Alternative Minyan

Are you interested in Jewish worship but looking for something a little different? Would you enjoy a service at Temple B'nai Brith that's a little shorter, more focused on singing and studying, and open to experimentation? Once a month, from 10:00 to 11:30 am, TBB will offer an alternative Shabbat morning service downstairs in the Blumsack Chapel. You are invited to attend.

Almost ten years ago, people wondered whether it was time to have more than one Saturday morning service at Temple B'nai Brith. The number of people attending the weekly service had begun to outgrow the cozy little Blumsack Chapel in the basement. It continued to grow, and Shabbat morning services had to move to Nissenbaum Hall, on the main floor, a few years ago, where they have been ever since.

Even ten years ago, it was clear that in a community that celebrates diversity, there were diverse reactions to the way we usually daven (pray together). Some members loved the meditative atmosphere, the unhurried pace, the traditional words and tunes heard every Saturday morning, week in and week out. Other members, committed to the Temple and involved in the Children's School, the Social Action Committee, or even the Board of Directors, found the weekly Shabbat service was not their portal into Jewish prayer. Both reactions continue to this day, at the Temple and in our extended community.

Over the summer, people approached the Ritual Committee with the idea that TBB is big enough for two Shabbat morning services once a month. The Committee was very supportive of the idea. So, in early December, fourteen people met at the Temple to discuss alternative ways to pray. Another twenty have expressed interest in taking part as well.

What are some of those alternatives? Let's use the most well-known prayer, the Sh'ma, as an example. The traditional approach would be to read the words of the prayer from beginning to end, silently or aloud, perhaps chanting parts of it. But we could also meditate on the Sh'ma, using some of its words to focus and release insights about God, the Jewish people, mind and heart, or even our relationship to nature. We could chant the first line over and over, until we really felt and understood in our bones and breath what it means to hear that God is one. We could study the text of the Sh'ma closely, analyzing what it means and what every word conveys. We could use motion and sign to express what the Sh'ma is saying. We could read poetry by poets like Denise Levertov or Mary Oliver that weave in and out of the themes of the Sh'ma, bringing the prayer to life in a different way.

The idea of the alternative service is that over time, we will try all of these approaches in order (in the words of Phil Weiss) "to appreciate some of the different modes of worship currently available in Jewish life." Services will be designed and led by participants, and while they will follow the outline of the traditional service and keep some of its basic parts, like the Sh'ma, each month will be an opportunity to see what else a service can be.

If this idea appeals to you, please join us on these dates:

Parasha
2007 Oct 13 Noach
Nov 10 Toldot
Dec 8 Miketz
2008 Jan 12 Bo
Feb 9 Terumah
Mar 8 Pekudei (Shabbat Shekalim)
May 10 Emor