Shabbat Morning Services
Welcome!
Kehillath Israel strives to be an open and welcoming community. Since it is not frequently announced where in the service the service leader is, please feel free to ask your neighbor for help finding the page.
All are encouraged to move through the service at any pace; if the service leader is starting Psalm 148 and you still want to be saying Psalm 147, feel free–do take your time with any moments of personal prayer. If the service leader is singing words and you’d like to hum along or sing lai-lai-lai or engage in quiet reflection, feel free.
All are encouraged to sit and stand according to any customs and preferences; or feel free to watch folks around you for clues.
Service Times
Full, traditional egalitarian services that integrate tefillah (prayer) and torah (learning), communal singing and quiet reflection, are led by KI’s clergy and members of the congregation. Pesukei DeZimra (the preliminary service of quietly chanted or sung psalms) begins at 9:00AM. Shacharit (the main body of the morning service) begins around 9:15, and Torah reading begins around 10. A sermon bringing the weekly portion into dialogue with personal and philosophical questions and current events, delivered by one of KI’s rabbis or a guest teacher, begins around 10:45 and is followed by Musaf, the conclusion of the service. Children gather on the bimah with the rabbis for Adon Olam, a closing prayer, about 11:45.
The Davening Project
We are committed to the spiritual growth of our congregation. The Davening Project consists of consistently providing a strong level of comfort & a deepening understanding of the service. We do this through encouraging everyone to be familiar with the order of the prayers we use in our Shabbat service. We are currently recording the individual tunes so someone studying them at home can follow along and learn the words, melody, and meaning to our prayers. We also encourage all to think about the meaning of each prayer and how it resonates in their lives. Check our calendar for courses such as Shabbat 101 or Talmud courses.
Our Siddur
KI uses the Authorized Daily Prayer Book (the Sacks Siddur) because it forges a meaningful bond between worshipper and word. Its clear translation and commentary bring the traditional liturgy to life, allowing us to delve deeper into the “how” and “why” of each prayer.
“In the dialogue between the human soul and the Soul of the universe a momentous yet gentle strength is born.”
Our Shabbat Service
We are an egalitarian, participatory shul. Services are led from the center of the seats, not the bimah, with lay leaders leading prayers and chanting Torah. In general, when there is no b’nei mitzvot or other special event, our service consists of the following:
You may have noticed that the service was already underway when you arrived. Don’t worry, you weren’t late! Some congregants begin the Shabbat services around 8:45 am with the Pesukei DeZimrah, meaning “hymnal verses,” or preliminary service. In Jewish tradition, the purpose of Persukei DeZimrah is to give praise and thanks to God prior to the traditional morning service.
| Description | Pages | Audio link (if available) |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Prayers | 20-33 | |
| Rabbis’ Kaddish | 34-35 | |
| Psalm 30 | 322-323 | |
| Mourner’s Kaddish | 324-325 | |
| Verses of Praise | 326-331 | |
| Psalms 19, 34, 90, 91 & 135 | 332-343 | |
| The Great Hallel – Psalm 136 | 342-345 | |
| Psalms 33, 92, 93, Anthology of Praise | 344-351 | |
| Psalms 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150 | 352-357 | |
| Chronicles, Nehemiah, Exodus | 358-359 | |
| Song at the Sea | 360-363 | |
| ‘Soul of All that Lives’ Poem | 362-367 |
The second part of the Shabbat service is called the Shacharit. The Shacharit starts with a call to prayer, called the Barchu. Then, the Congregation recites the Shema, which is a proclamation of Judaism’s essential beliefs. Next, the Amidah, meaning “standing,” is the devotional center of the prayer service. The Amidah is first said in silence and is then repeated by the Shaliach Tzibur (the prayer leader) for the benefit of those unable to read it.
| Description | Pages | Audio (if available) |
|---|---|---|
| Formal Transition into the Core Morning Service | 366-369 | |
| Half Kaddish & Bar’chu | 370-371 | |
| First Blessing – Creation | 372-375 | |
| El Adon | 374-377 | |
| Holiness and Creation | 376-381 | |
| Second Blessing – Love and Torah | 380-381 | |
| The Shema | 382-385 | |
| Third Blessing – Truth and Redemption | 386-389 | |
| Personal Amidah | 390-403 | |
| Repetition with Kedushah | 390-393 | |
| Remaining Repetition of Amidah | 394-403 | |
| Psalm for Shabbat | 152-155 | |
| Mourner’s Kaddish | 142-145 |
Torah means “teaching of God,” and it is the handwritten parchment scroll of the five books of Moses. Each Shabbat, a portion of the Torah is read. Haftorah refers to the bibical writing of the prophets, which are also read each Shabbat. The Torah service begins with the opening of the ark and a celebratory procession of the Torah to the ahmud (podium). Eight readers will chant parts of the Torah portion. If there is a bar-mitzvah (boy) or bat-mitzvah (girl) celebrating the beginning of their responsibility for their own religious duties, they will be responsible for reading part or all of the portion, with friends and family assisting.
The Congregation will recite a blessing before and after each reading. Between the seventh and eighth reader, the Rabbi will offer a prayer fro the ill. All participants in the service will have an opportunity to provide names of any family or friends for whom they would like to offer a prayer of good healing. After the torah is read, a Dvar Torah will be given by the Rabbi or another prayer leader, discussing that day’s portion and how it reflects and relates to our current lives. Prayers are then said for the Congregation, Country, and Israel.
| Description | Pages | Audio (if available) |
|---|---|---|
| Taking out the Torah | 404-408 | |
| Procession to Torah Reading Table | 408-409 | |
| Weekly Torah Portion | In Etz Hayim (red book) | |
| Weekly Haftarah (Prophetic) Portion | In Etz Hayim (red book) | |
| Prayers for Congregation, Country, and Israel | 418-423 and back insert | |
| Prayer for the New Month | 424-425 | |
| Ashrei (Psalm 145) | 426-428 | |
| Procession: Returning the Torah to the Ark | 428-431 | |
| Concluding Prayer before the Ark | 432-433 |
Musaf is an additional service for Shabbat that can be recited at any time on Shabbat, but is traditionally combined with the Shacharit service at synagogues.
| Description | Pages | Audio link (if available) |
|---|---|---|
| Half Kaddish | 432-433 | |
| Additional Service Personal Amidah | 434-449 | |
| Repetition with Kedushah | 434-437 | |
| Remaining Repetition of Amidah | 438-449 | |
| Ein Keloheynu | 450-451 | |
| Aleinu | 454-457 | |
| Mourner’s Kaddish | 456-457 | |
| Song of Glory | 458-463 | |
| Mourner’s Kaddish | 462-463 | |
| Adon Olam | 464-465 |