"Almost unintelligible to the uninitiated.” That’s how a famous judge described particularly complex federal regulations,* but it’s also how many people experience traditional Shabbat morning services.

If you’d like more inspiration and less confusion on TI’s Saturday mornings, the Learner’s Minyan may be right for you. The first session will combine an overview of the morning service’s basic structure with an exploration of traditional Jewish prayer’s basic structural elements, including the role of song. Each later session will focus on a particular major chunk of the service.

The Learner’s Minyan will feature hands-on practice singing key communal prayers, as well as discussions about the nature of prayer, explorations of favorite liturgical gems, and approaches to ancient prayers that many of us find challenging intellectually or morally. No prior knowledge of Hebrew, Judaism, or prayer is required.

The Learner’s Minyan will meet on Saturday mornings, from 10 am to 11 am. The first session will take place January 27, 2024. After that, we’ll meet on the second Saturday of every month, starting on February 10 and concluding on June 8.  

Ritual VP Stan Dorn be leading many of the sessions, but special guest stars will teach as well. As a result, participants will encounter a variety of perspectives on Jewish prayer.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email  TIRitual@tifereth-israel.org. Following is a list of topics we plan to cover during each session.  

Schedule:

January 27 - An overview of the Saturday morning service, including the different major sections; the basic structure of traditional Jewish prayers; the role of melody and song; plus learning and practicing Adon Olam.

February 10 - Blessings of dawn and verses of song, plus learning and practicing Aleinu.

March 9 - The Shma and its blessings, plus learning and practicing Ein Keloheinu.

April 7 - The morning Amidah, plus learning and practicing Eitz Chayim.

May 11 - The Torah service and Musaf, plus learning and practicing the Musaf Kedusha.  

June 15 - Wrap-up session. Important topics we couldn’t cover during earlier sessions, questions, comments, reflections, thoughts about further learning.

* Friedman v. Berger, 547 F.2d 724, 727, n. 7 (CA2 1976).