Friday night's service
I led services Friday night at my synagogue. (In this congregation,
for a lay person, this is a big deal.) It went really well!
Many people commented to me afterwards that I exuded spirit and that helped them in their worship. I wasn't making a conscious effort here (you never want something like that to be, or seem, forced), but I was hoping that would happen. I've gotten similar comments in the past, so I'm ready to believe that it's part of my nature. (Except I don't have the impression that it happens Thursday mornings at the other place, so I'll have to analyze that. It might be the nature of the crowd.)
The associate rabbi and I split the torah reading. I am pleased that my reading was near-perfect, and that I was able to read it with expression. It's the death of Aharon; there's drama there if you choose to read it that way. I felt pretty confident about the Hebrew (and, of course, practiced this), so I translated from the scroll. I've done that a few times on Shabbat morning, but so far as I know this was the first time a non-rabbi has done it Friday night. (We have other regular torah readers who could, but haven't.)
According to my rabbi my reading from the siddur was clear and articulate. I put some effort into phrasing and balancing pace with diction. (We've all heard, and grimmaced through, both readers who rush and those who speak - each - word - in-di-vid-ually - to - make - sure - they're - heard. You often get one or the other from beginners. I did not want to be one of those people.)
My rabbi was on the pulpit but did not participate in the service. (This should mean he was in a position to observe and give me more feedback when we meet this week.) The associate rabbi led the parts of the service that I didn't (torah service and concluding prayers), and also gave me a nice introduction (mentioning the Sh'liach K'hilah program). My rabbi has mentioned this program from the bimah before, but last night was the first time I got a lot of people asking me about it. I'm not sure what was different.
After the service the associate rabbi told me he really had no advice to give me; I had done everything well. He also said I'd done some daring things that he hadn't been ready to try yet (but now he would rethink them). I asked what he meant, and he mentioned two: facing the ark during the t'filah, and skipping the English adaptations of things we'd just read in Hebrew. (That's on the decline, but I cut out more than usual.) I think someone who's not a regular service leader can more easily get away with trying new things (the "establishment" can easily revert and no one thinks the guest is setting policy), but I sure wouldn't object if I helped get the regular leaders to think about these points.
Some things did not go well, noted here so I can improve on them next time:
When the cantorial soloist and I met a few weeks ago, I suggested we start with a niggun and she concurred. I had a particular one in mind that would be new to the congregation; I sang it to her and asked her opinion, and she said that would not be hard to teach (and that I would do that). Friday before the service I asked her advice on one detail, and she said to just sing it and they'd join in. I questioned it and she said "if they don't join in we'll stop and teach; it'll be fine". Ok, sounded like a plan. Just one problem: the accoustics in the sanctuary are such that I couldn't tell if they were singing and I couldn't see people's faces clearly enough to tell by sight, and they mostly weren't singing, and so the cantorial soloist had to tap me on the shoulder and say we should stop and teach it. I had not anticipated that combination of problems, so I probably looked kind of oblivious -- not a good way to start a community worship service! Further, I could have averted the problem by simply teaching from the start as I'd planned.
I've learned from past experience to rehearse the ad-libs (yes, that means they're not really ad-libs any more). That worked well for everything I anticipated; I was a little clumsy verbally in some cases where I hadn't. (For instance, I had planned to teach that niggun, so I was a little awkward in saying we were going to sing a new niggun and please join in as you pick it up.)
I am still learning how to use the personal mics they give service leaders. I initially clipped mine too high on my shirt (note to future self: go down to the fourth button), which meant I was sometimes popping it. Rather than interrupt the service I waited for the first time the cantorial soloist was leading a song to move it, being careful in my speaking until then. And I didn't get the trick for the mute button (a toggle), so it turned out my mic was off while I was reading torah but I didn't realize in time. But, despite that, people heard me. :-)
(I've noticed the mics cutting in and out at times. I always assumed it was loose connections or something like that -- I just assumed that portable mics are fragile. I learned during this service that, actually, they turn them off any time someone else is speaking/singing for more than a paragraph or so or if they need to take a drink of water. I hadn't thought about the latter, until I realized my mic was picking up the water I slipped during a song. Oops.)
Overall, I'd say the opening song was a medium-sized blunder, the mics were a minor blunder, and everything else was medium to large goodness. I am pleased that whatever unhappiness was caused by the opening song seemed to be long gone by the end of the service. As I said before, I got a lot of positive feedback (including the by-now-familiar "why aren't you a rabbi?"). I was very comfortable on the bimah, and I think it showed.
