Workshop #2
Making the Journey from the Gates to the Mishkan
w/ Cantor Chanin Becker-Rosin of Scarsdale Synagogue-Tremont Temple in Scarsdale, NY; Rabbi Edwin Goldberg of Temple Judea in Coral Gables, FL; Diana S. Herman of Temple Emanu-El in Edison, NJ; and Rabbi Sheryl Nosan-Blank of Temple Or Rishon in Orangevale, CA
I was quite eager to attend this workshop as I was recently added to the Ritual Committee at my temple and one of the major things we will be undertaking in coming months is an evaluation of Mishkan T'filah.
So, from my notes:
• it's an opportunity to look at the larger worship picture
• how do you address the differences?
• how do you introduce it appropriately?
• it is important to recognize that we all come w/ our own framework
• do you transition or just jump in and use it?
• offer different opportunities for groups to look at the pages, think and talk through the different options during the service--->get them into the siddur, the prayers, and the thinking
• introduce through chavruta study
• remind people that prayer is about an approach to God, not the book itself
• use familiar melodies to keep people feeling comfortable*
• use niggunim to connect texts
• start out with the linear service option and move to the choices as people become more comfortable with the book
*The example they used was for the morning blessing for the soul (Elohai n'shama....); the cantor (who, by the way, had one of the most striking and rich voices I've ever heard) sang the familiar melody as we either read through the English translation together, then sang along with her, then read the two alternate english readings.
One of the major points brought up is that congregations should probably transition gradually; don't just jump into the new siddur so that you alienate people, but don't resist it just because it is new. I hadn't realized that there were 2 linear services available (Shabbat evening and morning), so I think that will definitely help; the spread format can be difficult to get used to, but after using Mishkan for a number or services at the Biennial I felt quite comfortable with the format. The moderators brought up the point that people will know to turn the page or that the prayer is done because of the final line of Hebrew that comes up (even on the English sections), though I forget the term they used for it.
Someone in the audience asked the question of what do we do with our old siddurim. One of the suggestions was to donate them to a congregation that cannot afford siddurim at all (such as congregations in poor cities/towns/countries, new congregations, etc.). Another suggestion was to contact the families or individuals who purchased a book (or books) and see if they would like them (and also see if they would like to donate to the fund for the new book).
I heard some mumblings from people about how they assumed we'd be getting more concrete ideas about the actual transition, but I thought the dialogue was fairly helpful. And to be honest, I don't think enough congregations have begun using it to have a truly concrete method that will work, in addition to the fact that each congregation is unique.
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After the workshop I sat and chatted with a new acquaintance from Tennessee whose wife is a first-year student at HUC; I hope to keep in touch with them because he had a lot of interesting things to say, both about Mishkan and Reform practice in general.
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Friday evening was, of course, Shabbat services at what SRK referred to as "Beit Jumbo-tron." Coming from a congregation of approx. 250 families, I'm not used to ever being at services with more than 500 people (and that's just HHD), so 5000 people was fairly overwhelming. The 4 of use from my temple just followed SRK like little ducklings through the aisles, trying to stay together, finally getting 5 seats together at the end of two rows.
So, the service itself... it was okay. Everyone told me before I left for the Biennial that Shabbat services would just be so powerful and that "hearing 5000 Jews all saying the Shema at the same time will just take your breath away." And yes, it was pretty cool to be praying with a ton of people who truly wanted to be there and weren't there out of some feeling of obligation. But, truth be told, I attend a small temple for a reason. The intimacy of know most, if not all, of the people around me is much more powerful for me than a large hall of people. But, for the most part I thought it was a decent service. The Sh'lichei Tzibur (service leaders) were pretty decent (Rabbi Donald M. Goor of Temple Judea in Tarzana, CA and Cantor John M. Kaplan of Temple Israel in Memphis, TN) and the music was okay. The feel of it was just... off. I think a lot of it has to do with the large screens, which I totally understand the need for since the room was o large and no seats were raised up; for people who need connect visually to the service leader, the screens are a necessity. That said, people should probably learn how to behave with them a little better for services. Anytime people would see themselves on the screen (if the cameras panned out over the congregation) they would point and wave and generally act like they were on the jumbo-tron at the ballgame.
