TEMPLE EMANU-EL
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Religious Practices

The Religious Practices Committee of Temple Emanu-El has recommended an improvement to the Saturday service which will be evaluated as a pilot program that starts after Yom Kippur and which will run for the rest of the year.  The repetition of the Amidah in the Maftir portion which comprises the last major portion of the morning service will be skipped in favor of a short D’var Torah / mini-sermon / discussion session.  The objective of this change is to give time for discussing and highlighting the relevance and importance of Torah and its lessons to modern daily life rather than repeating a portion of the service which is, for the most part, already covered.  While there are many lessons that can be gleaned from the stories in the Torah itself, it may not always be apparent how we can benefit from those in our present day and how we can learn from those readings.  This change is designed to help answer the questions, “Why do we read these? What can we learn from this today?  Why is it important to our lives now?
 
It is anticipated that this can be accomplished without varying from the current schedule of beginning those services at 9:30 am and concluding no later than noon.  It is also anticipated that this will not detract or replace the Torah study sessions that continue to be scheduled for interested congregants and that run after the service and kiddush.
 
This does not affect those services currently using Siddur Mishkan Tefillah which typically include a short D’var Torah and which are normally scheduled on the first Saturday of each month to begin at 9:30 am and conclude by 11 am.
All congregants and their families are invited to attend these services and provide their input according to their interests and schedules.
 
Fred Feldman
Religious Practices Chair

In response to many member requests, a revitalized Religious Practices Committee has been formed.  The committee is comprised of both prior members of the committee and new members.  Committee Chair Kevin Miller announced that the committee members are Stuart Mandell, Fred Feldman, Rhoda Feldman, Robert Bender, Jackie Berman, Sharyn Russell, and Carole Taut.  Rabbi Korinow continues as a standing member of the committee and Cantor Vera Broekhuysen will be on the committee when her maternity leave ends.

The committee is announcing a new streamlined Religious Practices pilot program designed to enhance the Shabbat morning service and make it more accessible and meaningful to Temple members who may not have been regular attendees of Shabbat morning services.

The pilot program will be held on the first Saturday of each month, will utilize Mishkan Tefilah, the new Reform Siddur, as the prayer book and will incorporate more English than the traditional service which utilizes Sim Shalom.  Mishkan Tefilah contains a broad selection of readings, including beloved passages from the Reform liturgical tradition and great poetic writings from throughout Jewish history.

That service will also be more abbreviated than the traditional service and will start at 9:30 in the morning and finish about 11 am.  Our Cantor, Vera Broekhuysen, will lead these special services.  The first special service will be on Saturday, January 7th.
​
An informal and light Kiddush Lunch will follow where all are invited to attend.
​
Our Mission Statement:
“We are a welcoming, diverse, Reform, sacred community committed to embracing and implementing the principles of tikkun olam.
​Through prayer, study, and social interactions we honor and share our Judaic values across all generations.”
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Haverhill, MA 01830


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F: 978.373.7995
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  • Home
    • Membership
    • Clergy and Staff
    • Temple Hours
    • Directions
    • Board of Directors
    • Committees
    • Contact Us
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Worship
    • Shabbat
    • Holidays >
      • High Holy Days
    • Our Sanctuary
    • Temple Choir
    • Life Cycle Events
    • Ritual Resources
    • Shabbat and Holiday Melodies
    • Yahrzeit
  • Education and Study
    • Religious School >
      • Religious School in Pictures
    • PTO
    • Adult Education >
      • Cantor Vera's Classes
      • Weekly Parashah Study and Israel Chavurah
    • HaSifriyah/Library
    • Yiddish Cultural Exploration
  • Communications
    • Cantor Vera's Corner
    • Mindy's Musings
    • President's Message
    • In the News
    • Temple Bulletin >
      • Want to advertise in our Bulletin?
    • Calendar
    • Pictures
  • Social Action
    • Coat Drive
    • "Feed Your Neighbor"
    • Community Meals
  • Community
    • Lotsa Helping Hands
    • Chesed
    • Haverhill Jewish Scholarship Loan Association
    • Temple Affliates
  • Fundraising
  • Online Resources