Service Overview
Beth Shalom Shabbat Service Schedule
Kabbalat Shabbat (Traditional) Service
Beth Shalom offers a variety of Shabbat services in order to meet the diverse needs of our congregation. Kabbalat Shabbat (Traditional) Friday evening services (every Friday except the first Friday of the month) are held at 7:30 p.m. This services combine traditional and contemporary prayers, songs and music, and include the reading of Torah and a Torah commentary or sermon from our Rabbi. Congregants participate from their seats, and also in the leading of the services alongside our Rabbi. Hebrew and English are combined, and we provide our own Siddur/Prayer Book (which contains full transliteration of all prayers and songs, allowing those who do not read Hebrew to comfortably join in).
Friday evenings (except first Friday each month): 7:30 pm
Shabbat Family Service
First Friday of the month: 7:00 pm
Tot Shabbat
Second & Fourth Saturdays: 9:30 am
Shabbat Morning/B’nai Mitzvah Saturdays: 10:00 am
They are always followed by an Oneg – sharing food and drink together - which gives us the chance to celebrate the joys of the Sabbath in a relaxed setting, and gives our members and guests a valuable weekly opportunity for fellowship and meeting old and new friends.
Shabbat Family Services are held the first Friday of the month, at 7:00 p.m. This service is completely redesigned to serve our children’s needs, from the very young to those near Bnei Mitzvah age. We have a new Siddur/Prayer Book with texts and songs crafted for these ages; all children are welcome to join the wonderful and enthusiastic Junior Choir which leads much of the Service. The service begins (and concludes) earlier, is shorter, and the Rabbi replaces the sermon with story-telling, puppet appearances, or a program designed especially for the children, often involving our Religious School classes. Our Family Service is not just a Children’s Service, but it is one which adults can also find enjoyable and a meaningful Shabbat experience. It also concludes with an Oneg.
Tot Shabbat is usually held on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at 9:30 a.m. This service is ideal for all children under six years old, although anyone is welcome to come. More than “a Service” it is a Shabbat experience, which includes the main elements of Shabbat and tradition through all the senses. In about thirty minutes, in an atmosphere of fun and smiles, children light Shabbat candles, say prayers, sing songs, dance with (plush) Torah, and so much more. It is designed to give even the youngest children the joy of Shabbat. It ends with a child friendly Oneg.
The Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations are held on a Shabbat Morning Service, on Saturday at 10am. These services are almost completely led by the Bnei Mitzvah, who are obviously accompanied by the Rabbi and their tutor and mentors. The Bnei Mitzvah reads from Torah, Haftarah, and delivers a speech commenting on the meaning of the Torah reading and of the occasion. While we celebrate the Bnei Mitzvah and share the joy with their families, this is our congregational Shabbat morning Service, and so the entire congregation is invited and encouraged to attend.
Occasionally the time or schedule of services may be changed. For complete, up-to-date information on any service please check the calendar on our web site or call the office at (919) 858-7777.
Bringing our children to Services: which one is best for us?
It is our duty and our privilege as parents and grandparents to have our children experience Shabbat at a synagogue, learn about their tradition, and make them feel at home at this special time and place. Because we make this a priority, in Beth Shalom children are loved and are always welcome at all our services.
But we understand that children are not adults, and their needs and times are different, and must be acknowledged. Having our children’s changing needs as they grow in mind, we have created a variety of services, for us parents to choose the right fit for our child’s needs at this stage.
Tot Shabbat is ideal for the very young, but will not serve older children well - for them, the Family Service is the experience they will enjoy most, and get more out of it.
A pre-teen and teenager is ready to engage in our Adult services, but they will surely like and enjoy more our Youth Services, so we encourage you to give your teen the Shabbat opportunity that is best for him/her.
Although we think and plan a lot for our children, we also care for their parents and other adults, and their needs. So, while our Family Services are designed to serve our school age children, they are also especially crafted to include parents and adults. This is a unique opportunity for parents and grandparents to join with their children in song and prayer, share the service with them, and also guide them to become involved and engaged in what is going on around them.