I'll have more comments about actual worship styles with the Shabbat morning post.
Go here for an interesting article about the mega-church feel of Shabbat at the Biennial (and of Reform practice in general). For some good discussion of this article, go here.
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After services we went to the regional Shabbat dinner; I was a little annoyed because when signing up for the dinner you are asked for food allergies. I have an allergy to most orange foods (it's odd and I don't know really anyone else who has it), probably because of the beta-carotene, but whatever it is I can't eat things like carrots and pumpkin and sweet potatoes. So, I put those allergies down (listing very specific foods, not just "no orange food") and my meal ticket said "Chicken-S," the "s" standing for special. First off, I had to pick the shredded carrots out of my salad. I usually don't like to do this since I seem to always miss some, but I wasn't going to complain because seating wasn't assigned. However, when they were bringing food out they forgot that I needed a special plate and I was given one with a ton of cooked carrots mixed in with the other veggies. I pointed out to my server that my "special" was b/c of an allergy to carrots. So, they took the plate away and then took 20 minutes to bring me a new one, during which time everyone else at my table finished their meals and SRK decided to move things along a bit with the servers; they claimed they need to go all the way back to the kitchen for it, which is why it took so long. However, when they did bring me something, it was the exact same meal, with about 3 fewer carrots. I just didn't eat any vegetables that night because I had a feeling if I didn't take that plate I'd get to eat dinner as everyone else began benching.
My frustration is on 2 levels here: if you are going to ask about food allergies you should actually use the information. Secondly, my food allergy, while not so severe that I was going to have my airway close up just by being in the presence of a carrot, is still an allergy that makes me quite uncomfortable but was obviously not taken seriously by those in charge of the food. Had my allergy been to nuts I can assure you that I would not have received a plate in the first place with the allergy-causing substance on it, and certainly not if I had pointed it out. I have a feeling they were just assuming that I didn't like carrots (which isn't true; I love carrots and hate the fact that I can't eat them).
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After dinner was the Shabbat Song Session, which was pretty awesome. Lots of great singing and lots of energy. Then we headed up to hear the Michelle Citrin and the Josh Nelson Project, both of who were amazing. I highly recommend checking out their music.
Then it was back to the hotel and collapsing into bed.
Showing posts with label mishkan t'filah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mishkan t'filah. Show all posts
12.26.2007
Biennial, Day 2 (content observations)
I began my 2nd day in San Diego at Shiru L'Adonai, a service in song. It was lead by Rabbi Ethan Franzel from Main Line Reform Temple Beth Elohim in Wynnewood, PA, and Cantor Kay Greenwald from Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos, CA. It was a spectacular way to begin my day and is one of the most moving services I have ever participated in. There is something about singing that makes me feel so much more connected to God, to my spirituality, and to the people around me. It was truly excellent and invigorating. I felt so much better about going into the day and into the workshops than I had on Wednesday. It helped that I got some sleep (and oh, the beds in the hotel were great) and just felt much more human than I had the day before.
Some general observations:
• I can apparently catch onto melodies fairly fast when hearing them for the first time.
• The ratio of tallit- and kippot-wearers is much higher to non-wearers than I have ever seen outside a Conservative or Traditional shul.
• I really enjoyed using Mishkan T'Filah (more on this later), despite some previous troubles with the draft copies in other congregations I've visited.
• I was sitting with a rabbinic student I know and during Hakafa I did not move towards the aisles to kiss the Torah and declined the offer of her tzitzit saying that "I'm a student of SRK's," though it does go deeper than that (also more on this later). She thought that was amusing.
• I seem to be in the minority of people at the Biennial who does not bow during Barechu or the Amidah; I bow only during Aleinu when it literally says "we bow."
• I'm getting used to hearing Torah chanted, though I still like the read-and-translate tradition of my own congregation.
I cannot overstate the positive nature of the service and how much I loved beginning my day that way. As I was putting away my tallit, I turned to the rabbinic student next to me and said "this is why it would be great to have a daily Reform minyan in my city." I really would love to get one going, somehow.
