I've written before about the alternate service my congregation has on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Ruach service. It's very much in the style of our Shabbat minyan -- musical, participatory, full of spirit, and way more traditional than the Reform norm. Originally my rabbi led this service, though a few times he had to leave early (to be at ( Read more... )

( background; some of you may know this already so I'm cutting )

Several years ago I wondered aloudhow the people who lead religious services are able to pray themselves ( Read more... )

This was a really productive Yom Kippur, from the robo-call on the answering machine Friday afternoon about lashon hara (yeah, really) through Kol Nidrei last night and the whole day today. Parts of the liturgy newly resonated with me, I heard two excellent sermons (maybe more on that later), and the new morning service was a rousing success.
On ( Read more... )

For several years our congregation has had double services for the ( Read more... )

I used to think that henceforth I would only ever go to a church service ( Read more... )

My rabbi was away this Shabbat and last, and the associate rabbi ( Read more... )

Friday night I led services with our cantorial soloist. Both she and I were pleased with how it went, and I got several compliments afterward. I hope I will have more-frequent opportunities to do this.
One oddity, though -- somehow we picked up about ten minutes! I asked ( Read more... )

Still not king a rabbi, but I get to do stuff anyway ( Read more... )

I was recently in a discussion about the choices that worship leaders make, and I realized that the Reform movement's approach imposes a higher literacy burden than I think most realize.
In an Orthodox service, the decisions made by the sh'liach tzibbur, the ( Read more... )