Friday and Saturday Shabbat Services
Neveh Shalom offers several Shabbat service options to meet the needs of our diverse community. See the sections below for more information about each one.
Upcoming Special Shabbat Events
Friday Nights
Kabbalat Shabbat
Every Friday, 6:15 pm
Join our clergy for a traditional Kabbalat Shabbat service where we weave together ancient and modern melodies as we celebrate Shabbat.
Special Fridays with Ilene Safyan
Select Fridays, 6:15 pm
Bring your spirit and your voice for a special Kabbalat Shabbat. Accompanied by Ilene Safyan on guitar, this service is filled with beautiful music, singing and lots of participation.
SHIR! A Musical Shabbat
Select Fridays, 6:15 pm
Immerse yourself in the musical ruach of Kabbalat Shabbat and make it a truly uplifting experience. With Cantor Eyal Bitton, the Koleinu Choir and the Shir! Musical Ensemble.
Kol Shabbat – Voice of Shabbat
Second Fridays, 7:15 pm
Please join us for an alternative to the main Kabbalat Shabbat service: a lay-led, voices-only Erev Shabbat Service. All ages and stages are welcome – open to the community. Questions? Please contact Naomi Leavitt: naomileavitt@gmail.com.
Fourth Friday with Rabbi Eve
(0-10 Years Old)
4th Fridays, 5:15 pm
Rabbi Eve Posen leads this interactive home service that welcomes Shabbat through song and stories for families with children 0-10. Fourth Friday of each month at 5:15pm. RSVP: eposen@nevehshalom.org.
Saturday Mornings
Shabbat Morning Service
Every Saturday, 9:30am
Traditional weekly Shabbat morning service.
- Meditation Shabbat, 1st Saturdays
- Learner’s Shabbat, 4th Saturdays
Downstairs Minyan
2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays, 9:30am*
To join online, click here to join via Zoom
A lay-led alternate Shabbat service in Zidell Chapel followed by a Kiddush lunch and singing of z’mirot. Interested in leading a part of the service or reading Torah? Contact: downstairsminyan@gmail.com. *When there is no Bar/Bat Mitzvah or special Shabbat programming, Downstairs Minyan will join the main service at 9:30am.
Youth and Family Services
All families are welcome to attend any of our regular services. In addition, we have a number of age specific Shabbat morning services for young families and youth. Click here for these services.
More About Shabbat
Shabbat (Hebrew for Sabbath) is the Jewish day of rest and symbolizes the day of rest after six days of creation. Shabbat starts at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday. It’s traditionally a time to take a break from regular activities, to spend time with family and friends, and to attend synagogue. Observant Jews refrain from using electricity, driving cars, writing and working on Shabbat. Many Conservative Jews adapt these customs to fit their own level of observance.
The Shabbat morning service at our synagogue is similar to services at synagogues around the world. Neveh Shalom is part of Judaism’s Conservative movement (called Masorti outside North America), which one could say is “middle of the road.” Conservative Jews keep many traditional practices (such as observing Shabbat and keeping kosher) while adapting customs and rituals to reflect the times in which we live. Also helpful to keep in mind is that Neveh Shalom is a fully egalitarian synagogue, meaning men and women share the same roles and responsibilities.
Most of the service is chanted Hebrew, with a few English sections, and there’s lots of singing throughout the service. If you’re not familiar with Hebrew texts, you may notice that the prayer book seems “backwards,” since Hebrew goes from right to left. The rabbi will call out page numbers as we move through the service. The prayer book (or siddur) is in Hebrew and has both English translations and some transliteration Hebrew words written in English) of the prayers.
There are several times during the service when the rabbi will ask the congregation to stand or sit; it’s pretty easy to follow along.
On Saturday mornings, there are four main parts to the service:
- During Psukei D’zimra (around 9:15am to 9:30am), we chant psalms and prayers that help warm up for the rest of the service.
- The Shacharit section (around 9:30 to 10:00) includes the Sh’ma, a selection from the book of Deuteronomy that is a central part of every morning and evening Jewish prayer service, and the Amidah, a time for silent prayer and meditation.
- The Torah Service will start around 10:00. It’s customary for Jews to kiss the Torah as it passes them. The Torah is divided into weekly portions, and the entire Torah is read during the course of the Jewish year. The same portion is read in synagogues around the world. Several family members and congregants will be honored with an aliyah and say blessings before each section of the Torah is read. After the Torah is read, the Haftarah, which this week is a selection from the book of Judges is read. After the Torah service, there is an explanation of the Torah portion (d’var Torah).
- The final service of the morning is Musaf, the concluding service.
If there is a bar or bat mitzvah, the bat/bar mitzvah student will lead some parts of the service, and other parts will be led by clergy and lay people. For more information, a helpful website for basic knowledge about Judaism is My Jewish Learning.