Davening Tips for Shlichei Tzibbur

Transcription

1 Davening Tips for Shlichei Tzibbur Beth El Synagogue Durham, NC November 2011, Heshvan 5772

2 Table of Contents General Tips on Leading Davening 1 P sukei d Zimrah Tips 3 Shacharit Tips 5 Torah Service Tips 7 Musaf Tips 8 Background: Services at Beth El are an important time when our community comes together for study, prayer and friendship. Beth El s commitment to the framework of the traditional Jewish framework, our participatory musical and intellectual traditions, and the value we place on kavannah are treasured hallmarks of our congregational character. At the same time, rabbinic tradition takes seriously the notion that the length of services should not become a burden to the community and that if one grasps for too much, one may grasp nothing at all. Towards the end of 2011, Rabbi Greyber and others received consistent feedback that Beth El Shabbat services were ending too late. After sharing this feedback with our Gabbaim and the Ritual Committee, it was decided to set a goal of completing services in the main sanctuary at 12:15pm. To achieve that goal, we took several complementary steps: 1. In October 2011 the start time for services in the Main Sanctuary was moved to 9:30am and approximate start and end times for each part of our services were established: o 9:30am to 9:50am - P sukei d Zimrah starts at 9:30 sharp even if the Shaliach Tzibbur is the only person in the sanctuary. It should conclude between 9:45 and 9:50 o 9:50 to 10:20am - Shacharit o 10:20 to 11:45am - Torah Service

3 o 11:45 to 12:15pm - Rabbi's Drash and Musaf The Gabbai will inform the Shlichei Tzibbur when there are exceptions to this customary schedule. 2. A set of guidelines was developed to enable service leaders to continue to lead services with kavannah while also facilitating service leaders ability to make strategic choices about how to finish their part of the service in a timely manner. These guidelines are below. Before the next time you lead at Beth El, please take time to read through them. 3. Resources: In addition to the guidelines below, we've begun building a part of Beth El's website with melodies and instructions for leading Shabbat services. If you would like to add a melody, please send an audio file to Rabbi Greyber - we'd love your participation in creating a resource that is helpful for our whole community.

4 General Tips on Leading Davening by Rabbi Daniel Greyber Balancing Kevah (the fixed liturgy) & Kavanah (focus/concentration/feeling in prayer) Leading a group of people in prayer is a daunting task. In addition to focus, love and intention, it also requires mastery of the words, the melodies and some skills in how to communicate directly and indirectly with the community. When leading the first, second, tenth or twentieth time, prayer leaders may feel awkward and distracted at all the things they must worry about, so much so that they may lose their own ability to focus. During those times, it can be helpful to understand one s efforts as a korban a sacrifice, not in the ancient sense, but in the sense of something that one is giving of oneself for the sake of the greater community. If that feeling of awkwardness is there, it will eventually go away when each Shaliach/Shlichat Tzibbur ( Shatz prayer leader, literally Messenger of the Community finally feels comfortable enough both to care for technical aspects of leading davening and to focus on the holy task at hand. Below is a discussion of ideas/suggestions to facilitate this transition, and, for more seasoned prayer leaders, to help think through some of the more intimate details of leading the community in prayer. Daven Yourself this may seem self-evident but, with so many facets of the minyan to take care of, it is important to remember: the most important thing you can do in leading people in prayer is to pray. This is important both for your own spiritual needs and because people will only learn to really daven if that is what you are doing. People have a sense if you are just singing songs or are only going through the motions. Daven! Everything else is commentary. A General Rule of Thumb - Members of the davening community will express themselves only as much as you do. You give them permission to clap their hands if you do. To close their eyes if you do. To chant out loud if you do. To sit in silence if you do. People will not do these things normally. The real world tells us to wear certain clothes, to be professional and rational and efficient. As prayer leaders, we have to communicate that in synagogue we can be real. We can express emotions. We can be happy and joyous or broken and sad. We must communicate this by modeling it with our words and actions. Both the ritual of the davening and you as the leader of the davening will give permission to act in ways that, too often, we are not allowed to in the real world. Push the Niggun If you are leading a prayer that ends with a niggun (a wordless melody), pushing beyond what the community expects can sometimes be helpful. A professor once told a group of rabbinical students that Conservative synagogues like to sing a niggun (a wordless prayer) for 2 minutes and 37 seconds. What I think he meant is that we have developed a Victorian sense of the proper amount of time for a prayer to be sung, after which we move on. As the leader, you may need to push the community beyond that moment, or if a niggun is falling flat, it may mean cutting it short. Knowing what to do is an art, not science, but it s a good thing to be aware that for a niggun to take on a life of its own and for the community to have a chance to soar, the leader must be able to both listen carefully to the pulse of the davening and also wisely guide its prayer, giving it permission to flow. Leading the Davening by Jumping In at the Right Moments this one is hard to explain but I have found that there seem to be certain dead moments in many niggunim or prayers. People need to hear you jump in at those moments of transition and sing what is next so that they will know what direction you re headed. The Silent Middle between the initial few words of a prayer and the concluding words of a prayer, there is typically a silent middle. This is when people are supposed to daven the middle part to themselves. 1

