I looked forward to attending Shabbat and learning more about it not only out of curiosity, but also I wanted to become more knowledgeable about the Judaism way of worship. I had previously done some studies about it but then wanted to have a real experience with it and how Jews worship. I then decided that one day; I needed to attend a Shabbat so as to get a firsthand experience with Judaism and their worship. Shabbat, is the Sabbath day of all Jews that is celebrated every seventh day of the week (Wertheimer 48). All Jews commemorate it by observing a total rest from their routines and weekly activities. It is supposed to start from Friday at sundown and last through Saturday at sundown. It is believed that this routine worship emanates from the Hebrew bible. During the Shabbat, they worship through prayer, songs and study of the bible. I decided to visit a Synagogue and get to experience how their services are conducted, and also to know what Judaism entails. This paper will give a sneak preview of the Shabbat and a clear elaboration of answers received from a member who was attending the service.
First of all, before the actual service in the synagogue, the Judaism starts observing the day from Friday evening. They welcome the Shabbat by letting men and boys visit the synagogue for prayers. It is there, that after the service that a rabbi takes a cup of wine and goes on to recite Kiddush, a prayer that sanctifies the worshipers in preparation for the Shabbat. Then it is followed by the Yigdal, a hymn consisting of the thirteen beliefs of Judaism (Hyman 160). Then the men and boys will leave the synagogue and join the rest of the family at home. In the meantime back at home, the women will light two candles, and they represent the two commandments Zachor (remember) and Shamor (observe). At the evening meal the man of the house is expected to say a blessing for his children aside from more sanctification prayers (Miller 14). These are the activities, or rather rituals that they observe on a Friday evening in order to welcome the Shabbat.
Now on that Shabbat morning, I observed that the service begins at about 9: 00 am. Adult men are seen putting on their Yamaka (small round cap) and Tallit (prayer shawl) in preparation for the service. “These are symbols of sanctification and they mean that the worshiper is ready to be in touch with God” Rabbi Miller informed me. It is at this point when the Shacharit service (Morning Prayer) begins. The rabbi takes out the Torah from the ark and a few selections are read out aloud to the congregants. After that reading, the faithfuls go on to recite the Hoftorah. These are selections that are gotten from the books of the prophets (Hyman 109). I am then made to understand, by the religious leader that I interviewed later on, that “those are readings that Jews used during a time period when the Torah was forbidden”. Even after they were allowed to read the Torah, they could not stop reading the Hoftorah because they believe it is as important as the Torah.
After the Hoftora readings and recitations, a prayer known as Ashrei was offered and this led to the returning of the Torah into the ark. As a sign of respect for the Torah, everyone present stood up as a sign of respect for the Torah. The rabbi who was on duty that day, then took the podium to offer the sermon of the day. Much of the sermon was related to the Torah readings that had been read earlier on. The rabbi went on to encourage everyone present to keep Judaism and even teach others about it. Everyone present was keenly listening and silently following while others continuously nod their heads as if in agreement. The sermon did not last very long and in no time, I realized that we had finished with that part of worship. A service called Musaf was conducted after the sermon was over. At that time there was a recitation of the ancestral paragraph and a repetition of the liturgy after which everyone was at liberty to leave. They wished each other a Good Shabbos.
During the service, I noticed a number of movements which I was curious to ask after the first parts of the Shabbat were over. I noticed that there were various responses to prayer. For instance, there were various recitations that were made by one person and others joined in unison. There were several congregational responses scattered here and there in the Kaddish prayer. The congregation repeatedly said ‘Amen’ after one member finished reciting the prayer. There were also numerous times when the congregants stood up. For instance, when the ark was opened the congregants stood up. Also, when the Torah was being passed around they also stood up. Later on when I inquired why that was the case, Rabbi Miller said “that is a sign of respect to the Torah and also to God”.
There was a different routine of bowing that I saw that is different from the normal bowing, they first bend the knees, then bend forward while straightening the knees at the same time and then stand up. This procedure is repeated severally during the service for instance, when the Torah was being read and also when a person was reciting a blessing over the Torah. Those who were seated during this time just bowed their heads. There was also the kissing of the Torah that I witnessed. One person carried the Torah and then went round with it before and after it was read. The rest of the members just touched it with their hands. After it was read, the reader held it into the air while it was facing the congregation, then the rabbi kissed it while those who were near reached out their hands, touched it and then kissed their hands as a symbol of kissing the Torah.
The morning service ended at approximately 2:00 pm. I sought my lead rabbi Miller to make me understand, and he told me that “the Shabbat did not end after the Musaf, another service is coming up in the afternoon. I waited to see what it entailed. The boys and men arrived after having their lunch time meal. They sit to listen to the afternoon payers. They then went on to study the Torah and Talmund. The service this time was rather short and was concluded before sundown. The women and girls on the other hand went on to relax and join social groups of interaction. That is the time they had to great each other and their neighbors too. Some formed study groups in their neighbor’s houses to share their teachings. Perhaps they were doing as they were taught in the morning service, to share their religion with others, or so I thought. Their neighbors take turns to host them and share with them their teachings.
The Shabbat does not end with the culmination of the events of worship in the course of the day but extended to their homes on Saturday evening. When the stars start to appear, it marks the end of the Shabbat. They gathered in a prayer that is commonly referred to as the weekday service. The rabbi went on to say the separation prayer, and it was meant to mark the end of the Shabbat. The rabbi said a special prayer for a cup of wine and another for spices that had been presented earlier in the day. A third prayer was again said over a lit candle. I noticed that the candle was not the normal type found in shops but a plaited one. Upon inquiring why they used spices for that prayer, and a plaited candle, Rabbi Miller said “the spices served as a reminder of the sweetness and richness of the Shabbat, and the candle is a representation of the fire that God created in the bible”. They went on to sniff the spices, because they believe that spices sustain their lives and souls throughout the week until the next Shabbat. Then Rabbi Miller invited me to his home for the evening, he told me “after the day’s activities are done, visitors are invited to various homes to share the evening meal”. It is while there that I learned that the meal is highly respected because this the other time, since Friday evening when the family will sit down at table and talk. Later on, the mothers and wives tidy up their houses to mark the end of the Shabbat. The day was over and I realized that now I knew so much about Judaism. It was time to bid Rabbi Miller goodbye and the rest of the family members with whom I had shared the evening and off I went home happy and satisfied
Works Cited
Wertheimer, Jack. The American Synagogue: A Sanctuary Transformed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print
Hyman, Frieda, Clark. The Pharisees: Preserves of Judaism. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing 2001, Print
Miller, Yvette, Alt. Angels at the Table: A Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat. New York: Continuum Publishing, 2011, Print
