RITUAL COMMITTEE

ED MILLER, Chairperson - speshul1215@aol.com - 732-446-4244

Attending and participating in Friday evening and/or Saturday morning Services is a way of differentiating between the rigors of the work week and the relative relaxation of the weekend. It is also a time for the family to come together and savor the richness and tradition of our spiritual heritage. It is also the best and only way for children to become familiar with and parents to keep in touch with the order and intricacies of the Service. Please try to make time in your very busy schedules for coming to Temple on Shabbat.

The Ritual Committee is always seeking new members. Contact me if you would like to become part of this integral arm of Temple Shalom.

Also, during the year we create a wide variety of moods for worship services, from the seriousness and solemnity of certain holy days and to the joy and the frivolity of others.

However, in all cases, we wish to maintain a sense of worship rather than presentation. We see ourselves as a congregation praying and celebrating together rather than an audience watching a show.

To this end we want to remind the congregation to refrain from applauding during services. While we appreciate the efforts of those who lead us in worship, we wish to see them as worship leaders rather than as performers. A thank you or yasher koach (A good job!) after the service would be a more appropriate expression of appreciation than applause during the worship moment.