Temple Etiquette

---

In August of 1922, Temple Israel was founded as a Conservative congregation. As such, there are certain traditions that are followed here.

While in the Temple, all men must wear a head covering called a Kippah or Yarmulka. Women who participate in the service must also have their heads covered. This is a sign of respect for the presence of God and for the practices of our congregation. You will find a kippah at the entrance to the Sanctuary.

You will also notice the Jewish men, and some women, wearing a prayer shawl with fringes, called a Tallit. This is worn as a reminder of the commandments and our obligations to God. Tallit are also located at the entrance to the Sanctuary.

Please feel free to sit in any vacant seat. It is proper for everyone attending the service to stand when the Ark is opened, when the Torah is carried around the Sanctuary and during certain prayers. If you have difficulty standing you may remain seated during the entire service.

Prayer books, called Siddurim, are the small blue books located in the holder on the seat in front of you. They are opened and read from right to left. The larger red book in the holder is Eytz Chayim Humash, The Torah and prophets. You can follow along in this book as we read from the Scroll on the bima and later the Haftarah portion.

The reading of the Torah is divided into fifty-four portions and Jews around the world read the same portion each week. In this way every Jew is linked to one another regardless of where he or she happens to live. Our congregation follows the triennial reading, wherein one-third of the assigned portion is read each week. We read the entire Torah text over a three year period. The Torah is written entirely in Hebrew with no vowels or other symbols to guide the reader. As such, reading the Torah requires considerable study and effort. Readers use a yad, a silver pointer whose end is shaped like a hand with a pointing index finger, to keep their place and ensure that oils from their fingers do not harm the ink or the parchment.

Please turn off cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices before entering the Temple building. Photography, video and tape recording, and use of other electronic devices are prohibited in the Temple building on Shabbat.

The Service

---

The Shabbat service is made up of three separate services; Shacharit (morning service), The Torah Service and Musaf (concluding service).

Shacharit includes the Barchu (the traditional call to prayer), The Shema (a declaration of faith) and concludes with the Amidah (a collection of seven blessings praising God which are recited while standing). The prayers for this part of the service are found in the small blue prayer book from pages 146 through 269.

The Torah Service: the Torah scroll will be taken from the Ark. The congregation stands when the Ark is opened and remains standing until the Torah is placed on the reading table. Rabbi Kaplan and Cantor Abraham will carry the Torah through the congregation in a procession around the synagogue. Congregants show respect for the Torah's teachings by kissing the Torah using the edges of the prayer book or the fringes of the Tallit. The Torah is then brought back to the bima and placed on a reading desk on the pulpit.

When the Torah is read, Jewish members will be given an honor of reciting the blessings over the Torah, reading from the Torah itself or performing other roles in the Torah service. After the prescribed portion for the day has been chanted two people are called up to the bima. One to lift the Torah (Hagbah) and one to dress it with its mantles and ornaments (G'lila).

When the scroll is taken away, a portion from the prophets (Haftarah) will be chanted. The Haftarah is usually related by idea or theme to that which was read in the Torah. Rabbi Kaplan will then present the d'var torah, a short speech explaining the meaning of and the lessons to be learned from the week's portion. After this the Torah will be carried through the congregation again before being returned to the Ark. This will mark the end of the Torah service.

Musaf, the concluding service, will begin after Rabbi Kaplan's sermon. This brief service marks the special nature of the day and recalls the additional sacrifices our ancestors brought to the Temple in Jerusalem on Shabbat and holidays. The prayers for this part of the service are found in the small blue prayer book from pages 374 through 411.

Kiddush please join us for a small reception downstairs in the Temple Vestry following the service.

Some Words of Explanation about the Bar Mitzvah by Jane Feinstein

---

Bar mitzvah means that a thirteen-year-old Jewish boy is old enough to perform mitzvot, the commandments and obligations of Jewish life. It is a symbolic way to usher a child into the adult Jewish community, and as such, is one of the most venerable and potent Jewish symbols and rituals.

The bar mitzvah ceremony occurs during the regular Shabbat (Sabbath) morning worship service. The service is divided into three major sections: Shacharit, the morning service; the Torah service; and Musaf, the additional service. Collectively these sections put forth a message of hope - hope for freedom, hope for peace, hope that all our words will end on joyful notes, hope for universal redemption. Ross will daven, or lead the congregation in, the Shacharit and Musaf prayers. However, his greatest role will be during the Torah service.

The Torah, the Five Books of Moses, symbolizes the moment when God met the Jewish people at Sinai and made a covenant with them. It reminds us of God's revelation and of God's intervention in human history. The Torah also symbolizes all that the Jewish people hold sacred: stories, laws, histories, poetry. When a Jewish boy becomes bar mitzvah, he publicly reads a section from the Torah. Each week, every Jewish congregation in the world reads the identical passage. In this way, the boy is enveloped in his heritage and linked to the entire Jewish people, past and present, regardless of where he happens to live. The bar mitzvah boy also reads a haftarah, which is a selection from the prophetic writings (e.g. Isaiah, Amos or Hosea) or from historical books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel or Kings. The haftarah is always connected in some way to the Torah portion.

Bar mitzvah has its parallels in Christianity, the closest being confirmation, which acknowledges a mature entry into the rites and the embrace of the church. Just as confirmation ratifies the baptismal vows made for the child in infancy, so too does bar mitzvah acknowledge the pledge that the parents made when their child was an infant that their child would study Torah.

The bar mitzvah service begins at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at about 11:45. That is a very long time to sit in synagogue! It is not necessary for you to arrive at precisely 9:00. Come whenever you wish. The congregation will daven Shacharit from 9:00 to about 9:45. The Torah service will begin at about 9:45, so you probably will want to be in your seats by then. When you arrive, please enter the sanctuary even though the service is in progress. This is perfectly normal -- the service doesn't stop specifically to allow people to enter. Men and boys, please cover your head with a yarmulke before entering the sanctuary. You will find yarmulkes on a table outside the center door to the sanctuary. Upon the conclusion of the service is the kiddush, a buffet luncheon reception, in the lower level of the synagogue.