TO OUR FRIENDS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE BAR MITZVAH
Bar Mitzvah is an expression that means “subject to the
commandments,” meaning that an individual is old enough to take personal
responsibility for fulfilling and celebrating the laws of the Torah. This traditionally
occurs in his 13th year. By reading from the Torah, saying the blessing for the
reading, and by helping to lead the service, the Bar Mitzvah will show he has
acquired the knowledge and skill to accept this responsibility and its privileges.
Becoming a Bar Mitzvah is not itself a religious service. That is, the
Sabbath services are not being conducted because of the Bar Mitzvah. The
reverse is true: The boy marks the fact that he is a Bar Mitzvah by participating in
the Sabbath service. If no one was celebrating a Bar Mitzvah, the services would
still be conducted and the portions read by the boy would be read by another
adult member of the congregation.
The Sabbath service at Congregation Tifereth Israel is a traditional
service conducted almost entirely in Hebrew, the Jewish language of prayer. The
form and structure of the service are 1,800 to 2,000 years old, with some
sections dating back 2,500 years. For example, the "Musaf" service dates almost
to the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and was written
to replace the sacrificial ceremony in the temple. (It is interesting to note that the
synagogue itself, as an institution, dates to that event, when the Jews were
exiled to Babylonia (now Iraq) and established houses of worship there.)
The Torah Service is the central part of the morning, and marks the
reading of the weekly portion of the Torah scrolls. The Torah contains the entire
text of the five books of Moses, hand written in Hebrew characters on parchment
and unchanged for thousands of years. On the Sabbath, the Torah reading is
divided into seven or more parts. When each part is read, a person is honored
by being called to recite a blessing before and after the reading. The Bar Mitavah
Boyl will read the final portion and chant an additional reading, called a Haftarah,
from the book of the Prophets. He will also conduct the final portion of the
service.
As Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin notes in his book, “Putting God on the Guest
List”, the Bar Mitzvah is a confirmation of character development. We do not just
want to teach our Bar Mitzvah students how to say a blessing and lead a service.
We want to teach them to "be a blessing." We want them to carry goodness and
a sense of fairness with them in their lives. As a young man becomes a Bar
Mitzvah, he participates in a tradition that began over 3,500 years ago. We hope
you will be able to join us for this very special celebration.
Tifereth Israel conducts an egalatarin service, with men and women
participating equally. All men entering the synagogue are requested to wear a
Kippah (skull cap) as a sign of respect for God. These are provided at the
synagogue. Jewish men also wear a Tallit (prayer shawl). These are not worn
by childern or by non-Jewish guests. The Sabbath service begins at 9am,
however, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU ARRIVE NO LATER
THAN 9:45am TO SEE THE BEGINNING OF THE TORAH
SERVICE.
ABOUT JUDIASM
From its beginning 6,000 years ago, Judaism has always had a
belief in a Supreme Being, and that people can communicate with it
through prayer and worship. The God Jews believe created the world is
also concerned with how people conduct themselves today.
Through the Torah, God has conveyed his will to humanity. The
Torah is the holiest object of the Jewish people. Each Torah scroll is
made of sheepskin (parchment) with handwritten Hebrew calligraphy,
and contains the first five books in the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers and Deuteronomy. Overall, Torah refers to all Jewish
teachings.
The Torah conveys in detail how people are to conduct their
lives, and it places heavy demands on Jews to uphold God’s will and
teachings through their actions. The entire Torah is read over the
course of each year.
There are many rules regarding how the Torah is transcribed,
including the length of lines, lines per column, and columns per sheet. It
takes about one year for an experienced scribe to create a new Torah.
If even the smallest mistake is made on a page, the page must be stored
until it is buried in a Jewish cemetary. Every Torah scroll is letter for
letter identical to all others. Reading a Torah scroll is quite a challenge;
it has no vowels, punctuation, or notes to guide the reader.
ABOUT SHABBAT
Shabbat, or Sabbath, is the period from sundown on Friday
evening, until sundown on Saturday night when “at least 3 stars are
visible in the sky”. In distinct contrast to the rest of the week, it is a time
of rest, joy, prayer, and study. Shabbat is an assurance that the spirit is
greater than the universe – that beyond the good is the holy.
The universe was created in six days, but the climax of creation
was the seventh day. Things that come into being in the six days are
good, but the seventh day is holy and we are commanded to observe it
and to keep it holy. By sanctifying this day, we are reminded of the acts
that surpass, enhance and redeem history.
