On Ritual
On and Off the Bimah: On and About Ritual
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
The CDT newsletter includes an occasional column about Jewish ritual and practice in the Dorshei Tzedek community and beyond, by the CDT Ritual Committee. Those articles are collected here.
The Hebrew on our Ark and Torah Table
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
When the ark is open, you can see the words etched into the frame above the place where the Torah scrolls rest. It says:
עץ חיים היא למחזיקים
Etz chayim hi l’machazikim ba.
It (the Torah) is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it.
This is what we chant when we return the Torah to the ark...Read more...
Hagbah: Lifting the Torah
Marion Ross, for the Ritual Committee
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
On the bimah a member of the congregation holds the Eitz Chayim, (the wooden handles of the Torah scroll), one in each hand, pushes down on the handles raising the Torah off the table, and with knees bent s/he brings the scroll to an upright position and lifts it high.
Off the Bimah, I breathe in, expectantly.
The person lifting the...Read more...
When is the Best Time to Arrive at Services?
Laurie Goldman
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
Shabbat services at Dorshei Tzedek begin at 9:45 on Saturday mornings. The liturgy flows according to our tradition’s attunement to the rhythms of our awakening souls and the narrative of personal and collective gratitude, praise, and redemption. But since the service is not a performance, it’s perfectly appropriate to arrive at any time. You’ll be greeted with a smile whenever you arrive and service leaders will announce page numbers...Read more...
Demsytifying Leyning: How Do Our Members Know How to Chant From the Torah?
Cindy Shulak-Rome
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
As a twelve year old I loved my thrice weekly Hebrew School experience that was associated with the conservative synagogue my family belonged to. However, when given a choice as to whether or not I wanted to have a Bat Mitzvah (yes, an unusually progressive conservative shul to offer Bat Mitzvah in the 1960’s) I emphatically said “no!” The reason for that response was clear in my mind. I was terrified to stand up and “sing” in front...Read more...
Our Torah Service: Re-living the Experience of Sinai and the Desert
Elaine Pollack
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
The words sung just before lifting the Torah out of the ark,” Va’yihi binsoa ha-aron, va-yomer Moshe”…come directly from the Book of Numbers, (Chapter 10, verse 35). “And it came to pass, that when the ark set out, that Moses would say: ‘Rise up oh Lord and let your enemies by scattered…” These words are proclaimed by our service leader in advance of marching with the Torah, and are intended to echo our ancestors’...Read more...
Embodying Prayer
Elaine Pollack
| Author | |
| Date Added | |
| Automatically create summary | |
| Summary |
Think about it: from the beginning to the end of our Shabbat morning service we are engaged in a fair amount of standing and sitting, bending and bowing, touching and kissing (and not just because our friend is sitting next to us!). At a certain point, we even go up on our toes three times in succession.
These are moments when the physical meets the spiritual, and we are given a special “choreographed” enhancement which we...Read more...
Thu, January 20 2022
18 Shevat 5782
Upcoming Events
-
Saturday ,
JanJanuary 22 , 2022Shabbat Morning Service & Bat Mitzvah of Ava Levine-Fried
Shabbat, Jan 22nd 10:00a to 12:00p
All are welcome to join us for Shabbat morning services as we call Ava Levine-Fried to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah. -
Saturday ,
JanJanuary 22 , 2022CDT Virtual Havdallah and Coffeehouse
Motzei Shabbat, Jan 22nd 6:30p to 8:30p
-
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2022Sunday Religious School
Sunday, Jan 23rd 9:30a to 12:00p
-
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2022Beginning a Conversation about Israel/Palestine with CDT Parents: Facilitated by Rabbi Toba
Sunday, Jan 23rd 10:00a to 11:00a
