by Rabbi Paul Drazen
Copyright 1992 by Rabbi Paul Drazen
Page references are to Siddur Sim Shalom. All traditional siddurs
follow the same format.
It can happen...you get to the Synagogue and feel a
bit lost. Where are we in the service? What's going on...and for how
much longer? How does this all fit together? What am I supposed to be
doing? How come I'm the only person in this room who doesn't know what's
happening? I'm so uncomfortable....
To answer these questions we present this Guide. With
it (together with other H.E.L.P. booklets and the transliteration guides
which are kept in the pews in the Synagogue), we hope you will feel
more comfortable at Shabbat morning services. Shabbat
morning at the Synagogue includes not one service, but a series of service
units. Each of the services is a discrete element which joins to become
the whole known as Shabbat morning services.Your "tools" for
Shabbat Morning services are the siddur (prayer book)
found in the book holder at each pew; a humash (a book of Torah
and Haftarah readings) which you pick up on your way in
to the sanctuary; a Bat Kol (the announcement page) available
in the literature rack at the sanctuary entrance.
Birkhot HaShahar "The Morning Blessings"
Pages 10-53
Just as one should not begin physical exercise without
first "warming up," so Jewish tradition tried to prevent us from beginning
the mental exercise of davening (worship) without "warming up." The
opening sections of the service give that opportunity as services begin
at 9:30 am. The first part of the service is the same each day of the
year. We begin by reciting a series of brakhot (blessings)
on page 10 which trace the process of awakening and describe God's "daily
activities." Some of those activities include clothing the naked, giving
sight to the blind and releasing the bound. One purpose of this list
is to give us a guide of how we can become more God-like by emulating
His daily activities. The blessings are followed by a portion of rabbinic
study. In Siddur Sim Shalom, the four paragraphs (pages 16-18)
are rabbinic texts which describe g'milut hasadim (acts of
lovingkindness). This section provides the "minimum daily requirement"
of study and is followed by the recitation of kaddish derabanan
(page 20), a special kaddish said after study. Kaddish,
though thought of as the mourners' prayer, is a doxology, a praising
of God. It is, therefore, most appropriate to say it after study, as
well as at other points in the service. This most preliminary section
of the morning service concludes with the recitation of Psalm 30 (page
50) and mourners' kaddish (page 52). We observe the custom of having
mourners rise to recite kaddish as a sign of continued faith
in the face of personal tragedy. It is most appropriate for members
of the congregation to listen quietly in order to respond to the prayer.
Pesukei D'zimra "Verses of Song" Pages
54-94, 334-336
This section opens (page 54) and concludes (page 338)
with brakhot (blessings). Between them are a series of readings,
most of which are Psalms. It is quite a mass of material to cover in
a brief period of time. As a result, two very different approaches to
participating in this section have developedover the years. One method
is to keep up with the pace of the service. This seems futile at first,
but keeping apace does come with practice. Can anyone really read all
those words so quickly? The purpose of the section is not to contemplate
each word, but to become part of the rhythm of the service. As such,
the davening becomes mantra-like, allowing for a mind-calming few minutes.
"Getting lost in the words" helps get one ready for the worship of the
Shaharit service itself. The second approach allows the worshiper
to focus on a few of the sections, while the congregation reads on.
The worshiper can concentrate on the grand thoughts and poetry which
are the foundation of Pesukei D'zimra. Contemplation of the
meaning of the words also helps to get one ready for the worship of
the Shaharit service itself. Which method is preferred? Which
is "the best" to use? There is no single answer. Some mornings the "mantra-method"
is the better one. Other mornings, when an experience or thought causes
a pause, the "focus method" is the one to use. The "right way" can change
from week to week. Pesukei D'zimra is concluded with hatzi
(half) kaddish (page 338).
Shaharit--The Morning Service Pages
340-392
Once the preliminaries of the service have been completed,
the Shaharit can begin. The Shaharit service starts
with barekhu (page 340), the formal call to prayer. With it,
the shaliah tzibbur (the one leading the prayer) gets the congregation's
attention (remember, some have been "mantra-ing along" while others
were contemplating various verses) to announce that the core of the
service is about to begin. The next section of the service is known
as matbe-ah shel tefillah (the unchanging core of the Shaharit
service). It consists of shema, the blessings which precede
and follow it and the amidah. The first section after barekhu, the first
blessing before shema, is a celebration of creation. It speaks of God
as creator of light, darkness and all things. The most prominent feature
of this section is El Adon (page 342), an alphabetical acrostic
which praises God "from A to Z." What better way to show concern for
someone than giving them direction for life? God showed His love for
the people Israel by giving us the Torah. The second brakha
before shema praises God for that love. The three paragraphs
of shema (pages 346-8) outline the basics of our faith. In
the first verse we declare 'God is Unique.' The opening paragraph reminds
us of our obligation to love God, to keep our duties in mind at all
times and to teach them to our children. The second paragraph outlines
a Biblical understanding of reward and punishment. Today it reminds
us that our actions haveconsequences and, as such, all actions must
be taken seriously. The final paragraph, the command to wear tzitzit,
serves as a reminder that ritual remains an important way to grow closer
to God. Tzitzit are worn on the tallit, traditionally
worn by men. At Beth El women, too, are encouraged to wear a tallit.
