Cantor's Corner - Thoughts

Prayer (prâr) n. A reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship; An act of communion with God, a god, or another object of worship, such as in devotion, confession, praise, or thanksgiving:

While the definition of prayer may be simple, the actual act of prayer is anything but. Prayer takes a leap of faith, a letting go, a willingness to be vulnerable. Prayer requires active, not passive participation. Prayer takes effort. The great thing is, though, God has patience, understands the difficulty and is only waiting for us to respond.

Since prayer, though communal in nature, is a personal expression, Beth El hosts a wide range of service types in order to provide many different prayer experiences. It is our hope, that with a variety of service styles, there is something that speaks to everyone. A type of service that helps each of us open our hearts to God.

In addition to our regular service offerings, here are a few special types of services you may wish to try:

• Kabbalat Shabbat Summer Style - This is our Friday evening summer service, accompanied by piano, guitar, drums and other special instrumentation. The service is lively, upbeat and fun. We sing melodies featured on the Kabbalat Shabbat Summer Style CD that was sent to every family a few years back. If you do not have a CD, please contact either Cantor Newman at ext. 110 or Cantor Abrams at ext. 109. This service begins on June 17 and goes through August 26. Join us before services from 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. each Friday this summer for appetizers and conversation – helping us to welcome in Shabbat as a community.
• N'shama Minyan - On the first Friday of every month during the year this service is filled with the soulful music of Shlomo Carlbach and others. We dance as we welcome in Shabbat and we lose ourselves in wonderful niggunim (wordless melodies). Roughly every other month we'll have a dinner following services so "we shouldn't worry that the chicken is drying out!"
• Iyun Tefillah: Into the Prayers Mediation Minyan – Once a month, at 9:45 a.m. on Shabbat morning, this minyan meets. We move slowly through parts of the morning service allowing the words of the prayers to penetrate our souls. We use meditation, yoga, sacred chanting and silence as tools to help us open to God. "Refreshing, rejuvenating, spiritually uplifting," are some of the words minyan goers have used to describe their experience. To be notified of upcoming Iyun Tefillah minyanim, email Cantor Abrams.
• Healing and Wholeness Minyan – This experience is a part of the daily Tuesday evening minyan. We carve out a few moments towards the end of the service to consciously focus our energies inward – a few moments to nurture and support our own internal needs amidst our days that are filled with outward expression - a few moments to reconnect with our core, our spirit, our neshama. And if that doesn't help us heal…there's always cookies when we're done!
• Shabbat morning "regular" services – If you come to Beth El on Shabbat mornings, you'll find a community with a natural rhythm. We celebrate together congregants' upcoming weddings, travels to Israel, b'nai mitzvah, baby namings. The bema is a constant flow of Torah readers and lay daveners leading services. We punctuate the Jewish calendar by blessing the new moon each month. We enjoy the music of our choirs (adult and childrens) on special occasions and welcome all our children at the end of services to help us lead Adon Olam. It's a warm and Hamish community that lingers at the Kiddush for a bit more herring and a bit more conversation.
• Daily morning and evening minyan – These services, led by a group of committed congregants, allow us to begin and end our days on a positive note. It can be very powerful to literally "wake up to God" in the mornings, and pause for a "minha moment" in the afternoon. Daily prayer reminds us that the ordinary is truly miraculous and holy and that we should not take the mundane for granted. (There is also coffee in the a.m. and cookies in the p.m. if you need a little added incentive.)

Research has proven that we tend to like best that which we know. With this in mind, if you try one of these services, commit to trying it at least three times. Get to know it and who knows…maybe you'll like it.