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SHABBAT SHALOM
WELCOME TO VALLEY BETH SHALOM
We welcome you to our synagogue. We hope you will enjoy the atmosphere of our
worship service and the warmth of our congregation's fellowship. This guide
has been prepared to help you feel more comfortable in our synagogue. Should
you have additional questions about the synagogue and its programs, or about
the traditions of our worship service, please approach one of the ushers,
or come and introduce yourself to our Cantor and Rabbis following the service.
In the meantime, enjoy the music, the spirit, and the learning, of our services.
We're glad you're here.
The Synagogue
The institution
of the synagogue is thought by most scholars, to have begun during the 7th
Century BCE when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylonia. Far from their
homeland, from Jerusalem their holy city, and from the Temple and its sacrificial
rites, Jews gathered for prayer, for study, and for celebrations. These community
gatherings (the literal meaning of the Greek "synagogue") became a focal experience
for the exiles, and their efforts to preserve their distinct culture and
identity so far from home. So important were these gatherings, that even after
their return to Jerusalem and the re-building of the Temple, the institution
of the synagogue continued to flourish.
A synagogue
is any place ten or more Jews gather for prayer, learning, and fellowship.
In the ancient world, this concept was revolutionary. The ancients typically
worshipped at special places, designated by tradition
as sacred -- sacred rocks, trees, and mountains, for example. The holiness
of the synagogue (and its descendant, the church) derives not from its location,
but from the solidarity and fellowship of those who have gathered.
Our synagogue,
Valley Beth Shalom, was founded here in the San Fernando Valley of Southern
California in 1952. We are affiliated with the Conservative Movement of American
Judaism -- which means you will see in our services and activities a mixture
of ancient traditions and modern innovations. We continue, for example, to
conduct our services in Hebrew -- the traditional language of our people.
At the same time, our congregation recognizes the rights of women to participate
as equals in all rituals and services. This is an innovation established
during the past three decades.
What You Are Seeing
The focal point
of our synagogue's sanctuary is the Ark of Holiness. The
Ark contains the scrolls of the Torah -- the first five books
of the Bible -- hand-written with meticulous artistry on parchment, according
to the dictates of tradition. The Torah is the Constitution of our people
-- setting forth the foundations of our faith and values. We maintain the
practice of reading from a scroll as a symbol of the antiquity and authenticity
of the Torah: We want our children to know that these are the same words
studied and revered by our ancestors for 3000 years. We show our respect
and reverence for Torah by dressing the scrolls in beautiful vestments, crowning
them with silver ornaments, and keeping them in the majestic Ark of Holiness
which is before you in the sanctuary.
Directly over
the Ark is the Eternal Lamp -- a symbol of God's perpetual
protection and affection for our People. The Lamp is a reminder of the seven-branched
candelabrum, fashioned by Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, that illumined
the Temple of Jerusalem.
The raised area
that functions as a stage is called the "Beemah". At the
front of the Beemah are two lecterns for those who lead our worship. At your
right is the rabbi who teaches the congregation through his or her words.
At the left is the cantor who leads the congregation in singing the prayers.
In our tradition, any Jew who knows the service and its melodies is entitled
and empowered to lead the worship. The rabbi and cantor are specially qualified
by their years of learning.
You will notice
that the rabbi and cantor, along with many of the worshipers, are wearing
two special ritual garments: The Kippah or
skullcap symbolizes the heightened holiness of the acts of worship and study
carried out during our service. The Kippah is a symbol of our reverence for
God's presence at these special moments. There
are many Jews who don a Kippah at meals in recognition of the sanctity of
the fellowship of the table. Some Jews wear the Kippah constantly as a symbol
of God's constant presence and protection. The
Tallit or prayer shawl is worn in observance
of the commandment in the Biblical book of Numbers that we tie fringes on
the corners of our garments as a reminder of the religious and moral obligations
incumbent upon Jews.
Jewish tradition
teaches us to enjoy and embellish the observance of commandments. For this
reason, you might see congregants wearing a Tallit that has been beautifully
decorated, or a Kippah with a favorite logo or decoration. For the same reason,
we endeavor to fill the service with music and celebration.
In the pew before
you, there are two books which are used during the services. The smaller
blue prayerbook, the Siddur (literally "order",
or order of prayer), contains the text of our prayer service together with
an English translation. The larger maroon volume is a Humash (literally "five" for
the five books) -- containing the text of the Torah in both Hebrew and English,
together with a commentary prepared by many prominent rabbis and scholars
of the Conservative movement. We alternate between these volumes during the
course of the service. Because Hebrew is read right-to-left, the volumes
open from the side opposite that of English books.
