Prayer
Learning
Community
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Passages and Celebrations
Life Cycle
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Temple Shalom
A Reform Jewish Congregation
Chevy Chase, Maryland
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Temple Shalom is a “full-service” congregation, here to serve as
the ritual “stage” and setting for all the seasons of our Jewish
lives. Our clergy and trained congregants work with our community to
make these moments of transition and celebration resonate with joy,
purpose and meaning.
We celebrate the arrival of the youngest members of our
community with the traditions of b’rit milah (circumcision and
naming of baby boys, usually on the eighth day after birth and
often in the home), simchat bat (the relatively new celebration
of the birth of a daughter, either in a home or at the
synagogue), naming rituals and adoption ceremonies. We will work
with you to make these moments as meaningful as possible:
finding a mohel (the one who performs the circumcision),
crafting the Jewish ceremony that suits your families needs,
balancing the needs of interfaith families, adoptive parents,
same-sex couples or other circumstances with the rituals and
customs of our Jewish tradition.
Our tradition tells us that at the commencement of religious
learning, as a young child began his or her formal education in
Jewish texts, a swab of honey was placed on the pages of a book, and
a “taste” given to the student – so that the study of Torah would
ever be “sweet” in our mouths, and our minds. At Temple Shalom we
welcome our youngest Religious School students into the “study of
Torah” with a ceremony of Consecration – a celebration of learning
and the presentation of miniature Torah scrolls that often is linked
with the holiday of Simchat Torah (the occasion on which the last
words of Deuteronomy and the first words of Genesis are read on the
same night, on which an unrolled Torah surrounds and embraces the
congregation, and on which we dance with the scrolls.) We enter into
our study of sacred texts with joy, celebration and love.
“We come together this Shabbat to celebrate a special moment in the
life of our congregation.” These words, part of the blessing we
recite over our young people on the occasion of a Bar or Bat
Mitzvah, include within them the joy and pride of a current
accomplishment – and the promise of future commitment. Our B’nai
Mitzvah (plural of Bar/Bat Mitzvah) see themselves as part of a
chain of tradition – and see this day not as an end, but the
beginning of a new level of Jewish life. They serve, indeed, as
“teachers of Torah” and “leaders of prayer”: taking a large role in
leading the liturgy of the service, as well as delving into both the
history of an ancient text, and its application in our lives today.
Friends from all backgrounds are welcomed and embraced: often we
invite all the friends of the Bar/Mitzvah to stand behind the young
person as he or she completes the reading of the Torah, and invite
questions from those who may never have seen a Torah scroll up
close, or perhaps never been at a Jewish service before.
To get a copy of our TTLP (Teacher of Torah, Leaders of Prayer) / B'nai Mitzvah Planning Guide, click here BarBatMitzvahGuide11-5 Final [pdf]
All the B’nai Mitzvah at our congregation promise to continue their
Jewish education through at least the end of Tenth Grade. The power
of this pledge has led to a Confirmation program of depth, meaning
and quality. Those who have gone through Confirmation at Temple
Shalom speak for years – even decades – afterwards of what that
year, and its culmination, meant to them. In the dark of the night,
with the class in the background but unable to hear, alone with the
Torah in arms and standing in front of the open ark, two nights
before the Confirmation service itself our Confirmands give voice,
in their own words their “vows” about what their Jewish identity
means to them. They then lead a service written with their own words
and reflections: a living Midrash (interpretation) and personal
reframing of the prayers of Jewish life. In these ways, and more, we
teach our soon-to-be young adults to “own” their Jewish identity.
Kiddushin is the Hebrew word for “marriage.” It comes from
the same root as kodesh, which means “holy.” Both words contain
within them the implication of “sacred” as “set aside, unique,
unlike anything else.” The bond we form with a life-partner is meant
to be just that – the most sacred, the most special, the most
exclusive and unique relationship in our lives. At Temple Shalom we
celebrate the formation of Jewish families through the traditions of
our people. We know that Jewish families today come in many
different forms, and couples looking ahead to a wedding ceremony
should speak directly with one of our clergy. We welcome same-sex
couples as families in every aspect of the life of our congregation.
