Saturday Morning Services

On Shabbat | Shabbat Speakers
Torah Readers | Role of the Cantor
From USCJ:  Shabbat…A Gift to Yourself

Minyan Katan (Little Minyan)
Join us twice a month for this 10:30 a.m. service geared towards children ages 0-5 and their families (dates).  (We love grandparents, too).  We join together in prayer, song, and dance, often accompanied by a guitar.  We then enjoy challah and grape juice while we shmooze and play.

Family Minyan
The Family Minyan meets once a month from 11 a.m. to noon (dates).  Everyone is welcome, and the service is geared towards kindergarten through 6th grade students and their families.  Under the guidance of congregant Rhea Basa, children lead major parts of the service, including the Torah reading and discussion.  We eagerly welcome parents, grandparents, and friends to come and pray with us.

Rabbi Ralph Simon Sanctuary Service
A traditional, egalitarian service with a full, member-led Torah Service.  Rabbi Gertel educates us through sermons or invited guest speakers.  This year our prayers will be led by both congregants and professionally trained prayer leaders as we immerse ourselves in being a Congregation of Learners on Shabbat.
The theme of the windows in the sanctuary, "God, the Torah, and Israel are One," is imaginatively illustrated in rich color and design by the artist Adolfas Valeska.  Of Lithuanian origin, Mr. Valeska combined the Jewish folk traditions of that country with free, mid-20th-century expression.  The materials used are most unusual.  Instead of conventional stained glass and lead, the window is constructed of heavy slab-glass and concrete.  The surfaces are hand-chipped and chiselled, giving a vibrant quality and multiple color nuances to the design.  The windows, dedicated to the memory of Abe H. Lenski, were originally installed one on each side of the ark in the Lanski Chapel in our previous building.

Shabbat Z'mirot
Join us for some spirited singing after Shabbat services with Cantor Rachel Rosenberg.  All ages are invited to come together for "Singing in the Sukkah" on October 15 and then about once a month to learn new songs and sing traditional favorites to add joy to our Shabbat community experience:  October 29, November 5, December 3, January 7, February 4 (Yom Limmud, the Sabbath of Songs), March 3, May 5, and June 2.

Dorshei Chochmah
Dorshei Chochmah is a new community devoted to prayer and Jewish learning.  The group meets one Saturday a month during the academic year for Shabbat morning services and a text study session, followed by a Kiddush lunch.

Reading Torah and Haftarah
Rodfei Zedek has a fine tradition of Torah-reading by members of the congregation.  We read on the anniversary of b’nai mitzvah, for a yahrzeit, at a family simcha, or whenever!  It’s a service to the congregation, and it deepens our own insight into Torah.  To sign up to read, contact the coordinator of Torah readers through the CRZ office.  If you’d like to learn trope for Haftarah or Torah, contact the CRZ office.

Honors
Are you observing a yahrzeit?  Celebrating a special event?  Bringing a guest you wish to honor?  Please let the office know during the week or greet the gabbai early in the Shabbat morning service, and the gabbai will try to accommodate you.

Kiddush
Whichever service you attend, everyone comes together for cake, wine, and fruit at Kiddush.  When there are guest speakers, we enjoy a meal together and hear the speakers after lunch.

The Mitzvah of Hospitality
Hosting a Kiddush on Shabbat morning is a lovely way to celebrate both Shabbat and a special event in your life, be it a birthday, a wedding anniversary, the anniversary of your Bar or Bat Mitzvah—or whatever it is that strikes your fancy.  Kiddush can be simple or elaborate, depending on your taste.  Please call the office to select a Shabbat or Yom Tov for hosting a Kiddush.

Childcare
We are experimenting with offering childcare during Shabbat mornings so that parents may experience a few moments of unencumbered worship after Minyan Katan.