This research paper is an attempt to describe the observation of a cultural ministry setting of which I was oblivious, the preferred tradition of maximum interesting, and challenge was the Jewish community of faith and worship. (What is Culture) in the first chapter of “Many Colors” opened a new awareness, when Soong-Chen Rah referenced the Asian-American community and I quote; no matter how well meaning there will be (A noticeable gap in the level of culture) (Rah) The first day of my field work I attended Rodef Shalom Synagogue in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, the focus of the visit was to attend a Saturday morning worship service, however, due to my unfamiliarity of Jewish services I consequently found myself attending a Bar Mitzvah. With enormous anticipation, and excitement the …show more content…
Jews believe God delivered the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai after the Jews left Egypt. During the Bar Mitzvah everyone in attendance may follow regardless of their ability to speak or read Hebrew, the book is written in Hebrew and English. This service was around a young boy becoming a man of faith, and his proud family. This was a sacred time; a bar mitzvah is incorporated into an ordinary Sabbath service many of the people present at the service may not be involved in the bar mitzvah. the community may not be involved in the bar mitzvah yet are welcome in a worship service ordained by God. The Jewish culture is plethora of tradition, and truly a family affair, grandparents, parents, and godparents are involved in the reading of the Torah during the service. The Rabbi and Cantor instruct the congregation to turn to pages in the book which allows everyone in the service to follow along. Much the same as in a Christian church, the altar behind the Dais is finely polished wood grained with double doors that house the Torah
The Jewish Synagogue of Bet Breira Samu-El Or Olom is composed of Reformed and Conservative Jews. They believe in only one God and their most sacred text is called the Torah. Although their most important prophet is Moses, they also have other important individuals in their religion such as the prophets Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac. Bet Breira Samu-El Or Olom is present in South Florida to invigorate its Jewish members with its spiritual needs and to support and connect its community. There was a countless number of eye popping decorations inside the Synagogue at Bet Breira Samu-El Or Olom. The glass panels were all stained with various colors and symbols; the most prominent and prevalent piece of art was the Torah itself. You could also find the Torah in these glass panels which depicted luscious meadows covered with light blue glass-like skies. When turning towards the center of the room you could see a very beautiful and fiery design on two slide-able doors which I learned was called the Ark which held the Torah. The ark itself was surrounded by two large metal candles along with a smaller, yet similar, candle suspended above the Ark. In total there were about seven different Torahs inside the Ark which varied, not only in size, but also in decorations. Some Torahs seemed to be held by large gold plated bulbs while other Torahs seemed less sophisticated with lesser designs. There were multiple Torahs because, throughout time, some were donated and others were given to the Synagogue after merging with a different group.
So what it is Bar Mitzvah? According to The Oxford English Dictionary Bar Mitzvah is “the initiation ceremony of a Jewish boy who has reached the age of 13 and is regarded as ready to observe religious precepts and eligible to take part in public worship”. Of course this is a very vague explanation in terms of getting to the bottom of this ceremony’s significance. What is crucially important about both Bar and Bat Mitzvah is that this ceremony is absolutely essential for every Jewish person actually practicing the religion. As it was mentioned before, this ceremony is some sort of emancipation for Jewish children. Consequently, the way the ceremony was conducted has a very important meaning in the life of a child and his or her parents. Prior to Bar Mitzvah his parents were supposed to take under control their child’s cultural development. Every kid, by the age of 13 (or 12, which is the full-age for girls) supposed to ...
The Torah also known as The Book of Moses or the Pentateuch, refers to the first five books of the Tanakh or Hebrew bible. The religious texts found in the Tanakh come from The Torah, Neviim and Kituvim. The book of Moses is comprised of Bereshit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayikra (Leviticus), Bedimar(Numbers) and Devarim (Deuteronomy). The Torah holds traditions, religious laws and teachings that are followed within the religion of Judaism.
On the other hand, in the Jewish faith, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is the celebration of a child reaching the age of approximately thirteen for boys an...
Most people are born with more than one identity. Some identities go hand in hand, and have merged together over the years. For example, American and Christian are often associated with one another. Some identities, although not associated with one another, do not contradict each other, and can therefore coexist peacefully. For instance, if someone has a French mother and Italian father, chances are there will not be any problems. There are some identities, however, that are completely contradictory, and cannot coexist. For example, if someone has one parent that identifies as Christian, and another that identifies as Muslim, he or she will have to choose which identity to associate with. For centuries, there has been much debate over whether the American identity can coexist with a religious identity. (referring to religions other than Christianity) America has always been a tolerant country, yet tolerance is one thing, and fitting in is another. In America’s earlier years, maintaining a religious identity and fitting in with the American culture was impossible. This held true especially for the Jews, because religious Jews always put their Jewish identities before their American identities. Nowadays, however, since America has become a melting pot, as a religious Jew that lives with a dual identity, I conclude that sharing the American culture, while living as an observant Jew is more than possible. In this essay I will argue that the barriers of allegiances, limitations, and culture clashes do not exist between the American and Jewish culture.
