Shabbat at Adat Shalom is full of song, intellect and ruach/spirit! Shabbat Service every Saturday at 9:30 a.m., is the central community time at Adat Shalom. Our Shabbat services are similar in structure to a Conservative synagogue's services, though fully egalitarian with respect to gender and sexual orientation. We encourage creativity and participation in our services, which are very well attended. A highlight of our services is the Dvar Torah discussion, usually led by the rabbi, which allows anyone in attendance to comment on the questions raised. We use the Reconstructionist movement's Kol HaNeshama prayerbook, which includes a rich commentary on the prayers, as well as Hebrew, English and transliteration.
Minyan Pashut (Straightforward Minyan) is a monthly Shabbat davening service that is usually held on the second Shabbat of the month. Those davening in this service are likely to be familiar with the flow of the service, so they don't require much explanation, short of an occasional page reference. We daven a more complete service than in the main sanctuary. There is considerable davening energy (a.k.a. mumbling) in the room. We make kiddish together, and have a L'chaim (the old fashioned way--with slivovitz or schnapps!). Our minyan uses the Reconstructionist Siddur.
Minyan Pashut is held in the library at 9:30, and is a smaller, more intimate minyan than our main service, limited by the capacity of the library. It is egalitarian, with a full Torah service including a d'var Torah, discussion, full triennial reading of the weekly parsha and Haftarah reading.
If you want to try leading parts of the service, this is a very intimate and comfortable venue. Jeff Toretsky is the contact person for those who wish to participate. For the 2005 season, April 9 will be the last service. Please check The Scroll for details. Z'ai Gezunt!
Adat Shalom periodically offers a Learner's Service in the library at 9:45 on Shabbat. This service is generally small and intimate enough for people to ask questions of the leaders during the service and to learn how to participate in the rituals of the service if you've never done them. We use the Reconstructionist siddur, and teach about the structure of the siddur as well as the history and customs of the service and how the liturgy was developed. The Torah reading and Haftarah are abbreviated to allow for in-depth understanding of the liturgy.
The schedule for the learner's service varies based on the Adat Shalom calendar, so look for the dates on the listserve.
From the gathering of Mah Tovu to the blessings over Torah study, our opening prayers offer gratitude for our bodies, souls, minds, and community. To enable more time for discussion, we move quickly through these prayers.
These pages are drawn from the Book of Psalms, where we encounter God through Creation. Every aspect of nature testifies to a grand cosmic unity. Our excerpts of praise culminate with "Halleluyah," Psalm 150 (p. 231). From the Bar'chu are additional passages of praise: Nishmat, Shokhen Ad, etc.
After being called to communal worship by Bar'chu, the Sh'ma is framed by three themes: Creation, Revelation, and Redemption. The Yotzer prayer, of which we usually sing El Adon (p. 253), thanks God for the universal gifts of light, nature and the world. Next comes the particularistic prayer Ahavah Rabbah/V'ha'eor Eineinu, offering thanks for the specific spiritual paths represented within Judaism. The opening lines of the Sh'ma (p. 377) affirm Divine and universal Oneness. The following paragraphs, which we read silently, deal with mitzvot, ecology, and tzitzit. Finally Mi Chamochah Geulah, our Redemption song, praises the God of Freedom.
Central in every Jewish worship service, the Shabbat Amidah invokes seven key themes. In unison, we bless God for our ancestors (Avot v'imahot), for Divine might (G'vurot), and for holiness (Kedushah). Continuing silently, we thank God for Shabbat, Divine service, our good world, and peace. Here we also add our private thoughts and meditations. Still standing, our silent prayer concludes by linking arms and singing Oseh Shalom.
We remove the Torah scroll from the ark and symbolically walk around the congregation with it. It is customary to kiss one's tallit or siddur and touch it to the Torah as it passes. The Torah -- the Five Books of Moses -- is our foundational document. Thus, it is an honor to be called up to say a blessing before and after each reading of the Torah. This is called an aliyah; there are six aliyot in a typical service at Adat Shalom, each consisting of a few verses from the weekly Torah portion (parshah). [More about Torah Honors] [Conventions for Aliyot]
Before the reading of the Torah, the Rabbi or another member leads an extensive discussion on a theme or verse from the parasha. An Adat Shalom hallmark, all are welcome and encouraged to join in the conversation. Public reading of the Torah is ancient, dating back to Ezra the Scribe's time, nearly 2500 years ago. In our community, as we both read and interpret the Torah, our love for it is refracted through our modern sensibilities. As Reconstructionist founder Mordecai Kaplan wrote, "The sacred need not be inerrant -- it is enough for it to be inexhaustible."
In the midst of the Torah reading, we pause to offer a form of the traditional prayer for healing. All who would send physical, spiritual or emotional healing to themselves or others are invited to the front of the sanctuary. We then say the names of our loved ones, and sing a modern Mi Sheberach.
The final aliyah is called maftir. After the Torah is lifted and wrapped, the person with the maftir aliyah reads the Haftarah, a selection from the biblical Prophets. On the day of their special ceremony, maftir and Haftarah are read by the Bar/Bat Mitzvah student. After the blessing that follows the Haftarah, we return the Torah to the ark with a final procession.
Occasionally, a member of the congregation will be invited to the bimah (podium) at some point to offer brief "words of teaching." These divrei chinuch can be on any Jewish or spiritual topic of import. Even as it broadens our horizons, this institution exemplifies the Reconstructionist belief that every member of the community has "their Torah" to teach.
Though fairly traditional, our Reconstructionist service has taken out musaf (additional service), traditionally found after the Torah service. One reason is that we no longer share musaf's call to rebuild the Temple and restore animal sacrifices as offerings to God. Likewise, much of our liturgy reflects small changes from traditional language -- most prominently, deleting what might be dangerously chauvinistic references to Jews as "chosen people."
While quite concerned with the liturgy itself, we also recognize that there are places that words alone cannot reach. Music is one universal language that we emphasize during the service. Often, we also include simple passages which are chanted, repetitively and harmoniously, followed by an introspective period of silence. These "meditative musaf moments" are among Adat Shalom's many "alternative" approaches to prayer.
Following the tradition of hakhnasat orkhim, the welcoming of guests, we take a moment before the close of services to ask all those who are visiting Adat Shalom to stand at their places and introduce themselves. It is our community's way of reaching out to those who have joined us in worship. We'd like to greet you at the oneg!
Since much of our communal life takes place in programs and committees, we also treat announcements as sacred. Members should make every effort to get their announcements to the President before services. This is also a time to share news of special occasions, simchas, in our lives.
Aleinu and the Mourner's Kaddish form the concluding liturgy. Children from Torah School often join us during these final minutes, and are welcome to join us on the bimah for the kiddush and motzi prayers over wine and bread. We then link arms and voices once more for a concluding song, usually Mah Yafeh Hayom, Shabbat Shalom -- how beautiful is today, a Sabbath of peace. We hope that you will stay with us for our oneg, and join in our greeting and eating. We would most enjoy getting to know you ... come back again soon! Shabbat shalom.
For additional commentary on our Shabbat services, see Rabbi Fred's Scroll comments on "Shake, Rattle, and Be on a Roll".
Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
7727 Persimmon Tree Lane
Bethesda, MD 20817
E-mail info@adatshalom.net
Phone: 301-767-3333 x106 | FAX: 301-767-3340
Shabbat Services: Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.
We are an affiliate of the
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
and part of the
Chesapeake Region of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
(CRJRF)