5 It can be helpful for the prayer leader to model for the community what is supposed to be happening in this middle. Here are some suggestions: Chant out loud A general truth in leading the davening is that people will, on the whole, be no louder than you are. By chanting the middle parts of the prayers quickly, out loud (or at least chiming in on a few lines as you go through them yourself) you are giving others permission to join you in chanting the middle part of the prayer. At the very least, you are communicating to them in an indirect way that this is what can be happening at this moment. **A creative idea - Chant out loud in English if you want to teach others that it s okay to daven in English. Don t wait for Silence to begin again Others will definitely disagree with this but I m of the opinion that davening needs a certain pace and momentum not to rush individuals along, but so that the community s prayers continue to feel alive and full. By waiting for everyone to finish I think we break momentum or, inadvertently, we rush people who have paused in their davening; sometimes people feel pressure to finish not only because the community has moved on, but also because the community is waiting for them to finish. We can t be afraid of silence but we also need not have stale silence in the prayers. I think it is the job of the leader to push people to pray, not faster and louder, but with more kavanah. Loud and fast davening with a lot of body motion does not equal kavanah. Sometimes it is just a mask for doing nothing at all. But as a prayer leader doing those things we are at least seeming like we are davening fervently, something that has value in and of itself. Finally, by not insisting on silence before we begin again, we may not be hurrying the congregation, but rather freeing people to linger behind on a word or phrase without expectation that we re waiting for them. With some trust, people will re-join the communal prayers when they are ready. A few final tips Page calling keep it to a minimum. There is a tricky balance between being a model by praying and teaching and helping people through the service. Understand that the process of calling out a page is an interruption in the rhythm of the davening. If we tell people what page we re on, then as a model of davening, we are obviously not on that page because we re calling a page, not davening. We need to call pages as a way of keeping the service accessible, but by keeping it to a minimum we can best model what we re trying to achieve. Finally if we call pages too much, we are indirectly telling people that what s important is the page that s open in the book, not where they are in their souls. Start slowly to invite people to sing along, sing the first few words of a prayer very slowly and deliberately, exaggerating each note. This allows and even invites people to join with you because they know where you are going. But don t stay too slow or the service will feel dead and lifeless. Notes about Body Position : A Shatz may either face the congregation when leading most parts of the prayer, or may bring the stand into the center aisle and lead the congregation facing the same direction as the congregation, towards the ark. When leading, it is appropriate for you to stand with your feet together, particularly when leading the Amidah. Jewish sources explain this practice as a posture befitting standing before a King or someone of great importance, and also that, in making our feet as one we imitate the angels who, according to Jewish lore, have only one leg. 2