Perhaps one of the most well-known traditions of the Jewish faith is the celebration of a young man’s Bar Mitzvah. The ceremony began as a graduation for a schoolboy who had completed his religious education. The focus of study was typically the Hebrew Bible along with other Jewish literature, history, customs and ceremonies (Oxtoby and Segal 110-111). Today, the ceremony is often known as a coming of age celebration for 13-year-olds. During the festivity, the young man reads scripture from the Torah for the first time aloud and may also chant from one of the Torah scrolls (Oxtoby and Segal 61). This significant Jewish tradition is now also widely celebrated for young girls as well, known by the name as a ‘bat mitzvah’.
Shabbat Shalom! (PAUSE) Thank you for coming to my bat mitzvah. It means a lot that you are here to celebrate with me. To me, becoming a Bat Mitzvah means that I am now an adult and part of a legacy. Through this process, I have become a member of the Jewish community. I have religious responsibilities, and also have gained the ability to lead people. I had the choice of becoming a Bat Mitzvah. I decided I wanted to because it meant a lot to carry on the family line of Judaism. It felt important to me to be a part of what all of my cousins and family members have embarked on.
I arrived at the destination of where the ritual observation was to take place at 9:45 a.m. on February 23, 2014. The ritual takes place in Brockville, Ontario in a building called the New Hope Brockville Tabernacle. The tabernacle is a large building that has a tower, also known as a steeple, erected on the roof. On the steeple is the symbol of the cross. The front doors opened up to a large foyer where the majority of the people inside were gathered in various small groups. These groups were composed of members similar in age. Everyone who entered through the doors was greeted with lots of hugs and welcomes.
“Asian Americans is often related to the interchangeable use of race, ethnic identity, and culture to describe this community. For the purposes of this research study, we define culture to be the “customs, norms, practices, and social institutions, including psychological processes . . . [and the] beliefs, values, and practices, including religious and spiritual traditions”” (Liu, 2010)
Before walking into the room where the service was held a lot of different things stood out to me. First off is the kippa. There was a table that was set up that had kippas in a basket for people. This was located in the lobby because the kippa is wore out of a sign of respect in this religion, so before entering they should want to show respect towards their religion is what one of the service ladies told me. The Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses is a reform
Participants will also be made to understand the importance of controlling their feelings since irrespective of the culture; all people have a sense of reading body language and when they point out the difference in body language, many will tend to think they are the cause of the change. In case there are frustrating moments, participants will have to save them for later encounters with those people they are most familiar with e.g. spouses since most of the communication with varied cultural people is non verbal. As a move to win trust of those people from different cultures, participants are urged to make their churches their priorities.
In the 21st century, the country has changed laws to accommodate different cultures. We are a “melting” pot and must respect that our nation is forever changed and forever changing. To close our eyes to see this is like closing our minds that it is happening.
Worship is the celebration of our relationship with God through the act of remembrance, including remembrance of his past work, reevaluation of our present commitment, and a resting in the hope of his promises. The focal means of remembering the covenant and the one to whom we are in relationship is found in the central elements of the Word and Table, which in turn inform and guide our prayers, singing, fellowship, and good deeds. We come together in worship to remember the covenant relationship we have with the Father, through the Son, and by the Holy
The author tackles several issues that he believe presents a barrier into assimilation. He presents some advice and methods for the servant leader to use in an effort to communicate better within a cross-cultural setting. Amongst this portion are several observations that Elmer believes will help a missionary or believer when speaking cross-culturally. He stated that being open is key when working with other cultures, accepting their norms and social mores will also speed up the process because it will evoke trust and respect. Next one should make every effort to learn about the culture, seek information, this will allow for a better biblical approach when presenting the gospel. Another way to gain entry would be to understand where those individuals are coming from, and finally presenting yourself as someone who is willing to serve within the social structure. The final part of the book takes a look at biblical leadership. Joseph is a biblical character that the author chose to feature within this section. The goal within this section is to learn when to take a back seat, when to evoke God within the ministry as it relates to leadership, and finally how to handle complications that can arise when one’s mind and feelings do not coincide with each
There are a lot of different cultures in the world we live in today. Finding the place you belong and discovering your own culture can be a challenge. This is especially true when you look at culture as an individual versus culture in your family, or even within your community. I’ve always been very family oriented, so that plays a big part in who I am and how my family’s dynamic works. I believe that my family has had a huge impact on the development of my culture, and I hope that I have had the same impact on theirs.