Completed on December 7th, 2020 for a freshman-level anthropology course.
The event that I chose to participate in was a Saturday morning Shabbat service at the Kehilat Shalom synagogue. I chose to visit a synagogue because, for a long time, I’ve been interested in learning the unique values and morals shared within Judaism relative to Islam. Also, many of the people who inspire me are Jewish, which inspired me to explore a portion of the religion and its culture. This experience is very new to me, although I’ve attended multiple religious services within Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikhism.
Before I participated in the Shabbat service, I was in contact with the Rabbi, Rabbi Arian, at Kehilat Shalom, who I also interviewed. Rabbi Arian explained the significance of Shabbat, and the different restrictions practiced on that day. Since the synagogue’s services are open to the public, it was simple to plan a visit.
After I interviewed Rabbi Arian, he welcomed me to the Saturday morning Shabbat service, guiding me with attire and how I should act during the service. I made sure to inform Rabbi Arian about why I was interviewing him and gave him the option to be anonymous. Rabbi Arian also informed members of the synagogue board that I would be asking questions and needing guidance during the service. I met Laura in the lobby before the service, and let her know why I was attending the service, and explained the project to her as well.
Because this was my first time being in a synagogue, let alone participating in a Shabbat prayer service, the biggest obstacle that I faced was being a stranger to the experience. Although Rabbi Arian had prepared me and I did some research about what to expect, I was still nervous. While participating, I also practiced the concept of resting on the Shabbat. This meant that I wasn’t able to physically take notes for the duration of my visit, and not take pictures around the synagogue. This was more of a difficulty for completing the project than it was for my overall experience. Another difficulty that I had during the service, was the language barrier, as the prayers are read in Hebrew. Although there was a translation in the Torah and the siddur (prayer book), it was difficult to follow along. A large majority of my memories didn’t have names to attach to actions and I had to do a lot more research to understand my memories.
At Kehilat Shalom, the Saturday morning Shabbat service is held from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, and I went on November 23rd, 2019.
The large majority of people attending were older adults who were guided by Rabbi Charles Arian and Hazzam Kim Komrad during the service. There was a mix of both men and women but only one child, and there was also no segregation space between the men and women. Because Shabbat is an important and special day, the service goers were dressed in casual professional clothes; many men wore suits while the women wore either a dress, or dress pants with a blouse. Many women also wore makeup. Both adult men and women are recommended to have their heads covered with a kippa (directly translates to skull caps, and is placed near the back of the top of the head). Along with kippas, both men and women wear a tallit (a prayer shawl) around their shoulders. Nobody wore jeans. I was dressed in a gray turtle neck, black skirt, black leggings, and black flats. I also painted my nails and did my eyebrows the night before.
For most of the service, Hazzan Kim lead the service as she sang out of a siddur (prayer book) while standing on the bimah (podium), and Rabbi Arian lectured near the end. When the Torah was placed on the bimah, there was no discrimination about who was allowed to read from it, but that was the only time people other than Hazzan Komrad or Rabbi Arian lead a part of the service. Because the front doors lock at a certain time, a button had to be pressed outside, causing a light to blink. When the light blinked, the usher would open the door and welcome the person(s) inside.
Generally, the roles of Rabbi Arian consist of teaching the Torah, guiding prayer services, and lead celebratory occasions like Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. A Rabbi can also counsel married couples and struggling individuals. The roles of a Rabbi range from religious guidance to social guidance regarding Jewish laws, morals, and values (Rabbi Arian, personal communication, November 23rd, 2019). A Hazzan (cantor, chazzan) is someone who has had musical training that leads prayers (MJL 2019).
During the recitation from both the siddur and Torah, everyone followed along in their copies that were found on the backs of the pews. Some people preferred to follow along out loud while others preferred not to. There were parts of the service were the worshippers would stand up, and other parts where they sat. During the Amidah prayer, there is a portion where the word “Kadosh” is repeated three times in a row, and for each of them, everyone would stand on their tiptoes as to represent themselves as angels praising the sky (Velveteen 2015).
When entering the synagogue, there is a closet to the left where everyone could hang their coats. To the right, there is a door that leads to the main prayer hall, and by its door were kippahs and tallits for borrowing, and a sign that recommended both men and women to cover their heads. The inside of the prayer hall was beautiful. Cushioned pews squarely circled the center where the bimah, which faced The Ark, where the Torah scroll is placed. The Ark had an arched frame from where a curtain was hung. On both sides of the Ark, there were two crafted trees leaning inwards along the arch of the Ark. Together, the trees have 613 golden leaves, each representing a commandment (Synagogue Member 2019). The Ner Tamid (eternal light) hangs above the trees. To both sides of the Ark, there were two seats, one on which Rabbi Arian would be seated on, and another for Hazzan Komrad. Before the Ark, on both sides, there were two podiums for the Rabbi and Hazzan.
