What can I expect?

What will Avi be doing?

Avi has been studying and practicing their part of the Saturday prayer service for over a year! At the service you will see them leading prayers in Hebrew, and you will also see various friends and family members joining them on the bimah (stage) at various times. It is considered an honour to be asked to participate in the service in these ways. Other parts of the service will be lead by Rabbi Eli. Avi will also give a short speech providing their own interpretation of this week’s Torah portion. Ilana and Jordan will then give a short speech providing their own interpretation of Avi. This part will definitely be in English!

What is inside a synagogue?

There are several ritual objects in a synagogue sanctuary that you’ll find in virtually all synagogues in the world.

For a short article and a video on these click here.

How should I act in the synagogue?

While congregants are expected to maintain decorum in the synagogue, the sanctuary (the room where services take place) is a friendly and fairly casual scene. Remember that services can last up to 2.5 hours, so some movement is to be expected. People will arrive at various times throughout the morning, so arriving “late” is a relative statement. Jews are famous for operating on “Jewish time” and that goes for arrival times as well. You will likely see people whispering to those next to them and others may stand up and move to the back or out to the social hall to stretch their legs for a few minutes or for the entire service. The Rabbi will be running the service, but won’t be “on” the entire time. While others are leading different prayers, you are likely to see him step off the bimah to confer with a congregant or speak a few words to someone. If you find yourself wondering what’s happening, feel free to ask people around you. They will be pleased to give you a little background or show you what page we’re on.

As Saturdays are our regular days of communal prayer there will also be general members of the congregation attending that morning’s service.

The service is split into three different parts with the “Torah Service” as the centre of the proceedings. Prior to and after the reading of the Torah you will hear various prayers and blessings; some in English, some in Aramaic but mostly in Hebrew. The prayer book (siddur) and the thicker book which is the Torah printed in book form will have English translations and commentaries. People will call out the page numbers as we go along.

Fun Fact #1: Hebrew is read right to left, so our prayer book is opened backwards!

Many of the prayers we say on Saturdays were composed over 1,000 years ago. Those pulled directly from the Torah are approximately 3,000 years old. These words are identical to their originals, and said by Jewish communities across the world.

What does it mean to be a Bnei Mitzvah?

To be a Jew means to live in relationship, not only with God but with the Jewish and secular community as well. Becoming Bar (he), Bat (she/her), or B’nai (they/them) Mitzvah marks the  moment a young person is welcomed into the community of adult Jews. Being honoured for the first time with an Aliyah (being called to the Torah) is symbolic of becoming part of the global Jewish community. 

Becoming a B’nai Mitzvah is about the acceptance of responsibility. Up to this point a child’s parents have been responsible for which commandments/general responsibility their children take on. At B’nai MItzvah age, the young person is now in the driver’s seat both for their Jewish involvement and community engagement. This is how Judaism defines maturity. 

As a B’nai Mitzvah, Avi will now be able to participate in future synagogue services, including leading prayers and reading from the Torah. They will also count as a member of a minyan (a holy quorum of 10 people, the minimum necessary for most Jewish ceremonies and life transitions) and will be expected to take on other responsibilities within the community including leadership roles and volunteerism.

Fun fact #2: While Bar Mitzvahs (for boys) have been the norm for at least a thousand years, if not longer, the Bat Mitzvah celebration was introduced in 1922 and only became routine a few decades ago. Back in 1982, Avi’s Aunt Lisa’s Bat Mitzvah was novel enough to be written up in the New York Times!

(Which leads us to Fun Fact #3— In that NY Times article, you’ll see Bat Mitzvah written as Bas Mitzvah. That’s a Hebrew/Yiddish difference - Bat is Hebrew, Bas in Yiddish. But we digress. )

On that note, if you’d like to read a fascinating article on the 7 genders described in our 1,600 year old book of laws, the Talmud, click here.

If you have any more questions, check out our FAQ page or ask us directly.

See you soon!