Read our packet on What
You Need to Know To Prepare For Your Wedding Ceremony [pdf].
Rabbi Ruth Sohn wrote that “to take the first step – to sing a new
song – is to close one’s eyes and dive into unknown waters, for a
moment knowing nothing, risking all… but then to discover… the
waters are friendly, the ground is firm.” In an age without
religious coercion, it can be said that we are all “Jews-by-choice.”
But we know that, throughout our history, there have always been
those who sought us out, who joined our ranks, and who made us
stronger by the act of their commitment. All those who join the
Jewish people do so with their own unique stories, their own sacred
journeys, through their own personal choice. Our clergy work with
those exploring Judaism, whatever the outcome of that exploration
may be. We provide gateways to Jewish life and entrance points to
Jewish learning. And our students, in their journeys, often become
our teachers through their words, their deeds, and their lives.
Read Rabbi Feshbach's
Questions For Those Exploring Judaism [pdf].
Anniversaries and special occasions, birthdays and milestones, even
– in the greater Washington D.C. area – the appointment to a
Presidential commission, all these are moments of celebration,
private benchmarks which our tradition encourages us to share with
others on the public “platform” of our communal worship. “Mishebeirach
Avotainu v’Imoteinu, May the One who blessed our ancestors… be
with us as well… at all these special moments of our lives.”
Aliyot (being called up to the Torah and reciting the blessings
over the reading of the scroll) and blessings from the bimah
(the raised platform from which the scroll is read and the service
is “led”), participation in the service or recognition from within
the congregation are part of our congregation’s life, and an
important aspect of our connection with one another.
Jewish tradition says that we begin “counting” our lives again
once we turn 70. So for the 83-year olds among us, it is time to
celebrate Bar/Bat Mitzvah all over again. As it is, as well, for
those who never had the opportunity to become Bar or Bat Mitzvah
when they turned 13. For Jews-by-choice, for women raised in a
tradition which did not treat girls equally, for those who were
raised without formal Jewish education, or for any of a number of
other reasons, many adults are choosing to go through a cycle of
learning and study, preparation and personal growth that leads to
this powerful and deeply moving celebration of Jewish
accomplishment. Those interested in finding out more about the Adult
Bar or Bat Mitzvah program at Temple Shalom should speak with one of
our clergy.
“Birth is a beginning, and death a destination.” The most
universal and powerful moments in our lives are the end points of
the journey – the moment we come into this world, and the moment we
leave it. At Temple Shalom we are here to provide a loving and
supportive setting for the most painful of all transitions: the
struggle and the mourning associated with the end of life. Our
clergy and trained congregants work with the congregation to learn
about Jewish customs and practices surrounding death and mourning, plan for and conduct funeral and
shivah minyan
services (services traditionally held in the homes of mourners in
the days immediately following a funeral), and serve as a caring
“bridge” for families navigating the details of dealing with
hospitals, funeral homes, and cemeteries. We are here, as well, for
counsel and whatever comfort we can provide in the face of sadness
and tragedy and loss.
In February 2004, our synagogue made the decision to establish a
new cemetery. In October that year, we took a new and important step
in our history, and our ability to serve the members of our
spiritual community. We formally dedicated our own Temple Shalom
Cemetery, in
partnership with and as a designated area of
Garden of Remembrance,
Gan Zikaron
Memorial Park in Clarksburg, MD. Having our own cemetery allows us to provide for our
congregants’ ritual needs in accordance to the customs and practices
we believe in. This includes being able to meet many of the needs of
interfaith families, as well as allowing some flexibility for
different kinds of burial arrangements. The Temple Shalom Cemetery
allows our congregation the dignity of side-by-side interments of
our congregants' Jewish and non-Jewish family members. Those with specific
questions about any of these areas should be in touch with our
clergy well in advance of any need for emergency consultation.
You can read more about the Temple Shalom Cemetery in a series
have articles that have appeared in the Shofar:
Finally, the complete documents for purchasing a cemetery plot
are also available here:
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