6 P sukei d Zimrah Tips The ShaliachTzibbur should arrive early enough so that P sukei d Zimrah starts at 9:30 sharp even if you are the only person in the sanctuary. It should conclude between 9:45 and 9:50. As you consider how you would like to lead, here is an outline of Birkot HaShachar and P sukei d Zimrah, keyed to the pages in Siddur Sim Shalom indicating which prayers should be included with notes about which ones can be skipped entirely, shortened or lengthened depending on time : Shatz (henceforth just S ) chants the 14 Birkhot HaShachar aloud; continues silently until the box at the end of the 1 st paragraph on page 12 and chants from U t neinu hayom through the end of that paragraph; S then continues silently until the box on the next-to-last line on page 12, chants from Ashreinu through the Sh ma on page 14; then continues silently until the next box and chants from Kadesh et shim kha to the end of that paragraph and then silently through the paragraph starting Atah hu : S either reads in English the last paragraph on 15 and then tells folks to choose one of the passages on to reflect on, or else just gives that instruction without first reading the introductory paragraph. After a suitable pause, S chants the paragraph at the bottom of : S asks mourners and those observing yahrzeits to rise for Kaddish derabbanan. At end of Kaddish, S announces, We continue on page 50. (If there s not a minyan at this point a not infrequent occurrence, S waits for 30 seconds while the Gabbai sees if the additional necessary folks can be found in the lobby; if not, then S skips Kaddish and directs congregation (henceforth just C ) to page 50.) 50-52: S chants, Mizmor shir hanukkat ha-bayit l David, continues the psalm silently, and concludes aloud starting at the box in the middle of 52. Then S asks mourners, etc., to rise for Mourners Kaddish. At the end of Kaddish, S directs congregation to page 54. (If there s still not a minyan highly unlikely, but it does happen sometimes, S again gives the Gabbai 30 seconds to fill out the minyan; if this is unsuccessful, S skips Kaddish and directs C to page 54.) 54: Barukh sheamar is the beginning of P sukei d Zimrah proper. S asks C to stand, chants first paragraph on 54 aloud, continues silently through 2 nd paragraph, concludes that paragraph aloud, starting at the box, then asks C to be seated. From here through the end of Pd Z, S can do some picking and choosing. We ve listed everything and bolded in red the Psalms that shouldn t be skipped. When there are skips, S should announce the pages : S chants first line ( Hodu alilotav ) aloud, continues silently until box on 56, then aloud from Ki gadol through asah : S chants next line ( Hod v hadar through bimkomo ) aloud, continues silently to box at Rom mu on 58, chants that paragraph, continues silently until next box, chants aloud from Adonai tz vaot through koreinu, continues silently until the box at the bottom of 58, and finishes the page aloud is a sequence of Psalms. For each that is done, S chants the opening ( petichah ) aloud, continues silently, and then concludes with the ending ( hatimah ) aloud. In all cases, the hatimah is indicated by a box, so we list just the Psalm number and indicate how much is done for the petichah , Ps. 19: S announces, We continue in the middle of page 60. Petichah goes from Lamnatzei-ach through harakiya , Ps. 34: Petichah goes from L David through vayeilach. (Some Shlichei Tzibbur pick up in the middle to lead C in singing from Mi ha-ish (6 th line on 64) through rodfeihu. ) 64-66, Ps. 90: Petichah goes from T filah through vador. 3

7 66-68, Ps. 91: Petichah goes from Yosheiv through yitlonan , Ps. 135: Petichah goes from Halleluyah through avdei Adonai. 72, Ps. 136: S asks C to rise. This Great Hallel is sometimes done in call and respond format in Hebrew. S chants the first half of each of the first 4 verses aloud, with C responding Ki l olam hasdo. S continues silently until the box, then S and C do the final 2 verses. then S asks C to be seated , Ps. 33: Petichah is the first line on page , Ps. 92: There are multiple tunes for the first several lines. C knows lots of them. At end, S can just do the indicated hatimah or else lead C in singing from Tzaddik through the end. 78, Ps. 93: Petichah ends at bal timot , Ashrei : Petichah goes through Tehillah l David. (NOTES we skip the selected verses at the top of page 80, and we do not do the entire Psalm responsively at this point.) 82-88, Pss : Along with Ashrei, these Psalms constitute the historic core of P sukei d Zimrah and they should be included as a whole. Ps. 146: Petichah is first two lines of print. Ps. 147: Petichah is first 3 lines. Ps. 148: Petichah is first two lines. Ps. 149: Petichah is first two lines. Ps. 150: Can either do the usual petichah/hatimah or else sing the entire Psalm. If doing p/h, can use the indicated hatimah at the box, or else start a line earlier leading C in singing from Halleluhu b tzil tz lei shama Skip to Nishmat in the middle page 334 (we don t do Shirat hayam and its introductory paragraphs). S chants aloud from Nishmat through et-shimkha, continues silently until Mi yidmeh lakh (4 lines from bottom of first paragraph on page 336), and chants aloud from there through kisei ram v nisah. C will join at Bar khi nafshi. That s it! Shake hands with Baal/Baalat Shacharit as he/she comes to the bimah and return to your seat. Thank you again for giving of your time and love to help to lead our community in prayer. 4

