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Your Guide to Jewish Customs and Practices at CBE

Shalom and welcome to Congregation Beth Evergreen.  We are a congregation of diverse Jewish backgrounds and experiences.  Our desire is to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable at services – member, potential member, or guest, Jewish or not.  We know that one way to make people feel more at ease and able to experience the spirit of the service is to understand the traditions, or minhag, of Congregation Beth Evergreen, which are drawn from Jewish tradition.  Here, then, is a brief description of guideline to facilitate your meaningful participation in services with us.
 
We begin by preparing ourselves for prayer with a few moments of quiet meditation, reflection, or reading.  To foster a spirit of reverence and honor the simplicity and beauty of the celebration, we do not bring food or drink, sound, video or photographic equipment into the sanctuary, except with special permission.

Participation, hold the applause

We encourage everyone to participate in our services, and enthusiastic prayer and song are always welcome.  Hand clapping along with the music is certainly part of our service of the Divine.  However, as this is a participatory service, not a performance, we discourage applause during any portion of the service.    If you feel compelled to express your appreciation for a service leader or speaker, it is customary to say, either yishar ko’ach, or kol hakavod.  Loosely translated, these expressions mean, ‘Right on!’ and ‘Glorious!’ respectively.  Or, for a wordless expression of appreciation, the American sign for applause, holding your hands in the air and wiggling your fingers, is an accepted minhag at CBE.

Electronics

We kindly ask that all cellular telephones and pagers be either set to silent or turned off and not answered during services.

Entering and leaving

To demonstrate appropriate respect for people and tradition, we ask that no one enter or leave the sanctuary when the doors to the Ark are open, when the congregation is standing in prayer,  or when the rabbi or others are addressing the congregation.

Head coverings and prayershawls

The wearing of a kippah, or yarmulka, (head coverings) in the sanctuary is encouraged, but optional. The tallit (prayer shawl) is also optional at CBE.  You are welcome to wear either or both as you feel inclined, and there should be both Tallit and Kipot available near the doors to the sanctuary. For those who identity as Jewish (and are 13 years of age or older), we require the wearing of a tallit only if you are called for the honor blessing, lift, or redress the Torah scroll itself.

Prayerbooks

 Please do not place prayer books or supplements on the floor, as these documents are considered holy and worthy of respect.

Children

Children are our delight and our future, and are always welcome at services.  According to Jewish law, or Halacha, parents are also responsible for the behavior of their children.  Thus, parents are asked to please sit with their children and model for them engaged and respectful communal worship.  We ask that children enter and leave the sanctuary only when the doors to the ark are closed, when the congregation is seated, and when no one is directly addressing the congregation.  We also ask that they not be allowed to play on the grounds without supervision.
 
We sincerely hope you'll find our services meaningful, and we hope to see you with us often.