Kehillat (Participatory) Shabbat: A Shabbat Morning Experience

It’s a Shabbat morning and the sounds of a guitar and singing seep out from the Bet Am. Inside the small sanctuary at Temple Sinai, people are wearing jeans and khakis.

The chairs are arranged in a semi-circle. There’s lots of music, led by Robyn Helzner, Temple Sinai’s cantorial soloist. Welcome to Kehillat Shabbat at Temple Sinai!

“Kehillah” means community in Hebrew; “kehillat,” of the community. This Kehillat Shabbat, Shabbat of the community, service has been ongoing for the past seven years. (Until a few months ago, it was called the “lay-led” service. The name was changed to better reflect the experience.)

Kehillat Shabbat is celebrated the first Shabbat morning of every month in the Bet Am, starting at 10:30 a.m. It’s very informal in dress and style. And unlike many Temple Sinai activities, this service is not aimed at any particular demographic and draws from all ages. It’s for everyone in the Temple family.

Can’t make the Friday night service? Prefer a more intimate Shabbat morning experience?  Want to raise the Torah or open the Ark?  “Kehillat Shabbat is a wonderful way to re-capture Shabbat morning as a time for joyful worship, become comfortable with the liturgy and learn about Shabbat by just showing up,’’ Helzner said. 

Temple Sinai member Tom Plotz is one of the co-founders of the service. “We wanted to create a Shabbat morning service where everyone in Temple Sinai would feel comfortable,” Plotz said. “The idea was to be welcoming and have everyone participate.”

For people with some Hebrew, Kehillat Shabbat offers an opportunity to read Torah or Haftarah. To help prepare, Helzner provides a "practice" CD where she chants the Torah or Haftarah portion.

It’s also a chance to deliver, without fanfare or peer pressure, a d’var Torah, an analysis of the parashah, the weekly Torah portion, or just be part of the discussion. There is no intimidation factor – no bimah stage fright – because of the informality of the gathering. For families entering the pre-bar or bat mitzvah years, Kehillat Shabbat, with its mix of English and Hebrew, is a way to learn more about the service in a very non-threatening atmosphere.

In addition to her music, at Kehillat Shabbat, Helzner is a source of information about Jewish practices and ritual. Plotz keeps the list of people volunteering to read Torah and Haftarah, and preparing d'vrei Torah. Most important, Plotz maintains the Kehillat Shabbat e-mail list.  Said Helzner, “the idea has always been to be friendly and welcoming to people of all generations.”

To get a monthly reminder – or to ask questions, e-mail tom@plotz.com or robyn@helzner.com, or check the Temple Sinai website at templesinaidc.org/worship/shabbat.

Simchat (Family) Shabbat Service at Temple Sinai

Kids and adults alike crowd round a table to scrutinize the Torah scroll for themselves. They learn about Shabbat prayer through sign language and songs accompanied by acoustic guitar. They read stories out loud. Afterward, friends swap news over a potluck oneg with challah and other treats.

 Photo Taken after Service (Click to enlarge) 

This is the Saturday scene once a month in the Bet Am sanctuary of Temple Sinai. Participants sing, read, dance, pray and learn in a spirited morning service called Simchat Shabbat. Led by cantorial soloist Robyn Helzner, Simchat Shabbat offers plenty of formal liturgy in an intimate and relaxed setting geared toward all ages. “The aim is heavy on participation,” Helzner said. “We find different ways to enhance learning and the celebration of prayers. It’s perfect for Temple members who usually don't have a Shabbat morning experience.”

The service from 10 to 11 a.m., usually on the third Saturday of the month, draws dozens of congregants. It has become an established and growing focal point of the Temple community for many families since its launch more than two years ago, complementing the monthly Friday night Tot Shabbat and Shalom Shabbat. Children who attend the service include infants, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary school students and even some who are older. In the coming year, the service aims to deepen its ties with religious school students through activities geared toward fourth-graders and others.

The typical service opens with a song to welcome Shabbat and a review of the Torah portion that will be read. Using the text “Gates of Prayer for Young People,” the service alternates between Hebrew and English. It also incorporates a good deal of sign language in song. It includes the Barchu, the Sh’ma, the V’ahavta, the Amidah, the Aleinu, the Kaddish and other prayers in a comprehensive, energetic format.

As Helzner said: “We rock out with shakers during our singing of Yism’chu, which reminds us to rejoice on the Sabbath. This leads into our prayer for peace, Sim Shalom. After a silent prayer, we conclude with Oseh Shalom, our singing and dancing prayer for peace.”

The Torah reading is a centerpiece of the service. Children help by opening the ark. A parent or other volunteer then carries the Torah in a parade and lays it on a table for all to see. Kids inspect the Torah at eye level as a volunteer reader chants the day’s portion – a minimum of three lines. These volunteer readers get help in advance from Helzner if needed, including a “practice” CD. “I call it getting up close and personal with the Torah,” Helzner said. “Where else can you stand around and be that close to the text?”

Among other highlights for children, those who have birthdays that month are called up to the Bimah for acknowledgment and blessing. Near the conclusion of the service, a parent or a child will read a storybook chosen for seasonal or holiday significance. And there’s always the lure of food. No oneg goes by without a platter of cookies, fruits, rugalach or other treats for the youngsters.

For more on Simchat Shabbat, e-mail Robyn Helzner, call the Temple (202-363-6394) or visit the Shabbat page.

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