Shabbat at Sinai

Shabbat is the high point of the week at Congregation Sinai, when the community gathers together to pray, learn, eat, sing, and catch up with each other.  We love welcoming guests and we strongly believe that children should feel comfortable in synagogue from a young age.  Please join us to experience the warmth, friendliness, and ruach (spirit) of the Sinai community. 

Traditional Shabbat observance involves avoiding creative and destructive labor from sundown on Friday night until nightfall (the emergence of 3 stars) on Saturday night. This means refraining from activities such as cooking, writing, and the use of cell phones and photography. While our community reflects a wide range of practices, we ask that members and guests not use cell phones and cameras while in the synagogue on Shabbat and holidays.

To find out more about Shabbat at Sinai, select from the following topics or continue scrolling.

Friday Night

Saturday Morning

What Should I Wear?

Children and Family Shabbat Programs

Kiddush Lunch

Rabbi Berkenwald’s Sermons

Guest Sermons

Learn about Shabbat from Exploring Judaism

Friday Night

Congregation Sinai has occasional Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services to welcome in the Sabbath.  Check our calendar for the schedule.  The service lasts about one hour, and is filled with singing.  During daylight savings months, when Shabbat candle lighting is later, Rabbi Berkenwald plays guitar for the first portion of the service.

Approximately once a month, our Kabbalat Shabbat services are followed by a gourmet community Shabbat dinner, prepared by Sinai’s B’teavon Committee.  These dinners are delicious and usually sell out, so be sure to sign up early.

Occasionally, Kabbalat Shabbat services are preceded by a “Shabbat Happy Hour,” with kid and adult-friendly drinks and hors d’ouevres.

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Saturday Morning

Congregation Sinai’s main focus for Shabbat observance is on Saturday morning.  That is when we come together to pray, learn, eat, and catch up with one another (not necessarily in that order).  We pride ourselves on having a warm and friendly atmosphere that is welcoming to anyone who walks through our doors.

Weekly Shabbat services in the sanctuary are lay-led and egalitarian.  They begin at 9 am and typically end around noon.  Worshippers come at various times, most arriving by 10:30 am. Services are in Hebrew and involve lots of singing.  The style of the service is traditional, with a repetition of the amidah (silent prayer) and a full weekly Torah reading (Full Keriah).

The weekly Torah portion is chanted in Hebrew from the scroll by youth and adults.  Over the course of one year, we read the entire Torah.

There are two primary books that are used in our service, both of which are available at the entrance to the sanctuary.  Our prayerbook, Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, has a blue cover.  The Etz Chayim Chumash, containing the weekly Torah portion and Haftarah reading (from the Prophets) has a red cover.  For those who do not read Hebrew, copies are available of a fully transliterated prayer book, Siddur Eit Ratzon.

Rabbi Berkenwald, or an occasional guest speaker, delivers a sermon each week at approximately 10:45 am.  Past sermons can be read on Rabbi Berkenwald’s blog, with videos of more recent sermons now available as well.  Guest Divrei Torah are published when available.

Congregation Sinai’s sanctuary is incredibly kid-friendly.  Areas equipped with pillows, books, and games are located in the back of the room, where children can sit and read or play quietly.  Parents with rambunctious children or nursing infants can use the “Parents’ Room,” which is equipped with a one-way mirror for privacy.  Built-in speakers make it possible to continue to participate in the service.

In keeping with Jewish tradition, all males are asked to cover their heads throughout the synagogue on Shabbat.  Females who choose are encouraged to cover their heads as well.  Everyone who comes up to the bimah (dais) is asked to cover his/her head as a sign of respect for the Torah.  Jewish males and many Jewish women wear a tallit, prayer shawl.  Feel free to bring your own, or borrow one of ours from the tallit rack in the foyer outside the sanctuary.

Shabbat morning services are also accessible via Livestream.

SIDDUR SIM SHALOM (WHAT WE USE AT SINAI)

• Psukei D'zimra Shabbat

• Shabbat Shaharit

• Shabbat Morning Torah Service

• Shabbat Musaf

• Siddur Sim Shalom Shabbat Afternoon

• Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Evening Service

• Services for Saturday Night and Havdalah

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What Should I Wear?

