Learning and Leading Shabbat Services

Hillel International Center has extensive study materials on Shabbat, including parahat ha-shavua study materials, introductions and guides to Shabbat and other holiday observances, Havdalah, birkat ha-mazon, etc. (under "Jewish Resources"/"Holidays and Rituals").
Kids' games (fun for grownups too) to learn about Shabbat, midrash and history: Download jbops' free Shabbat starter pack.

Helpful booklets and other information on services, etc.
(mostly from the Hillel International Center; or Rabbi Paul Drazen of Mid-Continent Region USCJ and the Imun program):
- Hillel International Center's booklet Shabbat Notes - A Companion to the Day of Rest.
- short Transliterated Siddur (prayerbook) with page numbers to Sim Shalom.
- Understanding the Shabbat Service. Explains the structure and components of Jewish synagogue services.
- The Vocabulary of Jewish [Religious] Life. Explanations of the words we use to describe our practices and the concepts behind them.
- How to do it: Taking an Aliyah; Hagbah and G'leelah. What to say, where to stand, etc. when you are called to bless the reading of the Torah, lift the Torah or wrap the Torah.
- The Blessing on Reading the Torah (taking an aliyah). RealAudio recordings of the blessing (click on the loudspeaker icons). Note that the blessing continues over several web pages - follow the links.
- When is a minyan required? A Reform Responsa that also discusses the traditional view and its sources in its footnotes.
- Birkat Ha-Mazon: the Grace after Meals. The traditional text in Hebrew, transliteration and translation. Works best printed on 11x17 paper.
- Blessing the Children -- Shabbat and Holidays: the Priestly Blessing, in Hebrew, transliteration and translation, given to the children at Friday dinner.
- Havdalah: The Ritual. Hillel International Center's how and why of havdalah, the home ceremony separating Shabbat from the beginning of the week.
- Tfilat Ha-Derekh L-Golshim Ba-Reshet: The blessing for surfing the internet.
- Jewish Death and Mourning Customs, including kaddish, shiva, etc.
- Make your own Challah. Use our easy bread machine challah recipe or send us yours. Bread machine and European Rye breads too.
- Yehuda Weisen's Concise Guide to Practical Halacha (a lay restatement of the views of mainstream Conservative authorities).
- The triennial Torah reading (Parasha) calendar used by most Conservative synagogues.
- For more, see Shabbat bibliography, below.
Don't know your prayers well or can't read Hebrew? Come to any traditional service and you will quickly learn the tunes. You can also download a Transliterated Conservative Siddur (short and with Sim Shalom page numbers) or a longer Orthodox Transliterated Siddur or buy one from the OU. Buy tapes from Chadish (Orthodox) or the Cantors Assembly (Conservative-- ask for the Pinchas Spiro tapes) or Tara Jewish Music. Or attend the new Lishma summer program for college students at Camp Ramah, Ojai, or the Imun Training Program For Lay Religious Leadership. Subsidies available.

Learn to lead services.
- Many synagogues offer trope classes regularly.
- Attend the Lishma summer program for college students at Camp Ramah, Ojai, CA (Subsidies available)
- Join the Conservative movement's week-long Imun Training Program For Lay Religious Leadership (as Scott Kramer did) (winters in Ojai, summers at Ramah in the Berkshires; for ages 18 to 90) (Subsidies available)
- Join a Reform lay training retreat (Subsidies available)
- Learn the tunes on-line from Virtual Cantor.
- Purchase tapes from
Learn to layn (chant Torah).
- Trope classes offered at Kol Ami and Chavura B'Yachad for adults and kids.
- If you'd rather learn by doing, join the Hillel Minyan and volunteer.
- Teach yourself at Virtual Cantor.
- All the local congregations and Hillel are always in need of Torah readers -- just make your interest known.
- For Torah portions
- Take an intensive course with the Conservative movement's Imun Training Program For Lay Religious Leadership (as Scott Kramer did)
- Join one of the Reform movement's periodic training conferences.

Create creative services in the Reform tradition. Kesher, the Reform movement's college outreach program, has a computer disk containing the basic parts of a service and information on creating your own service. For information on obtaining the disk and/or assistance in organizing your service, contact Ganzeh Galus Guide. For further training, consider attending a Reform kallah, retreat or training session.

Zmirot (Shabbat songs). Sing with us at Hillel's Minyan Netivot.
The best song book we've seen is the Harvard Hillel Sabbath Song Book (David R. Godine, 300 Mass. Ave, Boston, 1992). All the blessings (including havdalah) and lots of songs. All in Hebrew and transliteration, with full music for sight-singers, piano and guitar. Available from Harvard Hillel and bookstores.

For song leaders workshops with Debbie Friedman and others, see our Conferences page or visit the Reform movement's Hava Nashira-Jewish Song Leaders Page.

See our Jewish Music page for more Jewish music.

Shabbat Bibliography.
- Abraham Joshua Heschel, Sabbath: Its Meaning For Modern Man. Why make time holy?
- Kerry M. Olitzky and Ronald H. Isaacs, The How To Handbook For Jewish Living (1993 KTAV Publishing). Simple directions for the choreography of Jewish life: the basic blessings, how to wave a lulav, how to make havdalah, when to bow in the Amidah, making matzoh, and so on.
- Harvard Hillel Sabbath Song Book (David R. Godine, 300 Mass. Ave, Boston, 1992). All the blessings (including havdalah) and lots of songs, in Hebrew and transliteration, with full music.
- Kay Kantor Pomerantz, Come for Cholent, Vol. I & II. Each volume has 60 recipes for cholent, from E. Europe, Greece, Italy, Israel and the Middle East. Vol. II has a chapter of vegetarian recipes.
- Richard Siegel, Michael Strassfeld and Sharon Strassfeld, The Jewish Catalog: A Do-It-Yourself Kit. (Jewish Publication Society). Still the best introduction to doing it yourself.
- Michael Strassfeld, The Jewish Holidays A Guide and Commentary. (1985: Harper and Row). Readable and sophisticated discussions of the traditions and customs of all the holidays.
- Shamash's Divrei Torah collection: commentaries on the weekly Torah portion from many different sources.

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Ganzeh Galus Guide: Jewish Revival in the Deep Diaspora

Learning and Leading Shabbat Services