In Rabbi Toba’s Rosh Hashanah talk, she raised the possibility of a new orientation to conversations about Israel/Palestine, one that encourages radical curiosity about positions that are not our own and fostering an embrace of all those who live in the Holy Land. Rabbi Toba acknowledges the challenges of discussing Israel/Palestine in Jewish community, ‘‘I think it is fair to say that the topic of Israel is one of the most divisive forces in American Jewish life. It is a division that is experienced not just communally but personally…[with] deep heartache on all sides.” In an effort to move beyond divisions and silence, we are inviting parents into a beginning conversation about Israel/Palestine at our Religious School. At this parent learning session, facilitated by Rabbi Toba and VP for Education (and master educator) David Rhodes, we want to create a space for Dorshei Tzedek parents to share their experiences with Israel/Palestine in your lives. This conversation is for everyone: for those with deep personal connections to the place and topic, for those deeply struggling, for those who don’t currently know how to feel or don’t have strong opinions, and for everyone in between. In this first conversation we will simply answer the first question God asks humankind in the Torah, “ayecha?” (where are you?). Parents will have a chance to share in small groups and have the opportunity to simply listen to one another. It is our hope that we will get to see the complexity, beauty,and diversity of relationships to Israel/Palestine in our community. In future conversations we will engage parents in a process of values clarification as we build our curriculum. We want to involve as many parents in this process as possible, to get the broadest range of voices and experiences in the room. -
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2022VIM: Advocacy
Sunday, Jan 23rd 1:00p to 2:00p
Ellie Goldberg will share experience and strategic guidelines on writing testimony and meeting with legislators and policy makers to initiate or support legislative initiatives. DB, as a former legislator staffer, will discuss the perspective of the legislator meeting with constituents. -
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2022Trans/GNC/NB Meet Up: 5th Grade & Up
Sunday, Jan 23rd 4:00p to 5:00p
Trans/GNC/NB Meet Up: 5th Grade & Up Sunday, January 23rd, 4-5pm on Zoom! If you are in 5th grade or older (adults welcome!) and identify within the Tran/Nonbinary/Gender-nonconforming umbrella, or are wondering if you do, you're invited to join us! We will play games, discuss, and get to know one another. Those younger than 5th grade stay tuned for more upcoming programming! Please be in touch with any questions! Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/95794469801 -
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2022Adult B'nei Mitzvah Class with Rabbinic Intern Emmanuel Cantor
Sunday, Jan 23rd 7:00p to 8:30p
Wondering what exactly all those 13 year-olds have been learning as they become Jewish adults? Hungry to explore foundations of Jewish living, key concepts in Judaism, and what Judaism has to say on the “big questions,” like the afterlife, sex, spirituality, and social justice? Looking to learn from a wide variety of Jewish texts while building relationships with other CDT members? Then this class is for you! Our class will meet weekly on Sunday evenings for approximately 20 sessions, with breaks for holidays. Outside sessions, participants will have the opportunity to learn how to leyn from Torah, lead parts of a Shabbat service, and/or give a d’var Torah. Members may choose to honor their learning through an “Adult B’nei Mitzvah Shabbat” in June, but the nature of our celebration will be up to our group. Please visit the CDT website under “Learning→Adult Education” to register, and feel free to email Emmanuel at e.cantor@dorsheitzedek.org with any questions. -
Monday ,
JanJanuary 24 , 2022Torah Study with Rabbinic Intern Emmanuel Cantor
Monday, Jan 24th 8:00a to 9:00a
Start your week with Torah Study! Join Emmanuel to explore a weekly Torah portion, discovering its connections to our lives and to the social, emotional, and spiritual questions of our day. -
Tuesday ,
JanJanuary 25 , 2022Mindful Mornings
Tuesday, Jan 25th 8:30a to 9:15a
This twice-weekly gathering combines guided and silent meditation to develop our capacity for mindful awareness and to cultivate qualities of patience, gratitude, and compassion. -
Tuesday ,
JanJanuary 25 , 2022Tuesday Religious School
Tuesday, Jan 25th 3:00p to 6:00p
Zmanim
| Alot Hashachar | 5:41am |
| Earliest Tallit | 6:14am |
| Netz (Sunrise) | 7:09am |
| Latest Shema | 9:32am |
| Zman Tefillah | 10:20am |
| Chatzot (Midday) | 11:56am |
| Mincha Gedola | 12:20pm |
| Mincha Ketana | 2:44pm |
| Plag HaMincha | 3:44pm |
| Shkiah (Sunset) | 4:44pm |
| Tzeit Hakochavim | 5:29pm |
| More >> | |