Tradition and Change
When I tell people that I'm the Cantor at Congregation Beth Shalom in Naperville, most people ask "Are there really Jews out there?" Yes, not only is there a thriving Jewish community in Naperville, we will celebrate forty-five years of community, education, worship, and Jewish transformation.
June is a perfect example of the vitality of Congregation Beth Shalom.
On June 10, at Minkha (the afternoon Shabbat service), 4:00 p.m., my Adult B'nai Mitzvah Class will be called to the Torah. Usually, a Jewish child, at the age of thirteen, becomes a Bar (Son of the Commandments) or Bat (Daughter of the Commandments) Mitzvah. However, these Jewish adults missed this important life-cycle event. The Adult B'nai Mitzvah Class of 5777 (2016-2017) has been studying since September 2016. Today, they can read Hebrew and chant Torah. They studied Jewish history, holiday observance, and explored a personal relationship with G-d. Each Adult B'nai Mitzvah class is unique. This class of seven adult learners is comprised of Jews-By-Choice, seeking to enrich their understanding and observance of Jewish life as individuals and members of the Jewish people. Like their Torah portion, Numbers, Chapter 13, these students have entered a new land. Unlike their Torah portion, they are not spies sent to report on the status of the Promised Land. Rather, their destination is a Jewish spiritual landscape where Hebrew, Torah, and Mitzvoth (the Commandments/good deeds) guide their path. I have taught fifty-six Adult B'nai Mitzvah in the past eleven years at Congregation Beth Shalom.
On June 16, the SACRED DRUMMING CIRCLE, a Kabbalat Shabbat Meetup, will meet Friday, at 6:30 p.m. What connects drumming and Shabbat? Drumming allows us to listen deeply to our own rhythm and find oneness in the collective beat of the SACRED DRUMMING CIRCLE. The essential Jewish statement, Sh'ma Yisrael, is a verb. Listen Israel. Pay attention. At this special service, we celebrate Shabbat with rhythm, chant, meditation, and blessings, all within the traditional mat'bei'ah (order of Friday night worship). This Shabbat experience is participatory, not a performance. "By drumming together, and listening and responding to others, I felt deeply connected." Marc Swetzlitz, CBS member. All are welcome. No experience necessary.
On June 24, Pathways to Prayer, Beyond Halacha, is a new Shabbat morning experience, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. The purpose of this service is to unwrap the inner truth of prayer to find one's spiritual compass and personal connections to the prayers. A traditional approach to Torah study, P.A.R.D.eS., reimagines the prayers and asks the following questions: 1. Pshat = Simple: What is the literal translation of the prayer? 2. Remez = Hint: What is the direction of the prayer? 3. Drash = Story: What is the inner story of the prayer; and 4. Sod = Secret: What is the prayer's secret for our hearts? In this service, the order of the prayers remains the same, but the melodies and motivation of the prayers change. Laughter, chant, silence, meditation, the blues, and inspired lyrics are the tools to provide new opportunities for learning and exploring traditional prayer. Shabbat, June 24, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Worship, Lunch, and Torah study. r.s.vp. Dorothy Battle, 772office@napershalom.org.