Above the Ark, there were large windows that lined the top of the walls, letting in sunlight. In the center window, there was a stained glass of two lions on their hind legs facing each other with a ner tamid in between them. On the surrounding walls were hung paintings that I was told by a member of the board was made by the Kehilat Shalom youth. In the center of the high ceilings, there was a dome that protruded to the outside.
When entering the lobby, I was welcomed and greeted by an usher. The service began with a call to prayer known as the Bar’chu, when the congregation slightly bowed, followed by standing up straight when the third word, Adonai was said (Herman 2019). The service was then followed by Hazzan Kim Komrad singing from the siddur standing at the bimah, facing the Ark, as everyone else, including Rabbi Arian, were seated on the pews and followed along in their own copies of the siddur. After Hazzan Komrad finished singing, she guided the congregation into the Amidah (standing prayer), where they read the prayer first in silence, and then again with Hazzan Komrad (Herman 2019). At the end of the Amidah, everyone was seated again.
After Hazzan Komrad finished the Amidah, the congregation stood up again and a few people walked up to the Ark alongside the hazzan and rabbi. A prayer was said as a woman opened the curtains of the Ark. A man picked up the Torah scroll and exited to the left, and the congregation got out of their pew rows to greet the Torah, first touching the Torah and then kissing the same hand. Some touched the Torah with their bare hands while others touched it with the ends of their tallit. This ritual is called the hakafah (to circle), and during it, now one should have their backs facing the Torah to show love or respect (Herman 2019). After the Torah scroll reached the bimah, it’s embroidered covering was removed, ready to be read out of. Seven members of the congregation read from the seven sections, aliyah, of blessings before the recitation of the Torah (Kohn 2019). Each reader uses a yad (pointer) to read the Torah because hands could damage the aged parchment of the scrolls (Kohn 2019). Following aliyah, Rabbi Arian read aloud from the Torah.
For that particular Shabbat service, Rabbi Arian read a passage about the death of Abraham’s wife, Sarah. After reading the passage, Rabbi Arian led an open discussion about the interpretations of the passage that he’d recited. The sermon was less of a lecture, but more of an interactive discussion about differing interpretations within the congregation. When each of the discussions ended, Rabbi Arian would share his own interpretation while backing up his statements using the Torah and the commentary. The Torah was then dressed again, and the hakafah ritual was repeated as the scroll is placed back into the Ark.
When the Torah has successfully placed, the Aleinu prayer is recited (Herman 2019). During this prayer, the congregation remained standing, only to be seated when Rabbi began his second sermon, in which he discussed why Jewish people shouldn’t take part in the Thanksgiving holiday. This was also open for interpretation by the congregation. At the end of the sermon, everyone raised from their seats and greeted their neighbors and mingled as we made way to a room next to the main hall where we had lunch. There was blessed wine and grape juice for the congregation members to drink, and the menu for the lunch was light brunch foods such as bagels, crackers and cheese, and soup. A couple who was celebrating their wedding anniversary also brought. After a few minutes of eating and talking, Rabbi Arian held a question-answer session where anyone could ask for the Rabbi’s opinion or guidance on a topic.
I was only able to formally interview Rabbi Arian, and one of the synagogue’s board members at the very end. I also spoke with Laura during the service as she explained a few things to me.
In Judaism, Shabbat is the day of rest and remembrance. The purpose of Shabbat expresses the cosmology element of religion. In anthropology, this cosmological aspect provides an explanation of the beginning of the universe (Henniger-Renner, 6). In the Torah, it is written: “On the seventh day, God finished that work that He had been doing…. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done,” (Genesis 2:2-3), and “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy…for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20:8, 11). The Torah explains the process by which God, a supernatural being, had created the universe. It is not written explicitly in the Torah that Jewish people must rest on Shabbat, but many interpretations believe in the concept of imitatio dei which means the imitation of God as He had rested on the seventh day (MJL 2019). This practice of resting on Shabbat illustrates how religion creates rules of behavior through restrictions. On Shabbat, Jewish people are expected and recommended to not do any sort of work. When I asked Rabbi Arian if I could take photographs and take notes during the service, he told me, “It’s not in accordance with our Shabbat practices.” Taking pictures and notes is considered doing work, ergo, as someone participating, I couldn’t. Restrictions on Shabbat range from writing and erasing, to shopping, to doing the laundry, using a telephone.
