Kabbalat Shabbat & Maariv: Our Friday evening service is full of singing, joy, and spiritual nourishment. The times vary according to sunset, so please consult our calendar. for this week’s timing.
Shabbat morning: Saturday mornings are the heartbeat of our communal life. It is when we gather together as a community in our beautiful sanctuary to pray, to celebrate, to learn, and to connect. Services begin at 9 am and conclude with a communal kiddush luncheon.
Kavannah: Shabbat Morning Mindfulness & Contemplation: Once a month, our clergy offer an hour of mindfulness, meditation, intentional study, silence, singing, and prayer. Kavannah begins at 11am. Please consult the synagogue calendar for the next service.
First Friday Service: This monthly Friday evening service brings us together to greet Shabbat with uplifting song, quiet, meditative prayer, and inspiring words of Torah. Together, we will shake off the stress of the week and wrap ourselves in the light and song-filled spirit of Shabbat.
Mincha, Maariv, and Havdalah: This intimate gathering is an opportunity to end Shabbat together with prayer, study, and seudah shlishit, a meal to conclude Shabbat. We finish the day with a communal Havdalah service. The times vary according to sunset, so please consult our calendar for this week’s timing.
We use Shabbat to reconnect and recharge: We use this sacred time to be present. We disconnect from our regular routines and focus on being together. To help us create this environment, please refrain from using your phone, taking pictures, or using other electronic devices.
We love to sing as we pray: Singing is an essential language of our prayer life here at Beth El. We hope you will sing, hum, and tap your feet with us throughout the service. You can also use this time to listen and to reflect.
We are here to help: Our liturgy is sometimes sung out loud, sometimes chanted, and sometimes recited silently. At times we sit and other times we stand and at other moments we bow. We do our best to announce pages and postures periodically. If you are unsure about what comes next, feel free to ask the person next to you for the page.
We celebrate lifecycle moments as a community: Community members, family, and friends may participate in the service in different ways to mark a significant occasion in their lives– a bar or bat mitzvah; a special birthday; welcoming a new baby; and more. These touchpoints are opportunities for us to come together as a community to celebrate and a chance for our members to acknowledge special occasions in the context of their Jewish lives. It is customary to acknowledge someone’s participation by saying “yah-sher ko-ach” (way to go!) or “mazal tov” (congratulations!).
One way we celebrate moments – from lifecycle events to special birthdays – as a community is through our kiddush lunch on Shabbat mornings. If you are interested in sponsoring lunch for the community to celebrate a simcha or just because, please contact Stephanie Lederman at slederman@bethelnr.org or 914-235-2700, ext. 246