Shabbat is holiness in time. On Shabbat, we detach ourselves
from creating or performing work. Therefore, we refrain from
writing, taking photos and using cell phones. Please refrain
from any applause, talking unnecessarily, or moving about
during periods of standing prayer. No smoking is allowed in
the synagogue on on its grounds during Shabbat. Please do
not bring presents to the Shabbat service.
WHAT IS AROUND YOU
The “Bimah” is the raised platform in the front of the sanctuary.
The podium in the center is large so that the Torah can be placed on it
and unrolled for reading. Directly behind the podium is the Holy Ark that
contains our Torah scrolls. We have a number of Torah scrolls that
have been acquired over the existence of our congregation. Above the
ark is a light, the Ner Tamid, or Eternal Lamp. It recalls again the
ancient wilderness sanctuary, and in our day is a reminder of the never-
ending failth of the Jewish people in the eternal presence of God. The
Jewish men who are age 13 and older wear a tallit, or prayer shawl. In
our synagogue, which is egalatarian, some women wear tallit as well. A
tallit is worn only during services. The finges on the four corners of the
tallit, or tzitzit, are holy reminders to observe the teachings of the Torah.
The four tzitzit also symbolize the four corners of the world, reminding us
that God is present everywhere, no matter in which direction we travel.
ABOUT THE SERVICE
Most of the text in the prayer book, or siddur, is in both English
and Hebrew. Much of the text is drawn from the Scriptures, the Talmud,
and other classic sources. The rest of the liturgy includes devotional
prayers, Sabbath songs and religious poetry. The service is designed to
be a learning and studying process for participants.
There are two books that are used in the service. The smaller
book Siddur Sim Shalom (handed to you when you enter the sanctuary)
is a compilation of prayers, poetry, song and meditation. The larger
book, Eytz Haim (Tree of Life), is the Humash. This contains the Torah
readings from the 5 Books of Moses, and the Haftarah readings from the
Prophets. These books should not be placed on the floor out of
respect for their holy content.
PRELIMINARY SERVICE
In the preliminary service which begins at 9:00am, we thank God
for the ability to come and worship. It is the preparation for prayer much
as an athlete or musician prepares for an event or performance. Many
of these prayers are said daily and are not unique to the Sabbath.
SHACHARIT
This is the main morning service that contains the Bar’chu, which
is the official call to worship. The Shema is the affirmation for the Jewish
belief in the oneness of God. The Amidah is a collection of blessings
recited in silent meditation, then repeated by a reader from the Bimah.
This part of the service ends with a prayer for peace for the Jewish
people and the whole world. Note that when we speak of Israel or the
Children of Israel, we are referring to the children of Jacob (Israel) who
make up the Jewish people. This portion of the service concludes
around 9:45am.
TORAH SERVICE
The highlight and centerpiece of the Shabbat service is the
reading fo the Torah. It begins with the ceremony of removing the Torah
from the Ark. The Torah symbolizes the moment when God met the
Jewish people and made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. It
represents all that the Jewish people hold sacred. During this part of the
service, the Torah is lifted up and brought to the congregation, signifying
its accessibility to all. The public reading and studying of Torah is the
central focus of the 2500 year old ritual.
Before each torah portion is read, a member of the congregation
is called up to the Bimah for an Aliyah. It is a great honor to have an
Aliyah and to be able to bless the Torah before and after a portion is
read. The portion read today will be read every year on this date in the
Jewish calendar, and will be read at all synagogues around the world
today as well. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the last person to be called to
the Torah for the final Alyiah known as Maftir, though he or she may
read additional portions from the Torah as well.
Once the Torah is read, it is held up for all to see, then it is
moved to the side of the Bimah and dressed with its cover and
ornaments. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah then chants the Haftarah portion.
This reading usually contains a parallel incident to the Torah reading or a
commentary on the concept contained in the Torah portion.
MUSAF AND CONCLUDING SERVICE
The Torah commands us that Shabbat requires an additional
sacrifice at the altar of the Temple. To replace this practice after the
Temple was destroyed, this additional part of the service (Musaf) was
added. It contains a repeat of the Amidah prayers. This leads to the
concluding hymns and prayers. The Aleinu is a plea that the world
ultimately will recognize that there is only one God. The Kaddish is a
prayer that is said several times during the service. It is an affirmation of
faith and reaffirms the sancitity of life and the glory of God. At the end of
the service, members of the congregation who are mourning the loss of
a relative will stand and recite it (mourner’s Kaddish). The names of
those that have died in the past during this week in the Jewish calendar
are read by the Rabbi.
The service concludes with a blessing over the wine and the
bread. Though not part of the liturgy, these pre-meal blessings are
recited here and now so we can commence the celebratory meal in the
social hall after the service. All are invited to join the congregation in this
meal.