Another element of religion is the practice of rituals. Rituals are practices that have a significant purpose and are oftentimes supervised by a religious leader (Henniger-Rener, 6). Some rituals are religious like praying, while others are mundane like brushing teeth every morning. A significant ritual practiced on Shabbat is hakafah. Hakafah directly translates to encirclement and is done when the Torah is taken out from the Ark, and is paraded withing the sanctuary for members of the congregation to pay their respects.
The act of aliyah, which translates to “to go up,” is when a member of the congregation is summoned by another member to the bimah to read the Torah (Kohn 2019). For a person to be called up, they have to have had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. In our interview, Rabbi Arian informed me that “[The Bar and Bat Mitzvah] is at the age that you’re now required to observe the rituals.” Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are a rite of passage. A rite of passage is a type of ritual that celebrates and emphasizes the transition between the different stages of life (Henniger-Rener, 10). To be summoned to the bimah to recite blessings from the Torah seems to be a great honor, and special duty.
Shabbat is a weekly holiday where Jewish people imitate the resting of God, and praise Him for getting the Jewish people out of Egypt. It is also a day for prayer and for thankfulness. Shabbat embodies many different elements of religion as it connects Jewish people to God.
During most of the service, it was hard for me to stay focused and soak in the experience because I don’t understand Hebrew, and even though there was a translation in both the siddur and the Torah, I couldn’t follow along. Not being able to have my phone for pictures or a note pad for notes stressed me out a lot because I felt that I would forget my experience and not have material to write about. This stress, though, did sharpen the attention that I put into absorbing my surroundings.
What I enjoyed most was Hazzan Kim Komrad’s voice as she sang. Her voice consumed my attention even though I couldn’t understand what she was saying; it gave me goosebumps. Since she was facing the Ark during the service and I couldn’t see her from my seat during Rabbi Arian’s sermon, I was excited to see her during lunch afterward.
I felt out of place during lunch because there was no one my age that I could speak to or be around, but those nerves quickly vanished as I listened to the conversation of people I sat down with. They were all very liberal, which relieved me (I was scared something negative would come up about Muslims, as someone who is raised Muslim). This liberal mindset was also shared by Rabbi Arian as he answered and discussed with the members. I felt more at ease when Rabbi Arian mentioned he would be glad to see a member of the LGBT community become a Rabbi, and gloated about the community’s welcome attitude towards female Rabbis.
I would have loved to join the discussion during both the service and lunch, but I was too nervous to speak up and get attention. Laura, who I’d met in the lobby, made me feel most welcome as she offered me a seat next to her and her new husband during the service. Laura tried her best to explain the reasoning behind some actions during the service (she even said she would have loved to have me at her wedding, which was two weeks prior!), which I appreciate so much. I was also lucky to be stopped by one of the Kehilat Shalom members from the member’s board after lunch who explained a lot of the significant details of Shabbat and the Jewish culture, and he let me ask him questions, to which he answered thoroughly.
This experience has definitely changed my understanding of Jewish culture because I learned and understand a few more values, such as the significance of Shabbat, it’s history, and how it’s celebrated.
Participating in the Shabbat service was a beautiful and wonderful experience, even though I am an outsider to both the religion and the Kehilat Shalom community. I would love to visit again during a high holiday. Overall, the experience was magical and heart-filling.
Photos
These three photos are of the inside of the sanctuary. The first one is of the Ark, the second one of the sanctuary, and the third one is of the Torah scrolls. These pictures aren’t mine because I couldn’t take photos on the day; I acquired these from the Kehilat Shalom Facebook page, which I’ve cited.
This is a Snapchat of me that I took in the synagogue bathroom when I first arrived there. I sent this to my friends, and used the location filter.
Works Cited
Kohn, D. (n.d.). The Torah Service. Retrieved December 2, 2019, from
Everything You Need to Know About Shabbat Services. (2019, May 29). Retrieved December 2, 2019, from
https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/shabbat/everything-you-need-know-about-shabbat-services.
Three moments of Shabbat morning gratitude. (2015, August 31). Retrieved December 3, 2019, from
https://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2015/08/shabbat-morning-gratitude.html.
Mjl. (n.d.). The Significance of Shabbat. Retrieved December 2, 2019, from
Kehilat Shalom. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2019, from
Henninger-Rener, Sashur. 2017. “Religion.” In Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology. University of LaVerne and the Los Angeles Community College District.
brownofthehash 