What You Are Hearing
The major traditions
of Jewish prayer were established in the first century CE, following the destruction
of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. The Rabbis who
survived this catastrophe created a regimen of prayer as a substitute for
the sacrificial rites of the Temple. They established a system of prayers
to be recited morning, noon, and night each day as well as special prayer
for Sabbath, holidays, and special occasions. The Rabbis also established
the practice of public reading of a selection from the Torah scroll on Monday
and Thursday mornings (which were market days in the ancient Near East) as
well as on Sabbath mornings and afternoons. There is, therefore, a detailed
tradition establishing which prayers are said on which days, in what order the prayers are
to be recited, and even which melodies are to be used. All
this is ordered by tradition.
You may ask:
If so much is ordered by tradition, what freedom is left for individual expression? First, we are encouraged to break away from
the service and offer personal prayers, or to meditate on the events of life
and the conclusions we draw from them. Second,
the rabbis who established the service recognized that, even in synagogue,
we are often pre-occupied with the aggravations and annoyances of daily life.
The service has been structured to guide one's thoughts away from these mundane
matters and into the realm of ultimate values. In this way, the ordered prayer
service serves a pedagogic role -- teaching us and reminding us what's really
important in life. Finally, this dilemma of finding creativity within the
bounds of a traditional form is not restricted to prayer. Three great musicians
can play the same piece of music. And despite the fact that the notes are
precisely the same for them all -- each plays the piece differently. In fact,
each time they play the piece, it comes out differently!
Similarly, each person prays differently. And each time we pray, it comes
out differently.
Jewish worship
services are typically built around two central prayers: Shema
Yisrael and the Amidah.
Shema
Yisrael --
"Hear O' Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD alone"
-- is taken from the Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4, and constitutes a pledge
of faith and loyalty to God. Three paragraphs from the Bible follow this declaration
and amplify its message. These Biblical selections
are further interpreted and amplified by the addition of poetry and meditation,
written over the centuries, which precede and follow the declaration. Thus,
the Shema Yisrael has grown from just one line to an entire
"block" of prayer expressing the meaning of faith and allegiance to God.
Amidah means "standing". This prayer was designed by
the rabbis of the first century to substitute for the sacrificial rites of
the Temple. Each morning in the Temple of Jerusalem, a Daily Offering was
prepared. This Offering was meant to convey the on-going loyalty of our People
to God, and to specifically request God's blessings for a day of prosperity
and peace. Each Sabbath and Festival, an additional offering was prepared
in celebration of the special day. We therefore have a morning Amidah reflecting our daily needs, and a special Musaf Amidah, or Additional Amidah, on Sabbath and Festivals.
The Amidah is actually a composite prayer -- made up of a series
of individual blessings. The composition of this series is specific to each
service -- on Sabbath we recite a series of seven blessings, on weekdays,
nineteen. Whatever the occasion, the first and last three blessings always
remain the same -- it is the middle blessings that adjust for each day: On
weekdays, we request God's blessings of prosperity and peace. On Shabbat,
we reflect on the uniqueness of the Sabbath day.
THE FRIDAY NIGHT SHABBAT SERVICE
The Friday night
Shabbat service has five major sections:
.. Kabbalat Shabbat, Welcoming the Sabbath, (pp. 13-24);
.. The Shema Yisrael, our declaration of faith, and
its surrounding blessings, (pp. 28-33);
.. Transitional prayers, (p. 34);
.. The Amidah, our Sabbath offering, (pp. 35b-38);
.. Closing prayers, (pp. 47-54).
I. pp. 13-24: Kabbalat Shabbat, "Welcoming the Sabbath"
Psalms and poems
intended to wrest us out of our weekday concerns and into the spirit of Sabbath.
p.
13: Shalom Aleichem
-- It is a tradition that angels of peace accompany us during the Sabbath
day. With this song we welcome all who have come to share our Sabbath peace
and celebration.
The central
prayer of the section is L'cha Dodi, on pp. 21-22.
This poem was written by the 16th Century Mystics in the Israeli village
of Safed who imagined the coming of Sabbath as a wedding. On Sabbath, as
at a wedding, we dress up and feast on fine foods and wine, we decorate our
homes with flowers and celebrate with song and dance. The mystics imagined
the Sabbath as a beautiful bride, and her arrival at sunset as that magic
moment at a wedding when the bride enters the room.