8 Shacharit Tips Please come towards the bimah as the P sukei d Zimrah service leader chants Bar khi nafshi (on page 336 of Siddur Sim Shalom) so that you are ready to begin Shacharit with Shokhen ad immediately after P sukei d Zimrah is completed. Shacharit should start by 9:50 and conclude by 10:20. Audio files for this service can be found on Beth El s website at: (scroll down to Shacharit) As you consider how you would like to lead, here are some prayers that can either be shortened or lengthened depending on time: and conclude HaKol Yoducha (page 340) most/all of this paragraph can be chanted out loud (for a melody, click here: mp3) or, it can be davened quietly by the community and you can pick up at the box at the bottom of the page El Adon (page 342) a faster or slower melody can be selected depending on time Ahava Rabbah (page 346) from slowest to fastest, 1) all of this paragraph can be sung out loud or 2) the congregation can daven quietly and you can pick up at V ha-eir eineinu on the 6 th line or 3) the congregation can daven quietly and you can pick up either at V havienu l shalom or at the box at v keiravtanu at the bottom of the page. Sh ma (page 346 & 348) obviously, the first line of the Sh ma is always sung aloud. After that, there is variability in what is included. From slowest to fastest, 1) the first and 3 rd paragraphs can be chanted out loud and the middle paragraph can be spoken aloud or 2) only the first and 3 rd paragraphs can be chanted aloud or 3) only the 1 st paragraph is chanted aloud or 4) only the first line of the Sh ma is sung, with the rest said quietly by the congregation. Repetition of the Amidah (pages 354) Timing: the repetition involves the most time variability. Please check the time before beginning in order to plan to finish on time. Beginning: Please wait until most people in the room have completed their silent Amidah before beginning the repetition. However, before beginning, say, If you have not yet concluded your silent Tefilah, please continue at your own pace. We now return to page 354 for the Repetition of the Amidah. Please be sure to incorporate the following two changes to the first b rakhah of the Amidah: 1. For the imahot, we now say Elohei Rakhel veilohei Leah, (instead of Elohei Rakhel v Leah ) 2. In the final line of the b rakhah, be sure to insert u fokeid Melekh ozeir, u fokeid, u moshia, u magein. The community typically sings the first and second blessings together on page 354 and then the Kedusha on page 356. The Kedusha meaning holiness is the holiest part of the Amidah within Jewish sources. While timing continues to be a communal consideration, focus and 5

9 kavannah should always be present when leading the davening and, especially, during the Kedusha. Please select melodies that are inspiring and sing loudly enough for the community to hear and be able to sing along. **A Shatz should typically oversing in order to be loud enough for the community to follow.** Chanting most of the rest of the repetition of the Amidah can be chanted according to the nusach (melody) for Shabbat Shacharit. To hear an example of the prayers chanted in correct nusach, please check the Beth El website (see above for the link). The following prayers can be sung out loud but, if time is short, should be chanted: o Yismach Moshe & V shamru (page 358) o Sim Shalom (page 362) some melodies are repetitious and should be avoided if the hour is late. Inclusions: During the repetition of the Amidah, recite the entire paragraph of Modim aloud while the community says the congregational version. Don t forget to include Birkat Kohanim. Nusach & Hebrew Please be sure that you are familiar with the appropriate nusach for all prayers for Shabbat Shacharit and that you are able to pronounce the Hebrew prayers correctly and fluently. If you are new, or if you have not led in a while, you should contact a Gabbai or Rabbi Greyber who can review with you and help you prepare to lead. **Please pay special attention to chant the Hatzi Kaddish (on page 338) ( ddish.mp3) and Barchu in the nusach for Shacharit ( 1st_blessing_kriat_shma.mp3) if you have questions, contact Rabbi Greyber to review** Special Days On Shabbat Rosh Hodesh and Shabbat Hol Hamoed Sukkot or Pesah, please be sure to include the paragraph ya aleh v yavo on page 360 as part of the repetition. On Hagim (Sukkot, Pesah, and Shavuot), the Amidah is on page 366. If it is both Shabbat and a hag, recite the Amidah beginning on page 366 and include the words in parentheses. On Rosh Hodesh, Hagim, or Shabbat Hanukkah, Hallel is recited immediately after the end of the Amidah. After Hallel, Shacharit concludes with Kaddish Shalem as usual. On these occasions, it is especially important to follow most of the suggestions above for shortening the time for the rest of Shacharit. Notes about Body Position : When leading, it is appropriate for you to stand with your feet together, especially during the repetition of the Amidah. During the silent Amidah, please face the ark as you would if you were just a congregant and not the Shatz. When leading from the bimah during the repetition, please face the ark for the first two blessings and the Kedusha (pages ). At the end of the Kedusha, you may turn around to face the congregation, but please return to standing with feet together. Thank you again for giving of your time and love to help to lead our community in prayer. 6

