Let's do Shabbat

You can talk and talk—or blog and blog—but it's doing that makes the difference. So here's some doing: to help build an egalitarian South Austin minyan, we plan to host two informal religious gatherings every month: 

• A family-centric Saturday evening Havdalah and pizza party
  
• A family-friendly Saturday morning learning service 

OK, enough with doing and back to the talk. How might these gatherings look and feel?

 

Havdalah is Havdalah is Havdalah. Kati can lead, I can lead, or anyone else can lead—please. But it takes no great planning and preparation. The service is short and sweet—really sweet; I love Havdalah—and provides the opportunity to share relaxed downtime with a hopefully growing circle of friends on a monthly basis. You bring the ruach, we'll buy the pizza.

 

Saturday morning services require more forethought. Here are some initial ideas—feel free to amend and append:

• Start short and sweet—45 minutes to an hour at most—with hope that interest engenders elongation
  
• Abbreviate the traditional Hebrew liturgy, building consensus around a few central Hebrew prayers—yes many new liturgies are at least in part bilingual and uniquely meaningful to their congregations, but the traditional Hebrew liturgy is an indispensible cultural glue that adheres Jews across space and through time
  
• Consider reading not singing prayers at first, allowing worshipers to learn not only to read and enact the prayers, but also to understand them
  
• Incorporate a brief reading from the week's Torah portion, perhaps even in English, and tie to topical issues
  
• Share responsibility for kids, with different parents volunteering for different services
  
• Make a simple vegetarian Oneg—we'll even provide the Manischewitz

Now is as good a time to start as any. We are happy to provide the impetus, but this must be a shared community in every way—unlike the dogmatic and fiscal autocracies that rule many synagogues. It will work only if everyone makes their voice heard respectfully and respectfully hears the voices of everyone else.

 

Your thoughts?