Articles and Videos About Religious Services

Articles

Kippah - Head Covering

Tallit - The corner fringes on this ritual garment remind the wearer of all the commandments in the Torah.

The Spiritual Significance of the Tallit - The commandment to attach fringes to garments was invested with deep theological meaning. This both reflected and shaped a strong emotional attachment to this symbol.

Tefillin - Tefillin serve to distinguish Jews as people who keep God's precepts constantly in mind.

The Spiritual Significance of Tefillin - The details of this precept, using powerful symbols of allegiance to divine law and of membership in the Jewish religious community, have been subject to many interpretations.

How to Say the Blessings on the Torah - A multimedia presentation about what you need to know to get an aliyah in synagogue.

Jewish liturgy

What is Jewish Liturgy? - It's not just what you do in synagogue.

Jewish Prayer Book - Is the siddur a holy text or crib notes for a conversation with God?

What is in the Siddur? Shabbat and Holiday Liturgy - This description of the Shabbat and holiday morning service includes most of the elements that appear in weekday services as well.

Kavvanah and Intention - The rabbis disagreed as to how important one's state of mind is with regard to fulfilling the commandments in general and prayer in particular.

A Delicate Balance - Trying to maintain the delicate equilibrium between the regular routine (keva) and the pure, spontaneous intention of the spirit (kavvanah) is an ongoing challenge for Jews individually and communally.

Preliminary Blessings and Psalms - With introductory blessings and psalms, the creators of the Jewish prayer service created a model that allowed for spiritual preparation prior to the main section of the morning service.

The Blessings Around the Shema - The structure of these three blessings reflects both the historical progress from creation to revelation to redemption and the religious conception that each of these "events" is actually a process.

The Shema - Three biblical passages work together to create a model for remaining faithful to a belief in God and in God's unity.

The Amidah - Moving from praise to petition to thanksgiving, the Amidah inculcates a sense of connection to God.

The Torah Service - The drama of the service draws upon imagery from Israel's history of wandering in the Sinai wilderness to the worship at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Videos

What to do and say when you are honored by an Aliyah

An Introduction to the Tallit

An informative description on the use of Tefillin