10 Torah Service Tips Please come towards the bimah as the Shacharit service leader chants Kaddish Shalem so that you are ready to begin the Torah Service immediately after Shacharit is completed. The Torah Service should begin by 10:20 and conclude by 11:45. The Torah Service begins with Ein Kamokha on page 394 and continues through Sh'ma (wait until the parokhet has been closed before turning to face the congregation), Echad Eloheinu, and Gad'lu (as you begin, turn to the ark and bow slightly). Now, carry the Torah down the right-hand aisle (as one faces away from the ark towards the congregation), turn left at the back and return to the Reader s Table via the left-hand aisle. Please come towards the bimah as the blessings after the Haftarah are being chanted so that you are ready to begin immediately after the Haftarah is completed. Immediately after the haftarah, comes a series of three prayers on pages of Siddur Sim Shalom: the Prayer for Our Country, the Prayer for the State of Israel, and the Prayer for Peace. On January 5, 2012, the Beth El Ritual Committee adopted the following policy for these three: Either all three will be included or else all three will be skipped. Unless the Gabbai or Rabbi Greyber tells you differently, include these three prayers if the blessing after the Haftarah are concluded by 11:35. When they are included, the congregation will be asked to stand for all three, but the Torah scroll will not be lifted. The Shaliach Tzibbur will lead the congregation in all three. o o o The Prayer for Our Country is recited in English. The Prayer for the State of Israel will be recited in Hebrew. If there is a concern that the Shaliach Tzibbur is not sufficiently fluent in the Hebrew, the Gabbai or the Rabbi can lead this prayer. The Prayer for Peace is recited responsively in English. If Rosh Hodesh falls in the next seven days, Birkat hahodesh is recited before Ashrei. (If you are not familiar with this prayer, the Gabbai will have arranged for someone else to chant it. You will resume at its end.) Continue by beginning with the first line of Ashrei and then continuing silently until the last few lines. Then take the Torah and continue with Y hallelu, tracing in reverse the path you followed at the beginning of the Torah Service. Children will follow you to help return the Torah to the ark. A Gabbai will take the Torah from you to place it back in the ark; if a Gabbai is not there, be sure that the Torah is placed in the ark securely (be sure the wood posts are each placed in the rings at the base) and that the crown is on top of the Torah. As soon as the sefer Torah is in place, begin U'vnuho. Stay at the ark through Eitz hayyim hi. Nusach & Hebrew Please be sure that you are familiar with the appropriate nusach (melody) for all prayers for the Torah Service and that you are able to pronounce the Hebrew prayers correctly and fluently. If you are new, or if you have not led in a while, you should contact a Gabbai or Rabbi Greyber who can review with you and help you prepare to lead. Thank you again for giving of your time and love to help to lead our community in prayer. 7

