Chavurah Masarti

Lynchburg, Virginia              Founded on 2, Cheshvan 5766

  Jewish prayer can be approached and experienced in a variety of ways.  In its most traditional sense, prayer is an opportunity for people to converse with God.  For many of us, however, this meaning of prayer is either incomplete or inapplicable, and yet the activity of prayer still has great value.  This is because Jewish prayer is effective on many levels.  Prayer creates a common experience and thus binds our community together.  Prayer allows us to have contact with our history and to link ourselves to countless generations of our people.  Prayer offers an aesthetic experience with emersion in a unique liturgy.  Prayer allows us to commune with our thoughts and to intellectually contemplate spiritual questions-- who am I, why am I here, how do I fit in with something much bigger than myself?  Prayer can also be meditative.  It can create a space that is distinct from the rest of the world and in which a regenerative transformation takes place without the intellectual consideration of the content of the prayer itself.  Achieving any of these goals depends upon a commitment to the specific language and ritual of Jewish prayer.  Therefore, all of these approaches to prayer are improved when the people involved are comfortable with the content and choreography of the prayer service.  We should talk about our prayer when we are preparing for it.  When we are actually doing our prayer, we should do it.  The information provided on this page is designed to help each one of us learn to prayer more fluidly and effectively, no matter which approach to prayer we individually adopt. 

JEWISH PRAYER RITUAL

RITUAL APPAREL

A GUIDE FOR LEADERS

TRANSLITERATIONS FOR OUR KABBALAT SHABBAT SERVICE

A FEW OF OUR OWN TRADITIONS

TRANSLITERATED SIDDUR,

TRANSLITERATIONS FOR EASY PRINTING

ALIYOT: A brief article on Aliyah etiquette

CALENDAR:

1) Holidays: 2008, 2005-2010(summary)

2) Too late for the morning Shema?  Is Shabbat over yet?  Find out here.

MINYANIM: A list of orthodox services around the world.

SHAVUOTH: History and meaning.

SUKKOT:  Basic information, Lulav and Etrog

TEFFILLIN: Just in case you've forgotten how to lay Teffillin

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