Although traditional Jewish liturgy requires three services per day—morning, afternoon, and evening—the Shabbat Morning Service is considered by many to be the main service of the week. Somewhat longer than the other services of the week, the Shabbat Morning Service provides opportunities for prayer, meditation, study, and communal fellowship.

Main Service

Following the traditional framework of the Shabbat Morning Service, our main service provides a mix of congregational singing, silent meditation, and recitation by our cantor. At the middle point of our service, we take out the Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) for the communal reading from the parshat ha-shavuah (portion of the week). Reading the Torah each week embraces the idea that God’s revelation continues to this day and the idea that God’s teaching is accessible to everyone. Every person should be given the opportunity to learn about and interpret God’s teaching.

The Torah reading is broken into seven sections and a different person is called up for an aliyah (literally going up) to the Torah for each section. It is considered a great honor to have an aliyah to the Torah especially on special occasions such as Bar or Bat Mitzvah, birth of child or marriage. It gives the community a chance to publicly recognize the joy in our individual lives. The Torah reading concludes with the reading of the haftarah, a section from the prophets loosely related to the Torah reading. Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students are often given the honor of reading the haftarah.

After the Torah reading, the rabbi leads an interactive Torah discussion. Many of our members and guests find this the highlight of the service. It is an opportunity for all of us to question and discuss Jewish values and teachings.

Adult Learning Service

In Judaism, learning is a lifetime pursuit. Join us once a month for our adult learning service led by Educational Director Roni Shapiro. At this slower paced service, we learn and discuss the meaning and structure of the Shabbat Morning Service. We also learn the traditional melodies. Our goal is to make you feel more comfortable in the main service. The service is designed to be meaningful for anyone regardless of Hebrew or Judaic background.
Look at the calendar for service dates.