Shabbat
Each Friday night at 7:00 p.m., we welcome Shabbat together with services led by the Rabbi and Cantor. Oftentimes, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is invited to lead the congregation in prayer, while we share in the pride of their families as they celebrate this milestone.
First Friday – Family Shabbat: A contemporary service combining prayer and music in a format that appeals to young and old. This service features our Junior choir, and also typically provides an opportunity for one of our religious school classes to share a part of their learning with the congregation. We also use this service to bless those celebrating a birthday anytime during the month.
Second Friday – Traditional Service: Traditional service with prayer and music.
Third Friday – Torah Service: Shabbat service with Torah reading – this also includes a brief and informal congregational discussion based upon the weekly parsha. Many of our Chai Club members make it a special point to gather at this service.
Fourth Friday – Kabbalat Shabbat: A highly participative service, during which the entire congregation prays and chants successively through the liturgy with minimal interruptions. The service typically concludes by 7:15 p.m., allowing people to then relax and/or dine afterward.
Fifth Friday – T.G.I.S. (Thank God It’s Shabbat): An energetic and uplifting service that is almost exclusively musical, in which the congregation joyously sings and dances to the musical leadership of an ensemble featuring our Rabbi, Cantor and several other congregants who accompany on keyboard, percussion, guitar, clarinet, trumpet and more.
Saturday Mornings: Our Saturday morning Shabbat service begins at 10:30 a.m. While these services often celebrate one or more of our youth becoming a Bar and/or Bat Mitzvah, they are open to the public and all are welcome to attend and join in prayer.
Summer Shabbat: Starting the first Friday in July and running through the end of August, our Friday night Summer Shabbat services begin at 7:00 p.m. and are led by members of our congregation. Conducted in the Great Room, these lay-led services provide an intimate, diverse, rewarding, creative and educational opportunity to pray together.