I wonder when I can do it again. And I wonder what comments my rabbi will have beyond what I've self-diagnosed.
Many people commented to me afterwards that I exuded spirit and that helped them in their worship. I wasn't making a conscious effort here (you never want something like that to be, or seem, forced), but I was hoping that would happen. I've gotten similar comments in the past, so I'm ready to believe that it's part of my nature. (Except I don't have the impression that it happens Thursday mornings at the other place, so I'll have to analyze that. It might be the nature of the crowd.)
The associate rabbi and I split the torah reading. I am pleased that my reading was near-perfect, and that I was able to read it with expression. It's the death of Aharon; there's drama there if you choose to read it that way. I felt pretty confident about the Hebrew (and, of course, practiced this), so I translated from the scroll. I've done that a few times on Shabbat morning, but so far as I know this was the first time a non-rabbi has done it Friday night. (We have other regular torah readers who could, but haven't.)
According to my rabbi my reading from the siddur was clear and articulate. I put some effort into phrasing and balancing pace with diction. (We've all heard, and grimmaced through, both readers who rush and those who speak - each - word - in-di-vid-ually - to - make - sure - they're - heard. You often get one or the other from beginners. I did not want to be one of those people.)
My rabbi was on the pulpit but did not participate in the service. (This should mean he was in a position to observe and give me more feedback when we meet this week.) The associate rabbi led the parts of the service that I didn't (torah service and concluding prayers), and also gave me a nice introduction (mentioning the Sh'liach K'hilah program). My rabbi has mentioned this program from the bimah before, but last night was the first time I got a lot of people asking me about it. I'm not sure what was different.
After the service the associate rabbi told me he really had no advice to give me; I had done everything well. He also said I'd done some daring things that he hadn't been ready to try yet (but now he would rethink them). I asked what he meant, and he mentioned two: facing the ark during the t'filah, and skipping the English adaptations of things we'd just read in Hebrew. (That's on the decline, but I cut out more than usual.) I think someone who's not a regular service leader can more easily get away with trying new things (the "establishment" can easily revert and no one thinks the guest is setting policy), but I sure wouldn't object if I helped get the regular leaders to think about these points.
Some things did not go well, noted here so I can improve on them next time:
When the cantorial soloist and I met a few weeks ago, I suggested we start with a niggun and she concurred. I had a particular one in mind that would be new to the congregation; I sang it to her and asked her opinion, and she said that would not be hard to teach (and that I would do that). Friday before the service I asked her advice on one detail, and she said to just sing it and they'd join in. I questioned it and she said "if they don't join in we'll stop and teach; it'll be fine". Ok, sounded like a plan. Just one problem: the accoustics in the sanctuary are such that I couldn't tell if they were singing and I couldn't see people's faces clearly enough to tell by sight, and they mostly weren't singing, and so the cantorial soloist had to tap me on the shoulder and say we should stop and teach it. I had not anticipated that combination of problems, so I probably looked kind of oblivious -- not a good way to start a community worship service! Further, I could have averted the problem by simply teaching from the start as I'd planned.
I've learned from past experience to rehearse the ad-libs (yes, that means they're not really ad-libs any more). That worked well for everything I anticipated; I was a little clumsy verbally in some cases where I hadn't. (For instance, I had planned to teach that niggun, so I was a little awkward in saying we were going to sing a new niggun and please join in as you pick it up.)
I am still learning how to use the personal mics they give service leaders. I initially clipped mine too high on my shirt (note to future self: go down to the fourth button), which meant I was sometimes popping it. Rather than interrupt the service I waited for the first time the cantorial soloist was leading a song to move it, being careful in my speaking until then. And I didn't get the trick for the mute button (a toggle), so it turned out my mic was off while I was reading torah but I didn't realize in time. But, despite that, people heard me. :-)
(I've noticed the mics cutting in and out at times. I always assumed it was loose connections or something like that -- I just assumed that portable mics are fragile. I learned during this service that, actually, they turn them off any time someone else is speaking/singing for more than a paragraph or so or if they need to take a drink of water. I hadn't thought about the latter, until I realized my mic was picking up the water I slipped during a song. Oops.)
Overall, I'd say the opening song was a medium-sized blunder, the mics were a minor blunder, and everything else was medium to large goodness. I am pleased that whatever unhappiness was caused by the opening song seemed to be long gone by the end of the service. As I said before, I got a lot of positive feedback (including the by-now-familiar "why aren't you a rabbi?"). I was very comfortable on the bimah, and I think it showed.
I wonder when I can do it again. And I wonder what comments my rabbi will have beyond what I've self-diagnosed.