TO OUR FRIENDS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE BAR MITZVAH

Bar Mitzvah is an expression that means “subject to the commandments,” meaning that an individual is old enough to take personal responsibility for fulfilling and celebrating the laws of the Torah. This traditionally occurs in his 13th year. By reading from the Torah, saying the blessing for the reading, and by helping to lead the service, the Bar Mitzvah will show he has acquired the knowledge and skill to accept this responsibility and its privileges. Becoming a Bar Mitzvah is not itself a religious service. That is, the Sabbath services are not being conducted because of the Bar Mitzvah. The reverse is true: The boy marks the fact that he is a Bar Mitzvah by participating in the Sabbath service. If no one was celebrating a Bar Mitzvah, the services would still be conducted and the portions read by the boy would be read by another adult member of the congregation. The Sabbath service at Congregation Tifereth Israel is a traditional service conducted almost entirely in Hebrew, the Jewish language of prayer. The form and structure of the service are 1,800 to 2,000 years old, with some sections dating back 2,500 years. For example, the "Musaf" service dates almost to the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and was written to replace the sacrificial ceremony in the temple. (It is interesting to note that the synagogue itself, as an institution, dates to that event, when the Jews were exiled to Babylonia (now Iraq) and established houses of worship there.) The Torah Service is the central part of the morning, and marks the reading of the weekly portion of the Torah scrolls. The Torah contains the entire text of the five books of Moses, hand written in Hebrew characters on parchment and unchanged for thousands of years. On the Sabbath, the Torah reading is divided into seven or more parts. When each part is read, a person is honored by being called to recite a blessing before and after the reading. The Bar Mitavah Boyl will read the final portion and chant an additional reading, called a Haftarah, from the book of the Prophets. He will also conduct the final portion of the service. As Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin notes in his book, “Putting God on the Guest List”, the Bar Mitzvah is a confirmation of character development. We do not just want to teach our Bar Mitzvah students how to say a blessing and lead a service. We want to teach them to "be a blessing." We want them to carry goodness and a sense of fairness with them in their lives. As a young man becomes a Bar Mitzvah, he participates in a tradition that began over 3,500 years ago. We hope you will be able to join us for this very special celebration. Tifereth Israel conducts an egalatarin service, with men and women participating equally. All men entering the synagogue are requested to wear a Kippah (skull cap) as a sign of respect for God. These are provided at the synagogue. Jewish men also wear a Tallit (prayer shawl). These are not worn by childern or by non-Jewish guests. The Sabbath service begins at 9am, however, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 9:45am TO SEE THE BEGINNING OF THE TORAH SERVICE.
ABOUT JUDIASM From its beginning 6,000 years ago, Judaism has always had a belief in a Supreme Being, and that people can communicate with it through prayer and worship. The God Jews believe created the world is also concerned with how people conduct themselves today. Through the Torah, God has conveyed his will to humanity. The Torah is the holiest object of the Jewish people. Each Torah scroll is made of sheepskin (parchment) with handwritten Hebrew calligraphy, and contains the first five books in the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Overall, Torah refers to all Jewish teachings. The Torah conveys in detail how people are to conduct their lives, and it places heavy demands on Jews to uphold God’s will and teachings through their actions. The entire Torah is read over the course of each year. There are many rules regarding how the Torah is transcribed, including the length of lines, lines per column, and columns per sheet. It takes about one year for an experienced scribe to create a new Torah. If even the smallest mistake is made on a page, the page must be stored until it is buried in a Jewish cemetary. Every Torah scroll is letter for letter identical to all others. Reading a Torah scroll is quite a challenge; it has no vowels, punctuation, or notes to guide the reader.