After services I was meeting the 3 women from my congregation who were attending the WRJ part of the Biennial. We sat and listened to Rabbi Daniel Freelander and MK Menachem Ben-Sasson speak about Israel and its importance, which was very interesting. Then after a quick call to SRK to plan lunch, it was off to my first workshop of the day.
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Workshop #1
Reform Reforms Shabbat w/ Rabbi Deborah Bronstein from Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder, CO; Art Grand from Temple Or Rishon in Orangevale, CA; and Iris Petroff from Temple Society of Concord in Syracuse, NY.
This was a great workshop. I am very interesting in moving towards a more observant Shabbat, even if it isn't in the traditional sense of observance. We heard a lot about what each of the panelists have done to increase both their personal Shabbat observances and those of their families and/or fellow congregants.
From my notes:
• Shabbat is like entering the color section of the Wizard of Oz, but we have to know how to enter.
• Add a new ritual each year.
• There are moments in our lives when a commandment (mitzvah) suddenly addresses us.
• Find some way to make the day different.
• Finding the discipline---not seeing Shabbat as part of the list you need to put off
• Congregations helping everyone who wants to attend a Shabbat dinner does
• Dinner & Davening: have pre-Shabbat dinners (at Temple or not) that are not religious-school based
• Shabbat is about re-juvenation, re-creating, and re-connecting
• Have conversion candidates commit to keeping Shabbat in some way during the year(s) that they are studying. Helps instill a sense of connection to the day and observance that they did not grow up with, were never commanded to do before.
• Put a table cloth on the table, a sheet over the TV or desk
• Have a specific food that becomes your "taste of Shabbat."
• Cineplex?
My thoughts wandered a little bit during the session to what we can do at my congregation to get more people to attend Torah study and services on Saturday morning.
• have Torah studies led by lay people and/or groups (such as Sisterhood) more frequently
• have a "Saturday Morning Live" program where we have good music that draws people in (not just a guitarist for Tot Shabbat)
• read Torah on Friday night once a month to give people a taste of what we have on Saturday morning, a connection to the Torah that they are not getting.
I was very interested in Rabbi Yoffie's Shabbat morning sermon as much of it had to do with ways to reinvigorate Shabbat in our congregations. I hope to have some conversations with my rabbi and other members of my congregation about Shabbat and how we can make it better at our temple.
In general I felt like I had some new ideas for how I can personally begin to observe Shabbat more. As it is I attend services on Friday night and Saturday morning, but beyond that I think it is difficult for those of us who are single adults with no Jewish family as so much of Shabbat observance seems to be centered around the home and the family. So, perhaps I will need to become more creative with what is a meaningful Shabbat observance for me. Plenty to chew on, to be sure.
------------------------
After lunch I attended a forum titled What's Spirituality Got to Do With It: Ritual, Worship and Mysticism. The panelists were Rabbi Zoe Klein, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, and Rabbi Arnold J. Wolf. It was a very interesting panel that I wish I could have gotten a little more out of, but as I had a massive headache for a good portion of it, I wasn't as focused as I would have liked to be.
From my notes:
• Are we afraid of holy moments? Rabbi Klein says that rabbis are especially afraid of holy moments (making jokes, etc.).
• Is the seeking of holy moments a kabbalistic idea? Why not just a Jewish idea?
• Love=reverence for mystery
• to be in awe of what is hidden beneath the veil is to be mystified
• Why are we now so attracted to spirituality?
• spirituality is soaring above the politics and every day bits of religion
• God is found in the details (Rabbi Wolf)? Isn't God also found in significant moments? Why not both?**
• Rabbi Wolf claims that spiritual seekers don't understand the nitty gritty of everyday religion (which is what he would prefer); I don't agree with this. As someone who is a spiritual seeker and who sees the beauty of religion I feel you can be both.
**My response a few days later:
What defines a "big" or "significant" moment? If we find God in the small details, does that not elevate the moment to significance? How actively can we pursue significant encounters with God? Is it possible to try too hard? Is it possible to miss the significant moment happening even as we are looking for it? What happens when we miss too many encounters with God?
I truly believe that I find God in so many different moments that there is no way I can even be aware of each one, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that on some level I am aware and it helps me in those moments when I am truly in need of God's presence. I think that even when I am not aware, God is.
