A JUDAISM PRIMER FOR OUR COMMUNITY

WHAT IS JUDAISM?
Judaism is interpreted very differently depending on who is doing the interpretation. The ultra Orthodox will define and interpret the Torah and Jewish rituals much differently than a Reformed congregant. For the purposes of the Brunswick Jewish Community, we will approach interpretations and rituals from a 21st century point of view.

WHO IS A JEW?
According to Judaism, you are the religion of your birth mother, regardless of how you were raised, unless you have converted. For the purposes of the Brunswick Jewish Community, if you identify as a Jew, you are a Jew and every Jew is included.

WHAT IS A MINYAN?
A minyan is a quorum of ten (10) Jewish adults which is needed in order to say the Kaddish (the prayer for the deceased) among a few other prayers. For our purposes, any Jew at least 12 years of age is considered an adult for our minyans.

WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW HEBREW OR THE PRAYERS?
The mitzvah (righteous deed) is not in knowing the words to the prayers, but in being counted among a minyan. All services are kept very short (no more than 20 minutes) and as much as possible are conducted in English. The concept of saying the Amidah (the silent prayer) had traditionally been a prayer that was said spontaneously, from the heart. Saying the words as written in the text is not necessary. The only word necessary to be uttered by the minyan is at the end of the Kaddish is "Amen."

Upon pondering this concept for a moment, one comes to realize a great truth: the power of each individual Jew. There can be a group of nine of the greatest Jews, men who complete all of the commandments and understand the depths of the Torah’s secrets, yet they do not have the ability to complete a minyan on their own. However, add to the group the simplest Jew, someone who perhaps cannot properly read his prayer nor does he really understand what he is saying, yet when he walks into the room he has now transformed the entire group and made them complete—a minyan. It is because of him that they are now able to recite those parts of the prayer that can be read only with a minyan. Never underestimate the potential of the individual Jew. (Rabbi Shmuel Kogan, Chabad.org)

WHAT IS KADDISH?
Jewish tradition exhorts us to properly mourn the passing of a loved one, but also to set boundaries to our mourning. To not mourn at all, or to plunge into an abyss of grief and remain trapped on its bottom--both these extremes are detrimental, both to the living and to the soul of the departed. Mourning is a show of respect to the departed and to his/her place in our lives, as well as a crucial stage in the healing of those who experienced the loss. But the soul of the departed does not desire that those remaining in this world remain paralyzed by grief. Remarkably, the Mourner's Kaddish does not mention death, nor make any reference to the deceased. It is directed, instead, at the living and an Era of the Moshiach, when all illness and suffering will cease, and requests that this time be ushered in during our lifetime. (See full article here).

There are also many interpretations as to why a minyan is needed to say Kaddish. The one I subscribe to is that we are a community, and no member of a community should be made to mourn alone. It is a mitzvah to simply be counted among a minyan so any Jew who wishes to say Kaddish can do so.

Kaddish is normally said daily during the first 30 days after the loss of a loved one (called Shloshim) and thereafter on the anniversary of the date of death on the Jewish calendar (Yahrzeit) .

WHAT KIND OF RITUALS DOES THIS GROUP DO?

Monthly minyan, typically the last Thursday of each month (5:30 pm start during summer months, 5:00 pm start rest of year). We begin promptly at the start time or when we have the required minyan (10 adults) and the service is approximately 20 minutes. Although of course people are encouraged to socialize before and after the service, this is not a social event; rather, its express purpose is to allow anyone who wishes to say Kaddish a minyan in which to do so. Here is a copy of the service we follow for you to print or download onto your device..
High Holidays - As a group, we are light years away from having any kind of formal High Holiday services, although if somebody wants to take on this challenge, you'll have my support. Instead, we basically have a combined High Holidays Highlights. To commemorate Rosh Hashana, we have a brief tashlich service (the symbolic casting of sins into water) and for Yom Kippur a short Yizkor (memorial/remembrance) service. Here is a link to those services.
Havdallah - This beautiful service is done on Saturday night to usher out the Sabbath and usher in the new week. Generally any Saturday night get together we have will include this ritual, which uses this video . We also follow Havdallah with the singing of Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem.

In terms of actual religious practice, this is the sum and substance of what we do. As a community, however, we also get together for Purim and have had members of the community host smaller groups for Shabbat dinners.

M'SHABERACH (Jewish prayer for healing)

I say this prayer regularly and add the names people in the community give me, so at any time feel free to give me a name to add to the list. I will also check in on you from time to time to see if that name should stay on the list. For anyone wishing to say the prayer on their own, here it is

May the one who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless and heal those who are ill (NAME/s). May the Blessed Holy One be filled with compassion for their health to be restored and their strength to be revived. May God swiftly send them a complete renewal of body and spirit, and let us say, Amen.