Friday Night Shabbat

Over the course of a year our Friday night Shabbat services offer a variety of programs.  These programs include:

Shabbat Synergy - an informal monthly festive service in the round. Congregants participate in creating the spirit and music with  tambourines and egg shakers.  This program links one spirited prayer to the next in a seamless flow of music that welcomes the Shabbat bride and day in a spirited moving way. 

Shabbat Spirit – About 4 times a year we add a sumptuous Shabbat dinner to our Shabbat Synergy program.  Sometimes we begin with services in the sanctuary then retire to the Fox Auditorium for dinner and our program.  Sometimes we begin with services around the dinner table complete with hors d’ouevres then continue with Shabbat dinner and programming.  These events include the lighting of the Shabbat candles and the blessing of the children and community.  Often these programs are centered around holidays such as Hanukkah and Sukkot. They bring out families and individuals of all ages who enjoy celebrating Shabbat and the festivals in a dynamic way with our BTBJ community!

Tu Bishvat Seder – Every year in late winter we gather for our Annual Tu Bishvat Seder.  Tu Bishvat is the celebration of the New Year of the Trees.  Our program is based on the Pesach Seder along with an ancient mystical tradition.  Just as at the Pesach Seder, we drink 4 cups of wine.  Marking the passage of the seasons, the first cup of white wine, symbolic of the winter, is gradually colored to end with a cup of red wine, symbolic of the new burst of growth that we witness every spring.  Songs, blessings, lunch and activities accent this dynamic annual event.

Annual Pesach Seder – On the second night of Pesach our community gathers for a participatory and spirited Pesach Seder.  Each year we invite guests to join along, welcoming representatives of other faith communities to share their traditions and to celebrate the commonality we enjoy.  This gathering gets larger every year as congregants and their relatives come for the accustomed traditions and new offerings each year to highlight this event.  Come and see what will happen at next year’s BTBJ Community Seder! 

Religious school classroom Shabbatot – Each year our Mechina through Hay classes prepare and present a Friday night Shabbat service and program.  Previous themes include “What Shabbat / Judaism / Israel / Hebrew / and the Holidays mean to Me”  The students lead us in prayer and song as well as share their heartfelt sentiments on the theme.  Guitar playing, clapping, youthful exuberance and a festive Oneg Shabbat highlight these annual events.     

Please see the calendar for Friday night service selections.