the child’s family may also participate.

Thanks to the generosity of a member of our congregation, a few LARGE PRINT siddurim are available for use. Please speak with an usher if you wish to use one during Shabbat services.

Regular Shabbat Services

6:15pm – Service

Join us on varying Friday evenings for Kabbalat Shabbat!

Twice a month from September-June  (with a couple of exceptions) we will gather in the chapel for Kabbalat Shabbat services. Services begin at 6:15pm. 

Please check our calendar for additional dates.

Every Shabbat beginning at 9:15 am in-person and on Live-Stream

Our morning service begins at 9:15 am with early morning prayers called Birkhot HaShahar, followed by P’sukei DeZimra. By reminding us what we have to be thankful for, these selections prepare us for communal worship.

Together we recite the Sh’ma, the Biblical text which confronts us with the reality of God and our obligation to love God. Led by our Shaliach or Shlichat Tzibbur (prayer leader), we then recite the Amidah, a standing prayer which, on Shabbat, concentrates on the essential holiness of the seventh day.

We ceremonially and reverently remove the Torah (a scroll containing the Five Books of Moses) from the ark, march in a processional so the entire congregation can see it up close and reach out to kiss it, and then chant portions from it. After the Torah reading, a haftarah (a related selection from the Prophets) is recited in its own unique musical mode, and then we return the Torah to the ark. On certain shabbatot, we also celebrate  a bar or bat mitzvah or other communal events.

We conclude our service with the Musaf Amidah (an additional standing prayer) and closing hymns.

Please join us for kiddush at the conclusion of the services!

Special Shabbat Programming

From 9:15 – 10:15 am with Naomi Litrownik, LICSW

Creating sacred space in our lives encourages us to be more fully present (i.e., able to say, “Hineni,” or “Here I am” with full consciousness). What better time to engage in this creative and contemplative practice than on a Shabbat morning? Join fellow congregants and let yourself enjoy the peacefulness of Shabbat. This monthly meditation is open to all, regardless of experience, and concludes in time to join the main service at the beginning of the Torah service. For further information contact Naomi.

Please see calendar for dates.

With Rabbi Leslie Gordon

Dig deep into the weekly Torah portion and enhance your Shabbat morning experience. Join us as we explore the weekly Torah reading from literary, spiritual, and psychological perspectives. We meet one Shabbat morning per month, finishing our study in time to join the Torah service in the main sanctuary. No Hebrew required. Come for any or all sessions.

Please see calendar for dates.

Every Shabbat, about 11 am; Interim Rabbi Leslie Gordon and occasional guests

At the heart of our Shabbat morning service is Torah study. Each week, Rabbi Gordon or an occasional guest presents a dvar torah, which explores themes from the weekly Torah portion and connects them to our daily lives. The dvar torah, which is presented immediately after the Torah is returned to the Ark on Shabbat morning, is intended to help us address contemporary issues by interpreting the words, themes, and stories from our most sacred text. Come on Shabbat morning to hear the dvar torah — and/or feel free to stay for the entire service. Either way, you will nourish your soul and stimulate your mind. To listen to past Dvar Torah from Rabbi Gordon, click here. To listen and read past Dvar Torah from Rabbi Perkins, click here. To read past Dvar Torah from guest Darshanit, click here