After shema, a final blessing praises God for having redeemed
the people Israel from slavery in Egypt. We finish that blessing as
we stand while we sing mi kamokha (page 352). Next comes The
Prayer (that's the name the rabbis of the Talmud gave it) better
known as the amidah, which means "the standing prayer" (pages
354-365). We sing the opening brakhot (pages 354) together.
In this section we praise God, our God and the God of generation upon
generation, for His wondrous deeds and we call Him wholly holy, in the
kedusha (page 356). The amidah is completed quietly.
Members of the congregation sit as they finish. To conclude it, we sing
sim shalom, the prayer for peace (page 352) together. The shaharit
service is concluded by kaddish shalem (the complete kaddish)
on page 392. We append the recitation of the daily Psalm (page 32) and
mourners' kaddish.
The Torah Service Pages 394-428
The Torah service is the central core of
the Shabbat morning services. It has four basic parts: taking
the scroll(s) out of the ark, reading Torah, reading the haftarah
and returning the scroll(s) to the ark. Each scroll is handwritten with
quill on parchment, containing the five books of Moses, the first five
books of the Bible. Taking out and returning the Torah scroll(s)
is ceremonial in nature with the scrolls being escorted in procession
around the Sanctuary. This is befitting the Torah, God's gift
to the people of Israel. Just as one doesn't turn one's back on an important
person, so members of the congregation turn always to face the Torah
scroll as it is carried around the congregation. Honoring the Torah
is also the reason why we stand when the ark is opened and when
the scroll is raised at the end of the reading. The Torah reading
is divided into seven aliyot (sections). Beth El normally reserves
one aliyah for congregants celebrating a simha (a
happy time) in the coming week. The gabbaim flank the reading
table to help the Torah readers and to guide those who have
an aliyah in reciting of the blessings.(We have a H.E.L.P.
booklet which describes the rituals of taking an aliyah and
lifting and wrapping the scroll. Click to get one!) The reading of the
Torah is done using cantillations which have been part of our
tradition for over 1000 years. The musical "notes" (trope)
appear in the humash (Five Books) as the dots and marks which
are not vowels. The scroll itself has neither vowels nor trope
marked and, as such, the reader must practice carefully to be sure both
the language and the music are correct. The haftarah is a selection
from the Prophets. It, too, is chanted using an ancient musical tradition.
Following the haftarah, the service continues with a blessing
for those who participated in the Torah service (page 408);
prayers for the congregation; the country and the State of Israel (pages
415-417); and ashrei (page 420). On the Shabbat morning
before a new Hebrew month, the announcement of the coming month (page
418) is added. We return the Torah scroll(s) to the ark (page
422-426).The sermon or d'var Torah is presented at this point
in the service, immediately before hatzi kaddish which
concludes the Torah service (page 428).
The Musaf Service--The Additional
Service Pages 430-514
The final service unit of the morning service is the
Musaf (additional) service. Perhaps you're wondering, "Why,
after all the prayers we've said, do we need an additional service?"
That's a fair question with an historical answer. Our worship services
can be traced back to sacrificial services in the Temple of old. On
Shabbat and specific holidays, an additional (musaf)
sacrifice was brought, because of the special nature of the day. To
recall that tradition, we today offer an additional service. Its major
content is the amidah, which begins and ends with the same
blessings as the morning amidah, but whose middle blessing
is different. Siddur Sim Shalom has two versions of the Musaf
amidah for Shabbat morning. The first (pages 430-440)
is the more traditional one, making reference to the sacrifices which
were brought by our ancestors, upon which the service itself is based.
Unlike more traditional siddurs, in Sim Shalom each
reference to the sacrifices is made in the past tense, without praying
for their restoration. The second version (pages 442-454) makes no formal
reference to the sacrifices at all. Which amidah to recite
is a matter of personal choice. The portions which the congregation
sings together are found in both versions. The amidah is completed
quietly after kedusha. We conclude by singing sim shalom, the
prayer for peace (page 438 or 452) together. The Musaf service
is concluded by kaddish shalem (complete kaddish)
on page 506. Following the Musaf service are the concluding
prayers, the "cool down" from the worship services which parallels the
opening "warm up" said at the start of the service. This section includes
ein ke-loheinu (page 508), aleinu (page 510), mourners'
kaddish (page 512), kiddush and ends with adon
olam (page 514). The service ends about noon. After the service
is over, the greetings "Shabbat shalom" or "good Shabbos"
are heard as members wish each other a day of peace, to begin what is
hoped will be a week of peace.
Prepared and copyright by Beth El Synagogue, Omaha, Nebraska.
A publication of H.E.L.P. Home Education Library Program
Prepared by Rabbi Paul Drazen and Cantor Emil Berkovits
Beth El Synagogue
14506 California Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68154
402-492-8550