11 Musaf Tips As the leader of the Musaf service, you are in a wonderful position to lead the congregation in its fullest to the end of the entire service. Musaf therefore is the service that leaves a lasting impression as congregants walk away from the sanctuary. The timing also puts the leader in the position to balance spiritual expression with many songs and ending the service at the expected time of 12:15pm or earlier. Please come towards the bimah as the congregation chants Etz hayyim hi (on page 426 of Siddur Sim Shalom) so that you are ready to begin Musaf with the Hatzi Kaddish immediately after the Torah service is completed. The Torah service should conclude at 11:45am. Rabbi Greyber may speak at this point for five to 10 minutes, in which case you should be ready to begin immediately after the conclusion of his remarks. As you consider how you would like to lead, please review the following comments on mandatory inclusions and options for the Musaf service. 1. Please be sure that you use the Shabbat nusach (melody) for Shabbat services and the festival nusach during Hagim (Sukkot, Pesah and Shavuot), even when the Hag falls on Shabbat. (On Shabbat Hol Hamo ed Sukkot, Hol Hamo ed Pesah, and Rosh Hodesh, use the regular Shabbat nusach.) 2. Please note the Shabbat tune that Rabbi Greyber is introducing to the community for the Hatzi Kaddish on page 428. This tune can be found on the Beth El website or can be obtained from Rabbi Greyber (rabbigreyber@betheldurham.org). The tradition at Beth El is to begin the Amidah together, chanting out loud for the first two blessings and for the Kedusha. The congregation then continues silently. Please be sure to incorporate the following two changes to the first b rakhah of the Amidah: A. For the imahot, we now say Elohei Rakhel veilohei Leah, (instead of Elohei Rakhel v Leah) B. In the final line of the b rakhah, be sure to insert u fokeid Melekh ozeir, u fokeid, u moshia, u magein. The Kedusha meaning holiness is the holiest part of the Amidah within Jewish sources. While timing continues to be a communal consideration, focus and kavannah should always be present when leading the davening and, especially, during the Kedusha. Please select melodies that are inspiring and sing loudly enough for the community to hear and be able to sing along. **A Shatz should typically oversing in order to be loud enough for the community to follow.** 3. You may want to break the silence at the end of the Amidah with a niggun or with the singing of Oseh Shalom, as discussed in the General Tips on Leading Davening. Before starting the Kaddish Shalem, please announce the page (506). If you have not sung a niggun as a transition, and a number of people are still standing for the Amidah, please make a gentle announcement that those who are still engaged in the silent Amidah should continue their prayer. 4. The tune for Ein Keiloheinu should be chosen considering the hour. 5. Typically we recite aloud only the first part of the first paragraph and the ending lines of the Aleinu prayer. If you wish to sing aloud the second part of the first paragraph, please consider the hour. 6. Rabbi Greyber will in general lead the Mourner s Kaddish on page 512. If Rabbi Greyber is not available on that day, please consult with the Gabbai if you are not comfortable leading the Mourner s Kaddish yourself. The leader may sit down near the podium during this time if not saying the Mourner s Kaddish and remain seated while the President or designee reads the announcements. 7. We conclude the service with Adon Olam on page 514. You may choose one of the many tunes that are heard at Beth El. In addition, you may choose appropriate tunes for the season. When choosing a secular tune, please be considerate and mindful of the congregation that will want to join in. An uplifting Good Shabbos! or Shabbat Shalom! makes a nice ending to the service. 8

12 On special days On Shabbat Rosh Hodesh, the Amidah begins on page 486; on festivals and Shabbat Hol Hamo ed, the Amidah begins on page 456. In the interest of maintaining flow of the service, please announce these pages and alert the congregation to the appropriate inclusions for the day *before* you start chanting the Hatzi Kaddish. Rabbi Greyber may speak before Musaf begins or will be reciting the blessings over the children at the end of Torah service and may announce these pages and inclusions as a way of transitioning between what he is doing and the start of Musaf. Note the three-lines (beginning Adir adireinu ) added to the Kedusha at the bottom of page 458. They are said only on weekday festivals. On a festival Shabbat and Shabbat Hol Hamo ed, the Musaf Kedusha is the same as on non-festival Shabbatot. When Shabbat coincides with a festival, the Shatz traditionally chants the final paragraph of the Kedusha ( L dor vador ) with a transition from Shabbat nusach to festival nusach. Please consult the website or Rabbi Greyber (rabbigreyber@betheldurham.org) for a recording of this transition. Notes about Body Position : When leading, it is appropriate for you to stand with your feet together, especially during the Amidah. When leading from the bimah, please face the ark for the first two blessings and the Kedusha, continuing to face the ark with feet together while completing the silent part of the Amidah. When finished, you may turn around to face the congregation. Thank you again for giving of your time and love to help to lead our community in prayer. 9