--------------
Workshop #2
Spiritual Pathways Through Nature with Rabbi Michael Comins of Torah Trek.
The notes I took were sketchy, so I don't have a lot to write below, but I enjoyed the workshop. I'm not personally very into meditation, but I do love to experience God in nature and in the beauty of natural things. I find my breath taken away sometimes when I look at a summer sky full of luscious clouds and can't help feeling that God connection.
He taught us a couple of ways that he helps people connect to their Judaism on the trails, much of it having to do with breathing and mindfulness, being aware of what is going on around you, and at that moment bringing a prayer into the mix, be it a traditional Jewish prayer, or one that is from your heart.
Rabbi Comins spoke about finding God in nature, finding a sanctuary that does not have walls, and how we are able to us Jewish prayer to feel more connected to the natural.
He spoke a lot about I-Thou receptiveness=mindfulness. In I-Thou you take in the whole and you respect and there is a moral dimension---whatever the "thou" requires is what you require of yourself.
Mystical connection:
• you feel the light of God, the energy of God in nature
• make yourself like an empty vessel so that God may fill it up
• being mindful means you are making room for God and a spiritual moment
• we are less likely to have a God-experience when we go right into the book (siddur); using music takes us back to the right side of the brain, the emotional side; better for mindfulness--we can use this by way of chanting in nature
• but can we also bring mindfulness and these techniques into the synagogue?
------------------
So, that was the main content of Day 2. I'll post more personal observations in different post, including what I did in the evening. The 2nd day was definitely a good day.
Some general observations:
• I can apparently catch onto melodies fairly fast when hearing them for the first time.
• The ratio of tallit- and kippot-wearers is much higher to non-wearers than I have ever seen outside a Conservative or Traditional shul.
• I really enjoyed using Mishkan T'Filah (more on this later), despite some previous troubles with the draft copies in other congregations I've visited.
• I was sitting with a rabbinic student I know and during Hakafa I did not move towards the aisles to kiss the Torah and declined the offer of her tzitzit saying that "I'm a student of SRK's," though it does go deeper than that (also more on this later). She thought that was amusing.
• I seem to be in the minority of people at the Biennial who does not bow during Barechu or the Amidah; I bow only during Aleinu when it literally says "we bow."
• I'm getting used to hearing Torah chanted, though I still like the read-and-translate tradition of my own congregation.
I cannot overstate the positive nature of the service and how much I loved beginning my day that way. As I was putting away my tallit, I turned to the rabbinic student next to me and said "this is why it would be great to have a daily Reform minyan in my city." I really would love to get one going, somehow.
After services I was meeting the 3 women from my congregation who were attending the WRJ part of the Biennial. We sat and listened to Rabbi Daniel Freelander and MK Menachem Ben-Sasson speak about Israel and its importance, which was very interesting. Then after a quick call to SRK to plan lunch, it was off to my first workshop of the day.
----------------------------------
Workshop #1
Reform Reforms Shabbat w/ Rabbi Deborah Bronstein from Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder, CO; Art Grand from Temple Or Rishon in Orangevale, CA; and Iris Petroff from Temple Society of Concord in Syracuse, NY.
This was a great workshop. I am very interesting in moving towards a more observant Shabbat, even if it isn't in the traditional sense of observance. We heard a lot about what each of the panelists have done to increase both their personal Shabbat observances and those of their families and/or fellow congregants.
From my notes:
• Shabbat is like entering the color section of the Wizard of Oz, but we have to know how to enter.
• Add a new ritual each year.
• There are moments in our lives when a commandment (mitzvah) suddenly addresses us.
• Find some way to make the day different.
• Finding the discipline---not seeing Shabbat as part of the list you need to put off
• Congregations helping everyone who wants to attend a Shabbat dinner does
• Dinner & Davening: have pre-Shabbat dinners (at Temple or not) that are not religious-school based
• Shabbat is about re-juvenation, re-creating, and re-connecting
• Have conversion candidates commit to keeping Shabbat in some way during the year(s) that they are studying. Helps instill a sense of connection to the day and observance that they did not grow up with, were never commanded to do before.
• Put a table cloth on the table, a sheet over the TV or desk
• Have a specific food that becomes your "taste of Shabbat."
