Weekly Services
Friday Night Erev Shabbat Services
וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג
“And you shall call the sabbath a delight” – Isaiah 58:13
When Shabbat begins, we gather together for community and connection. All Friday night services are held in person and streamed through the LiveControl platform and Facebook Live. Services begin at 6:30 p.m. with an oneg Shabbat reception following.
Our Friday night services include a mix of congregational and cantorial selections. We encourage full participation in the service and love to hear the community sing with us.
The second Friday of each month is our Family/Birthday Service. In this service, we use a family siddur (prayerbook) and melodies more accessible to children. Every month we will call upon children (and willing adults) to be acknowledged and blessed by the clergy for their birthday and the children receive a small gift. A story will be told in place of a sermon. This service takes place in our Gittlin Chapel for a more intimate setting. Dates subject to change based on school vacation weeks.
The third Friday of each month at 5:45 p.m. is our Tot Shabbat service. Prayers, songs, stories, and lots of fun! This service for young children is 30 minutes long and incorporates a variety of engaging songs, stories, and interactive singing. A pizza dinner follows for all families who wish to stay. The clergy move from the tot service to the main service, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Tot services in 2022-2023 will be in the months of September, October, December, January, March, and May.
There are a variety of other special Shabbat services throughout the year. In the spring, there are grade-level-led services from our Jewish Learning Program, summer folk Shabbats with guitarist Bob Mellman, a choral Shabbat, and much more. Friday night services over the summer, weather permitting, are led from the patio. Please check the website for more information.
Children and people of all ages are welcome at all of our services.
Saturday Morning Services
Saturday morning services at Temple B’nai Abraham begin at 10 a.m. in the Ross Sanctuary. Most Saturday mornings during the year we celebrate b’nai mitzvah and honor one or two of our kids who are formally moving into Jewish adulthood. For services in which there are b’nai mitzvah or holidays, we feature a four-part choir led by our organist and music director, Dr. Sandor Szabo. All are welcome to join in these celebrations, and all are invited to a bagel kiddush lunch following services.
On weekends where there is no b’nai mitzvah, Saturday morning services are typically held in the Gittlin Chapel for a more intimate setting. We encourage all to come, especially on these Saturdays, in order to help us make a minyan for those in our community saying Kaddish.
Children and people of all ages are welcome at all of our services.
Family Minyan
Eight Saturdays over the year, Rabbi Edwards and Songleader Eric Waldman lead a family minyan in the Brody Youth Lounge at 10:30 a.m. These services are for children to attend with parents and are a lively mix of traditional melodies and innovative approaches to prayer through meditation and movement. A bagel kiddush lunch ensues. Attendance at four of the eight services is required for JLP students.
This year’s service dates are as follows:
October 29, 2022
November 12, 2022
December 10, 2022
January 14, 2023
February 11, 2023
March 11, 2023
April 29, 2023
May 6, 2023
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FAQs:
What siddur (prayerbook) do you use?
In our main service, we use Siddur Ḥadash, an alternative conservative siddur with full liturgical text, transliteration, and additional readings. For family services, we use Mishkan Tefilah for Youth, and on High Holy Days, we use Maḥzor Ḥadash.
What if I don’t read Hebrew?
Our siddurim include transliterated prayers, and our melodies are sung so that, with time, they will become familiar. If you are interested in learning Hebrew, please reach out to our clergy or Director of Education, Melissa Weiner.
How should I dress?
We honor the practice of treating Shabbat as holy and separate by dressing in attire that brings one a sense of dignity. Our community typically worships in business casual attire.
Are kids welcome at services?
Yes! We love hearing the voices of children in all of our services. Children are the foundation of our community and are always welcome in prayer. If time away from the sanctuary will make them feel more comfortable, parents and caregivers are welcome to bring their kids into a quieter part of the building.
How can I learn the prayers?
For melodies, please click here for our TBA audio library to access recordings by Cantor Epstein. Our Friday night siddur is available in PDF form here and Saturday morning here. If you would like more intentional learning around the siddur, please reach out to one of our clergy.
Do I need to wear a kippah and/or tallit?
It is the custom at TBA for all who identify as men to wear kippot, and all others are welcome to do so. At morning services (and all of Yom Kippur), all above the age of B’nai Mitzvah are encouraged to wear a tallit, and those who identify as men are required to wear a tallit when coming up to the Torah.
SATURDAY MORNING SERVICES
Shabbat Morning: 10:00 AM Ross Sanctuary
Junior Congregation: from 9:00 to 10:00 AM
in the Brody Youth Lounge
Summer Morning Services: 10:00 AM
(begin the same time as regular Saturday morning Shabbat Services)
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Jr. Congregation 2022-23
Saturdays 9-10 AM in the Brody Youth Lounge
Dates TBD
Jr. Congregation Instructions & Guidelines:
-Sign in DOWNSTAIRS for Junior Congregation service attendance credit.
-Sign in UPSTAIRS (next to ladies’ rest room) for credit when attending regular Shabbat services.
-3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th grade students will be meeting in the Brody Youth Lounge
Junior Congregation meets once a month and is designed to help your children become comfortable leading the service here at TBA. We ask each family to do their best to have the children attend 8 services during the year. They can include:Junior Congregation, Holidays (sorry- Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur do not count toward services attended!) Sunday Morning Men’s Club Minyan,and Friday night or Saturday Shabbat services.
Please make sure that your child signs in downstairs for Junior Congregation in the Brody Youth Lounge. If they are attending a non-Junior Congregation service, have your child sign the book located on the table outside of the ladies’ rest room..
Bring the kinderlach
The second Friday of each month is our Family/Birthday Service. In this service, we use a family siddur (prayerbook) and melodies more accessible to children. Every month we will call upon children (and willing adults) to be acknowledged and blessed by the clergy for their birthday and the children receive a small gift. A story will be told in place of a sermon. This service takes place in our Gittlin Chapel for a more intimate setting. Dates subject to change based on school vacation weeks.
The third Friday of each month at 5:45 p.m. is our Tot Shabbat service. Prayers, songs, stories, and lots of fun! This service for young children is 30 minutes long and incorporates a variety of engaging songs, stories, and interactive singing. A pizza dinner follows for all families who wish to stay. The clergy move from the tot service to the main service, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Tot services in 2022-2023 will be in the months of September, October, December, January, March, and May.
There are a variety of other special Shabbat services throughout the year. In the spring, there are grade-level-led services from our Jewish Learning Program, summer folk Shabbats with guitarist Bob Mellman, a choral Shabbat, and much more. Friday night services over the summer, weather permitting, are led from the patio. Please check the website for more information.
Children and people of all ages are welcome at all of our services.
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SUMMER SERVICES:All begin same times as services during the year.
- Friday evening services: 6:30 PM (outdoors on the patio, weather permitting)
- Saturday morning Parashat HaShavuah: 9:00 AM
- Saturday morning services: 10:00 AM
All services are led by members of the clergy. To ensure that our worship continues with vigor and spirit throughout this slower paced time of year, as well as to be certain those who come to say kaddish are able to do so in a warm, friendly setting, we ask each Temple member to make an effort to attend Saturday morning services at least once during the summer. A critical mass of worshipers makes a wonderful difference for all who are present. With thanks for your collaboration, and best wishes for a restful and relaxing summer.(photo courtesy of Merle Kalishman)