Welcome!

All are welcome at our weekday services on Wednesday mornings and at our Friday and Saturday Shabbat services. Our website calendar provides dates and times for each of the services described below.

Shabbat Morning Service-Maker Volunteers

Our community Shabbat services are lay-led and rely on a core of volunteers with Rabbi Benjamin. We want to make sure everyone is aware of the opportunity to contribute and learn. We want to expand and diversify the cohort who make Shabbat morning community services happen. If you are interested in learning more about how to plug-in click here.

Our Wednesday morning minyan is for people who want to incorporate a regular prayer practice into their week and those saying Kaddish. It is usually 8:30 to 9:00 am, but the start time is earlier for Rosh Chodesh and some holiday observances. Check our online calendar for updates.

Please check our online calendar to confirm the dates and times below and to RSVP. Also, check our calendar for additional Friday services that will be scheduled throughout the year.

Kabbalat Shabbat

Join one of Portland’s most spirited gatherings where musical bliss fits the bill. Experience an hour of connection and pure joy. Check in with old friends and new ones too. Led by Rabbi Benjamin and our talented musicians and community members. Please register for dinner by publicized deadlines. Childcare is available. Except for Dec. 15 (when dinner is 6:45-7:45 pm and service from 7:45-8:30 pm), dinner is at 6:30 pm, and service is at 7:30 pm; Nov. 10, Dec. 15, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13, May 11. Please check our calendar for updates.

Please check our online calendar for confirmations and updates to the information below:

Community Minyan

Our Community Minyan is a welcoming and spirited service that includes davening, Torah reading and discussion. Led by Rabbi Benjamin and community members most Saturdays. Childcare is available. 10:00 am – 12:00 pm (See our calendar for specific dates.)

Text & Torah

Torah text study is followed by a shortened Saturday morning service led by Rabbi Benjamin or Diane Chaplin and Havurah members. We will serve breakfast and coffee, including bagels and lox and gluten-free options. Please arrive early to join us for a bagel nosh before the study begins at 10:00 am. Childcare is available. 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Oct. 7, Nov. 25, Dec. 30, May 19

Tot Shabbat

Young children and their parents celebrate Shabbat with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling. We touch on the main highlights of the Shabbat morning service: wonder, fun, song, listening to the world, dancing, and Torah. Tot Shabbat is fashioned for the under-6 crowd, but older kids are welcome (and can help tell a story, etc.). Afterwards, we enjoy an informal potluck oneg nosh and the chance to play and schmooze. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner.  10:30-11:30 am, Saturdays, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Jan. 20, Feb. 3, March 10, April 21. Please check our calendar for updates.

Family Shabbat

This service is especially for families with children in grades K-6. Our community will gather together for an uplifting morning of family activities including Torah exploration, singing, and celebration - and a little nosh, too! Saturday, Feb. 10, 10:30 am–12:00 pm

Discovering Shabbat Morning **appropriate for any family with an upcoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah, 5th grade and up

At this workshop/learners minyan, we will walk through Shabbat morning for a Bar/Bat mitzvah and practice leading some of the prayers. We’ll talk about what goes into a B’nai Mitzvah service, including the Torah service, and we will practice some prayers together with youth participation. Childcare is available. Deborah Eisenbach-Budner and Susan Brenner will lead this workshop. Saturday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, March 10, 10:00  - 11:30 am

Friday Night

This is the blessing for lighting the candles of Shabbat, sung by Havurah member and musician Ilene Safyan. You can also hear Ilene sing the kiddush for Friday night Shabbat.

Saturday Morning

Being called up for an aliyah is an honor. These are the words to the blessings before and after a Torah reading. You can listen to recordings of the blessings below:

Blessing before the Torah reading

Blessing after the Torah reading

Deborah Eisenbach-Budner’s Illustrated Guide to a Shabbat Morning Service (PDF)

Order of Service Chart (PDF) – This chart walks you through each part of the Shabbat morning service, including page numbers in our siddur.