ABOUT SHABBAT Shabbat, or Sabbath, is the period from sundown on Friday evening, until sundown on Saturday night when “at least 3 stars are visible in the sky”. In distinct contrast to the rest of the week, it is a time of rest, joy, prayer, and study. Shabbat is an assurance that the spirit is greater than the universe – that beyond the good is the holy. The universe was created in six days, but the climax of creation was the seventh day. Things that come into being in the six days are good, but the seventh day is holy and we are commanded to observe it and to keep it holy. By sanctifying this day, we are reminded of the acts that surpass, enhance and redeem history. Shabbat is holiness in time. On Shabbat, we detach ourselves from creating or performing work. Therefore, we refrain from writing, taking photos and using cell phones. Please refrain from any applause, talking unnecessarily, or moving about during periods of standing prayer. No smoking is allowed in the synagogue on on its grounds during Shabbat. Please do not bring presents to the Shabbat service.
WHAT IS AROUND YOU The “Bimah” is the raised platform in the front of the sanctuary. The podium in the center is large so that the Torah can be placed on it and unrolled for reading. Directly behind the podium is the Holy Ark that contains our Torah scrolls. We have a number of Torah scrolls that have been acquired over the existence of our congregation. Above the ark is a light, the Ner Tamid, or Eternal Lamp. It recalls again the ancient wilderness sanctuary, and in our day is a reminder of the never-ending failth of the Jewish people in the eternal presence of God. The Jewish men who are age 13 and older wear a tallit, or prayer shawl. In our synagogue, which is egalatarian, some women wear tallit as well. A tallit is worn only during services. The finges on the four corners of the tallit, or tzitzit, are holy reminders to observe the teachings of the Torah. The four tzitzit also symbolize the four corners of the world, reminding us that God is present everywhere, no matter in which direction we travel.

ABOUT THE SERVICE Most of the text in the prayer book, or siddur, is in both English and Hebrew. Much of the text is drawn from the Scriptures, the Talmud, and other classic sources. The rest of the liturgy includes devotional prayers, Sabbath songs and religious poetry. The service is designed to be a learning and studying process for participants. There are two books that are used in the service. The smaller book Siddur Sim Shalom (handed to you when you enter the sanctuary) is a compilation of prayers, poetry, song and meditation. The larger book, Eytz Haim (Tree of Life), is the Humash. This contains the Torah readings from the 5 Books of Moses, and the Haftarah readings from the Prophets. These books should not be placed on the floor out of respect for their holy content.

PRELIMINARY SERVICE In the preliminary service which begins at 9:00am, we thank God for the ability to come and worship. It is the preparation for prayer much as an athlete or musician prepares for an event or performance. Many of these prayers are said daily and are not unique to the Sabbath.
SHACHARIT
This is the main morning service that contains the Bar’chu, which is the official call to worship. The Shema is the affirmation for the Jewish belief in the oneness of God. The Amidah is a collection of blessings recited in silent meditation, then repeated by a reader from the Bimah. This part of the service ends with a prayer for peace for the Jewish people and the whole world. Note that when we speak of Israel or the Children of Israel, we are referring to the children of Jacob (Israel) who make up the Jewish people. This portion of the service concludes around 9:45am.
TORAH SERVICE The highlight and centerpiece of the Shabbat service is the reading fo the Torah. It begins with the ceremony of removing the Torah from the Ark. The Torah symbolizes the moment when God met the Jewish people and made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. It represents all that the Jewish people hold sacred. During this part of the service, the Torah is lifted up and brought to the congregation, signifying its accessibility to all. The public reading and studying of Torah is the central focus of the 2500 year old ritual. Before each torah portion is read, a member of the congregation is called up to the Bimah for an Aliyah. It is a great honor to have an Aliyah and to be able to bless the Torah before and after a portion is read. The portion read today will be read every year on this date in the Jewish calendar, and will be read at all synagogues around the world today as well. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the last person to be called to the Torah for the final Alyiah known as Maftir, though he or she may read additional portions from the Torah as well. Once the Torah is read, it is held up for all to see, then it is moved to the side of the Bimah and dressed with its cover and ornaments. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah then chants the Haftarah portion. This reading usually contains a parallel incident to the Torah reading or a commentary on the concept contained in the Torah portion.

MUSAF AND CONCLUDING SERVICE The Torah commands us that Shabbat requires an additional sacrifice at the altar of the Temple. To replace this practice after the Temple was destroyed, this additional part of the service (Musaf) was added. It contains a repeat of the Amidah prayers. This leads to the concluding hymns and prayers. The Aleinu is a plea that the world ultimately will recognize that there is only one God. The Kaddish is a prayer that is said several times during the service. It is an affirmation of faith and reaffirms the sancitity of life and the glory of God. At the end of the service, members of the congregation who are mourning the loss of a relative will stand and recite it (mourner’s Kaddish). The names of those that have died in the past during this week in the Jewish calendar are read by the Rabbi. The service concludes with a blessing over the wine and the bread. Though not part of the liturgy, these pre-meal blessings are recited here and now so we can commence the celebratory meal in the social hall after the service. All are invited to join the congregation in this meal.