Joyful Prayer

Here at TBZ, joyful prayer is at the very heart of our spiritual lives.  Services in the sanctuary reverberate with music of all kinds: the traditional prayers we know and love, wordless melodies – niggunim – that help us focus our spirits on the Divine, modern songs that touch the soul in new and meaningful ways, and sometimes even the rhythmic beat of drums.

When we sing, we do so enthusiastically, with all our hearts, feeling the joy of praying in song to be a key way of making contact with God – and, by the way, with those around us and with our inner selves too.

The siddur (prayer book), as it has developed over the centuries, is the basic guide to Jewish prayer. Our ancestral liturgy is full of the most moving prayers and beautiful poetry, expressing the praise, longing, pleading, gratitude, love, and beliefs of all the generations of Jews from our deepest past until today.

In shul, we recite, chant, and sing these prayers together, finding in them deep spiritual meaning, even though most of us are not Hebrew speakers. The siddur we use provides accessible and relevant translations as well as transliterations of the most important texts and poems. At TBZ everyone can participate fully in the experience of davening (praying) and do so from the heart.

In the Jewish mystical tradition, each Hebrew word – each Hebrew letter – is infused with special sparks of holiness which allow it to carry our thoughts and feelings aloft. Yet prayers must come from the soul.  So, we recite some in English, and as part of our practice, are encouraged to look inwards and read the words on our hearts – in whatever language they may be.

These moments of silent meditation add enormous depth to our prayer, helping make it a truly transformative experience.

From the Hasidic masters we have learned that melody can elevate our souls to higher dimensions of spiritual feeling. Our Jewish heritage has endowed us with a rich repertoire of music, from many different traditions. From Ladino songs and old Sephardic tunes, to Hasidic tunes to modern and new music. We are always trying out something new. All can be heard at TBZ, each uplifting us in its unique way.

Joy in prayer, like prayer in community, can be infectious.  Sometimes, we get swept away and find ourselves on our feet, dancing. Whether it is at the end of our musical Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday evening) services or celebrating a couple on the Shabbat morning before they marry, the whole congregation, adults and children, grandparents and grandkids, will form a circle, dancing and clapping – a spontaneous expression of joy.

These are the kind of unforgettable moments that make prayer at TBZ such a special experience. Come join us, feel it for yourself!