II. pp. 28-33: Shema Yisrael -- Our Declaration of Faith
p.
28: Barchu -- The
call to prayer initiates the formal evening service.
The Shema Yisrael is surrounded by four blessings: two opening blessings
and two closing blessings. These blessings interpret the Shema
Yisrael by describing the ways in which we find God in our experience:
Where can one find God? In our experience of nature, of Scripture, of history,
and of our own vulnerability.
p.
28: U’Maavir Yom [Praised
are You...] -- The first blessing preceding the Shema Yisrael
is a meditation on the evening sunset. The blessing describes our experience
of God in the order and grandeur of nature. Miracles are found, not in extraordinary
events that shatter nature's order, but in the very order itself.
p.
29: Ahavat Olam [With
constancy...] -- This second blessing preceding the Shema
Yisrael meditates on our experience of God in Scripture. Just as the
world has a natural order which manifests the will of the Creator, so too
human life manifests a moral order -- detailed in
the Bible -- which also reveals the presence of God.
p.
30: Shema Yisrael The central declaration of Jewish faith, taken from
the Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4.
The Shema is
followed by three paragraphs, taken from the Bible. These paragraphs detail
how faith fits into life.
(1.) p. 30:
V'ahavtah [You shall love Adonai your
God...] taken from Deuteronomy 6:5-9, commands us to make the love of
God and the words of His instruction the preoccupation of our lives.
(2.) pp.
30: V'haya [If you will earnestly heed...] taken from
Deuteronomy 11:13-21, describes the Biblical belief that obedience and disobedience
to the word of God has direct consequences.
(3.) p. 31:
Va’yomer [Adonai said to Moses...] taken from Numbers 15:37-41,
commands us to wear reminders of God's commandments "Then you will remember and observe all My mitzvot, and be holy
before your God."
p.
32: Emet V'emuna [We
affirm the truth...] This, the
first of two closing blessings, describes our experience of God in the course
of Jewish history. The blessing describes the experience of the Crossing
of the Red Sea as the moment our people realized the presence of God in history.
At the end of the prayer, we re-enact that pivotal moment of redemption and
exhaultation as we sing the words of the Bible's Song of the Sea: "Who is
like You, Adonai, among all that is worshipped!"
p.
33: Hashkiveinu [Help
us, Adonai, to lie down in peace...]
This, the last of the four blessing surrounding the Shema
Yisrael describes our experience of God in our own vulnerability. This
is the only petitionary prayer that is recited on Sabbath.
On weekdays, we present God with our requests for prosperity and for
the needs of daily life. On Sabbath, all we ask for is peace, security and
protection.
III. Transitional Prayers
p.
34: V'shamru [The people
Israel...] This prayer and the
next function as transitions between the two "blocks" of prayer that make
up the core of our service -- Shema Yisrael and the Amidah. Taken from the Bible, Exodus 31:16-17, it describes
the Sabbath as the symbol of the eternal covenant between God and the people
Israel. The prayer ends with a remarkable observation: " in six days Adonai
made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, ceased from work
and rested." The last word, translated as "rested", (in Hebrew, va'yinafash) comes from the Hebrew root, nefesh,
meaning "soul". On Sabbath, we refrain from work and returned to our souls
- to the essence of our human-ness, to the source of our vitality and creativity.
p.34: Kaddish [May God’s name be exalted...] The Kaddish functions
as the transition from one section of prayer to another. Whenever it is recited
-- three or four times in the Friday night service -- it indicates our passing
from one "block" to another.
IV. pp. 35b-38: Amidah Our Sabbath Offering
The seven blessings
that make up the Friday evening Amidah are recited in silent
devotion. As noted, the first and last three blessings are standard for all
recitations of the Amidah. On Friday night, the middle blessing
(p. 36) meditates on the sanctity of Sabbath. It
is traditional to take these moments of silent prayer to reflect on the events
of the week past, and to add personal prayers to God.
....pp. 47-48: These prayers reiterate the major themes of the
silent Amidah. They are recited aloud, so that those who
cannot read the prayers for themselves will hear them recited.
V. Closing Prayers
p.
49: Kiddush This prayer is normally said at home,
at the Sabbath table. It was brought to the synagogue service so that those
who might not have had the opportunity to recite it at home will do so here.
