cellio | organized worship

I was recently appointed the chair of the worship committee at my synagogue. This is really the rabbi's committee in many ways, because any decision about what happens on the bimah is ultimately his, but the rest of us act as advisors, a sounding-board, a source of proposals, and implementation gophers. Next week the rabbi and I have a meeting to brainstorm about the broad agenda for the next two years.

There are several small matters that I would like us to change in how we conduct services, and I finally realized that they have a unifying theme.

But first, back to basics: why do we have worship services? Seriously: why do Jews, and specifically Reform Jews at this particular congregation, gather for worship? We could all just pray at home, following the fixed liturgy (or not), so what's the benefit of services?

Our traditional friends (along with individuals in our congregation, ahem) believe that certain prayers must be said in group of ten or more adults. They're in the siddur, but you omit them if you're praying alone. But, while many of us agree with that interpretation, as far as I know the Reform movement hasn't institutionally asserted this requirement. So that alone can't be the reason.

One could argue (and again, tradition does) that by praying at fixed times and in fixed places we accomplish more. We'll be less likely to skip it some night when we really don't feel like it, and we'll achieve better concentration and kavanah by having time and space set aside for this specific purpose. Again, many of us believe this, but one can make the argument that he sets aside a fixed place in his home and a fixed time in his calendar, and thus he doesn't need the rest of us.

No, the reason we hold services is to provide community as a goal unto itself. Those who do come regularly get the benefit of the fixed time and place. Those who care about the halacha of certain prayers (and who want to say those prayers) are satisfied. But even if we didn't have those concerns, I think people fundamentally want to be with other people, especially in their religious lives, and having regular services supports that.

I don't think there's anything surprising in what I've just written. Now, what are the implications?

I realized that all of the issues I want to discuss can be cast as community-building. Specifically:

I want to restructure Friday-night b'nei mitzvah so that they are more like our conventional Friday services. They need to be less about the family and more about the congregation.
I want to integrate the grade-school children into regular services instead of having special services (e.g. the 4th-grade service). I think it's important that they be part of more than one service per year, and right now those services, like b'nei mitzvah services, are different in a way that drives some of the community away.
I want to give congregants -- members of the community -- more opportunities to participate in services, thus becoming stakeholders. Specifically, I want congregants with the skills to serve as substitutes when the cantor isn't available. (But, also, I'm thinking of adult Torah readers here. We've talked about that but never done anything organized about it.)

Our regular Shabbat-morning service has a strong sense of community. Our Friday-night service has a bunch of regular attendees, with much variation week to week. I think we can do better with the Friday service, which to most people is the congregation's regular weekly service (singular). (The morning group is small but dedicated.)

I'm hoping that, by taking small steps over time, I can actually nudge things in the direction I want them to go. I'll have a better idea after our meeting.

Monica

organized worship

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