• Cineplex?
My thoughts wandered a little bit during the session to what we can do at my congregation to get more people to attend Torah study and services on Saturday morning.
• have Torah studies led by lay people and/or groups (such as Sisterhood) more frequently
• have a "Saturday Morning Live" program where we have good music that draws people in (not just a guitarist for Tot Shabbat)
• read Torah on Friday night once a month to give people a taste of what we have on Saturday morning, a connection to the Torah that they are not getting.
I was very interested in Rabbi Yoffie's Shabbat morning sermon as much of it had to do with ways to reinvigorate Shabbat in our congregations. I hope to have some conversations with my rabbi and other members of my congregation about Shabbat and how we can make it better at our temple.
In general I felt like I had some new ideas for how I can personally begin to observe Shabbat more. As it is I attend services on Friday night and Saturday morning, but beyond that I think it is difficult for those of us who are single adults with no Jewish family as so much of Shabbat observance seems to be centered around the home and the family. So, perhaps I will need to become more creative with what is a meaningful Shabbat observance for me. Plenty to chew on, to be sure.
------------------------
After lunch I attended a forum titled What's Spirituality Got to Do With It: Ritual, Worship and Mysticism. The panelists were Rabbi Zoe Klein, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, and Rabbi Arnold J. Wolf. It was a very interesting panel that I wish I could have gotten a little more out of, but as I had a massive headache for a good portion of it, I wasn't as focused as I would have liked to be.
From my notes:
• Are we afraid of holy moments? Rabbi Klein says that rabbis are especially afraid of holy moments (making jokes, etc.).
• Is the seeking of holy moments a kabbalistic idea? Why not just a Jewish idea?
• Love=reverence for mystery
• to be in awe of what is hidden beneath the veil is to be mystified
• Why are we now so attracted to spirituality?
• spirituality is soaring above the politics and every day bits of religion
• God is found in the details (Rabbi Wolf)? Isn't God also found in significant moments? Why not both?**
• Rabbi Wolf claims that spiritual seekers don't understand the nitty gritty of everyday religion (which is what he would prefer); I don't agree with this. As someone who is a spiritual seeker and who sees the beauty of religion I feel you can be both.
**My response a few days later:
What defines a "big" or "significant" moment? If we find God in the small details, does that not elevate the moment to significance? How actively can we pursue significant encounters with God? Is it possible to try too hard? Is it possible to miss the significant moment happening even as we are looking for it? What happens when we miss too many encounters with God?
I truly believe that I find God in so many different moments that there is no way I can even be aware of each one, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that on some level I am aware and it helps me in those moments when I am truly in need of God's presence. I think that even when I am not aware, God is.
--------------
Workshop #2
Spiritual Pathways Through Nature with Rabbi Michael Comins of Torah Trek.
The notes I took were sketchy, so I don't have a lot to write below, but I enjoyed the workshop. I'm not personally very into meditation, but I do love to experience God in nature and in the beauty of natural things. I find my breath taken away sometimes when I look at a summer sky full of luscious clouds and can't help feeling that God connection.
He taught us a couple of ways that he helps people connect to their Judaism on the trails, much of it having to do with breathing and mindfulness, being aware of what is going on around you, and at that moment bringing a prayer into the mix, be it a traditional Jewish prayer, or one that is from your heart.
Rabbi Comins spoke about finding God in nature, finding a sanctuary that does not have walls, and how we are able to us Jewish prayer to feel more connected to the natural.
He spoke a lot about I-Thou receptiveness=mindfulness. In I-Thou you take in the whole and you respect and there is a moral dimension---whatever the "thou" requires is what you require of yourself.
Mystical connection:
• you feel the light of God, the energy of God in nature
• make yourself like an empty vessel so that God may fill it up
• being mindful means you are making room for God and a spiritual moment
• we are less likely to have a God-experience when we go right into the book (siddur); using music takes us back to the right side of the brain, the emotional side; better for mindfulness--we can use this by way of chanting in nature
• but can we also bring mindfulness and these techniques into the synagogue?
------------------
So, that was the main content of Day 2. I'll post more personal observations in different post, including what I did in the evening. The 2nd day was definitely a good day.
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