The dress code on Shabbat is best described as “business casual.”  While clothing should reflect the holiness of Shabbat, Sinai’s culture is informal and accepting.  We would rather spend Shabbat with you than worry about what you are wearing.  On a typical Shabbat morning, men’s clothing ranges from slacks and a polo shirt to suit and tie.  Women can be found wearing dresses, skirts, or slacks.  Children are encouraged to dress a little nicer than they do for school.

In keeping with Jewish tradition, all males are asked to cover their heads in the sanctuary and chapel on Shabbat.  Females who choose are encouraged to cover their heads as well.  Everyone who comes up to the bimah (dais) is asked to cover his/her head as a sign of respect for the Torah.  Jewish males and many Jewish women wear a tallit, prayer shawl.  Feel free to bring your own, or borrow one of ours from the tallit rack in the foyer outside the sanctuary. 

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Shabbat Youth Programs

SHABBAT STORYTIME

Shabbat story time for young children. Want to volunteer to read, please email Director-learning@Sinai-SJ.org. Books can be found on the shelf outside the Director of Congregational Learning office, in the sanctuary, and the quiet room.

Family & Learners Service

Led by Doug Brook, the monthly Family & Learners’ Service is for families and anyone who wants to learn more about the Shabbat morning service. It offers a supportive environment for Sinai B’nei Mitzvah students, Sinai Religious School students, and adults to practice their service skills.

Shabbat Mishpacha

A fun musical Friday night Torah for Tots service with Rabbi Berkenwald. Welcome Shabbat with songs and laughter & join us afterwards for a delicious dinner.

This special Shabbat service is designed to accommodate the youngest of worshipers, so you can expect plenty of singing, movement, and stories for your entire family to play a part.

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Kiddush Lunch

Being able to share a Shabbat meal together strengthens the bonds that connect Sinai’s members and guests to one another and helps to build our community.  Shabbat Kiddush is one of the most important ongoing events that take place in the life of the synagogue. 

Since ancient times, eating a meal has been understood to be an important opportunity to connect with community and God in a special way.  Deuteronomy states v'achalta, v'sava'ta uverachta.  "When you eat and are satisfied, then you will bless the Lord your God for the good that has been bestowed upon you."  We are fortunate to have a lot of goodness in our lives.

Most weeks of the year, we are blessed to have a sponsored Kiddush lunch.  Kiddush sponsorship is a wonderful way to honor a special birthday or anniversary, to commemorate a yahrzeit (anniversary of a loved one’s death), to express appreciation for a person or the community, or for any other reason.

There are several options for sponsoring a Kiddush:  you can prepare the food yourself; you can hire a caterer from the approved list; or you can sponsor it through the Sinai office.

For more information and to book a date, contact the Synagogue Administrator, Joelle Pluemer, at 408-264-8542.

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Rabbi Berkenwald’s Sermons

To read Rabbi Berkenwald’s sermons going back more than ten years, click here.

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 Guest Divrei Torah

Occasionally a D'var Torah is delivered by a congregant or visitor.  Here is a collection of guest sermons:

Lisa Josephs, Shelach L’kha 5780, June 20, 2020

David Friedman, Shabbat HaGadol 5779, April 13, 2019

Vicki Harrison: Shabbat Zakhor, Vayikra 5779, March 16, 2019

Vicki Harrison: Vayikra 5777, April 1, 2017

Stephen Pousty: Vayeshev 5777, December 24, 2016

Howard Solovei: Emor 5775, May 9, 2015

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Siddur and Chumash

The prayer books we use at Congregation Sinai are Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals and Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals. In addition, we use Etz Haym: Torah and Commentary. We have plenty of copies for everyone at the synagogue.

If you would like to purchase your own prayer book or Torah, the Rabbinical Assembly sells them, often discounted. Please see below.

• Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals

• Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays

• Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary 

Books may be ordered via the links above, at www.rabbinicalassembly.org/publications, or by calling our distributor, G & H Soho, at (201) 216-9400 ext. 2.