The Kiddush, recited over a cup of wine, affirms the sanctity of Sabbath. Wine symbolizes the sweetness of the Sabbath, and
its ability to take us out of our normal routines. The Kiddush affirms Sabbath,
first, as a commemoration of the work of Creation: As God created a world
in six days, we are commanded to invest ourselves in the work of creation
for six days. And as God rested on the seventh day -- enjoying His creation
-- so we too take this day to evaluate and enjoy our lives. The Kiddush also
views Sabbath as a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. On Sabbath, we cease
being slaves to the burdens of making a living, and return to our status
as free human beings.
p.
51: Aleinu [We rise
to our duty...]
This prayer praises God for the Covenantal relationship He has established
between Himself and the Jewish people. This Covenant demands a commitment
to "perfect the world by Your sovereignty".
p.52: Mourner's Kaddish This prayer, remembering loved ones who have
passed away, marks the end of the service. In our congregation, we recite
the list of those whose "Yahrtzeit" -- the yearly anniversary of a loved one's
death -- is remembered this week.
p.
54: Adon Olam [Lord
of the World...] The traditional closing prayer, affirms our faith in
God's protection as we depart for our homes. Note the last words of the prayer:
I place my spirit in God’s care
My body too can feel God near
When I sleep, as when I wake
God is with me, I have no fear.
Oneg Shabbat
Following services,
we invite you to join us for coffee, tea and sweets, for conversation, and,
occasionally, for spirited Israeli folkdancing. This "Oneg Shabbat" -- the
enjoyment of Shabbat -- is an important part of our celebration. Join us,
and enjoy!
SATURDAY MORNING SHABBAT SERVICES
The Saturday
Morning Shabbat Service has five major sections:
.. Introductory Blessings and Hymns (pp. 65-105);
.. The Shema Yisrael, our declaration of faith, and
its surrounding Blessings (pp. 107-114);
.. The Amidah, our daily offering (pp. 115b-120);
.. The Reading and Study of the Torah (pp. 139-154);
.. The Musaf (Additional) Service for Sabbath &
Closing Prayers (pp. 156b-187).
I. Introductory Blessings and Hymns
These prayer
are intended to move us out of the concern of the everyday world, and into
the special atmosphere of the worship service. These prayers are recited
silently -- the prayer-leader generally chants the first and last lines of
each prayer. Three of these prayers merit special attention:
p.
65: Birchot Ha-Shachar,
Morning Blessings This series of blessing, originally meant to
be recited at home each morning, make us aware of the remarkable miracles
contained in the simple act of waking up -- the mind distinguishes dreams
from reality, the body functions efficiently and gracefully, we are refreshed
and renewed and ready for a new day.
p.
83: Baruch She'amar
[Praised is God...] We share with God the
ability to use language to create a world. God creates a physical world by
means of words. We create a world of relationships, ideals, dreams and values
by means of words.
p.
96-97: Ashrei [Blessed
are they...] This section of the service
climaxes with the recitation of the 145th Psalm, a song of God's universal
benevolence. Notable is the line: "Adonai is near to all who call, To all
who call to God with integrity."
II. Shema Yisrael and its Surrounding Blessings
The Shema Yisrael declares our faith and allegiance to God. The
surrounding blessings -- two preceding blessings and one concluding blessing
-- interpret the Shema Yisrael by affirming God's presence
in nature (as symbolized by the sunrise), in Scripture, and in history.
p.
107: Barchu [Praise
Adonai...] The call to prayer initiates the
morning service.
pp.
107-110: Yotzer Or This section of prayers is an extended meditation
on God's creation of light. Notice the various ways in which this theme of
"light" is used: the light of sunrise, the shining angels in the prophetic
visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel, "enlightenment", etc. This section is constitutes
the first blessing before the Shema Yisrael.
p.
111: Ahavah Rabbah
[Deep is Your love...] This prayer,
the second blessing introducing the Shema Yisrael, celebrates
the spirituality of learning: "Our Maker, merciful Provider, show us mercy;
grant us discernment and understanding. Then
will we study Your Torah, heed its words, teach its precepts, and follow
its instruction, lovingly fulfilling all its teachings."
p.
112: Shema Yisrael
The central declaration of Jewish faith, taken from the Bible, Deuteronomy
6:4.
The Shema is
followed by three paragraphs, taken from the Bible. These paragraphs detail
how faith fits into life.
(1.) p. 112:
V'ahavtah [You shall love Adonai your
God...] taken from Deuteronomy 6:5-9, commands us to make the love of
God and the words of His instruction the preoccupation of our lives.
