Rabbi's Shabbat Morning Talmud Class

From Constipation to Exaltation--the Impact of Debbie Friedman on the Prayer Life of the Jewish People - February 4, 2012

Do you ever find yourself bored in shul? Consider this critique, written in 1954 by Abraham Joshua Heschel:

Services are conducted with dignity and precision. The rendition of the liturgy is smooth. Everything is present: decorum, voice, ceremony. But one thing is missing: Life. One knows in advance what will ensue. There will be no surprise, no adventure of the soul; there will be no sudden outburst of devotion. Nothing is going to happen to the soul. Nothing unpredictable must happen to the person who prays. He will attain no insight into the words he reads; he will attain no new perspective for the life he lives. Our motto is monotony. The fire has gone out of our worship. It is cold, stiff, and dead....

Has the temple become the graveyard where prayer is buried?...
Of course, people still attend "services"-but what does this attendance frequently mean to them? Outpouring of the soul?...[No]. Prayer, temple attendance has become a service of the community rather than service of God. People give some of their money to philanthropic causes, and some of their time to the temple.

The modern temple suffers from a severe cold. Congregants preserve a respectful distance between the liturgy and themselves...They say "Thou shalt love the LordThy God with all they heart..." in lofty detachment, in complete anonymity as if giving an impartial opinion about an irrelevant question. Man's Quest for God, 49-50.

Is this critique still valid? What progress has the Jewish people made, if any, in our communal prayers since 1954?

This coming Shabbat is Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song. It is also the first yahrtzeit of the passing of Debbie Friedman, the great Jewish singer and songwriter.

What impact, if any, has Debbie Friedman had on the critique of Abraham Joshua Heschel? In class we will look at the lyrics of a handful of her songs to see what was unique and compelling about her vision of prayer-and to what extent that vision shaped how we pray.

After class, at Shabbat morning services, several of her beautiful songs will be sung, by our Hazzan and choir, to the accompaniment of instruments. For those who prefer a service without musical instruments, there will also be such a service in the Gann Chapel.

Is our prayer life better and deeper now than a generation ago?

See you Shabbat morning at 8:30 am in Room 24/25.

Each Shabbat morning, from 8:30 - 9:30 am, study and discuss a variety of Jewish issues with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz.

Then join us for Shabbat morning services from 9:30 to noon followed by the congregational Kiddush where you can continue the dialogue with fellow congregants.