(2.) pp.
112: V'haya [If you will earnestly heed...] taken from
Deuteronomy 11:13-21, describes the Biblical belief that obedience and disobedience
to the word of God has direct consequences.
(3.) p. 113:
Va’yomer [Adonai said to Moses...] taken from Numbers 15:37-41,
commands us to wear reminders of God's commandments "Then you will remember and observe all My mitzvot, and be holy
before your God."
pp.
113-114: Emet V'yatziv
[Your teaching is true and enduring...] The
concluding blessing, following the Shema Yisrael, affirms
God's presence in the miraculous history of the Jewish people. We re-enact
the moment of redemption at the Red Sea by singing the Bible's Song of the
Sea, and we petition God to continue His protective care over our people.
III.pp. 115b-120 Amidah The Morning Offering
In the ancient
Temple of Jerusalem a morning offering was prepared on behalf of the entire
community. This offering carried our gratitude to God for the creation of
a new day, and our petitions for a day of prosperity and peace. When the
Temple was destroyed, in the year 70 CE, the rabbis who led the Jewish community
offered this prayer -- the Amidah -- as a substitute. The
morning offering was communal, and therefore, after a time of silent prayer,
this prayer is repeated aloud on behalf of the entire community.
IV. Reading and Study of the Torah
pp.
116-123: Service for
Taking Out the Torah
The study of
Torah -- the Five Books of Moses, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
-- forms the center of our Sabbath morning service. The Torah is divided
by tradition into 54 weekly portions. We complete the entire Torah in one
year. The Torah is read from a scroll as a symbol of its antiquity and authenticity.
The scroll is removed from the Ark of Holiness with great pomp and majesty,
and paraded around the congregation. It is then opened and read in seven
sections, or Aliyot. Literally, aliyot means
"going up" -- as honored members of the community are invited to come up
to the Beemah, recite a blessing and witness the reading first-hand. The
blessing for Aliyot are found on page 142 in the prayer book.
It is our custom
at Valley Beth Shalom to engage in Torah discussion and study between the
readings. Please feel free to join the discussion. You will need to set aside
your blue prayer book and take up the large maroon volume -- the Etz Hayim
Humash -- which contains the text of our weekly reading, both in Hebrew and
English, together with a running commentary.
On many Sabbath
mornings, we celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. This ceremony
celebrates entrance into adulthood of a child who has reached the age of
13. As a sign of this coming-of-age, the Bar (a boy) or Bat (a girl) Mitzvah
leads the congregation in prayer, reads the weekly portion from the Torah
scroll, and teaches the congregation through a short discourse. These acts
-- praying, learning, teaching -- are symbols of the child's assumption of
adult responsibilities, and constitute the essence of adulthood in Jewish
tradition.
Following the
Torah reading, we read a section of from the prophetic books of the Hebrew
Bible. Each week has its special section, chosen for its relationship to
the weekly Torah portion. This reading of the prophets is called the Haftarah (lit, "concluding Torah") and is chanted by the Bar
or Bat Mitzvah. The blessings can be found on page 146-147 in the prayer book.
pp.
151-154 Service for Returning the Torah At
the conclusion of the reading, the Torah is once again paraded around the
congregation, and returned to the Ark of Holiness.
V. Sabbath Musaf (Additional) Service & Closing
Prayers
In the Temple
of Jerusalem, a special additional offering was prepared on Sabbath and holidays.
The Musaf, or Additional service, is recited in remembrance
of that offering.
pp.
156b-161 Musaf Amidah This
Amidah reflects the special joy of Sabbath.
pp.
181-183
Closing Kaddish,
Ein
Keloheinu [Who is like our God?...],
Aleinu
[It is for us to praise...]
As on Friday
evening, these prayers conclude the service with an affirmation of the hopes
of our people that God will “perfect the world by Your Sovereignty.”
p.
184 Mourner's Kaddish We remember loved ones who have passed away with
this prayer, affirming that the ties of love and family are not severed by
death.
Sabbath
Morning Kiddush
We acknowledge the sanctity of the Sabbath day in the warm fellowship
of a community of family and friends, over sweet wine and challah,
the traditional braided bread. Following the service, please join us for
Kiddush in the social hall.
We
hope you have enjoyed worshipping with us at Valley Beth Shalom. Should you
have any questions about the service, about the synagogue, or about Judaism,
please call our synagogue office, 818-788-6000. We welcome your interest.
Please feel free to take this booklet home with you.
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