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Synagogue Reflection For as long as I can remember God has been a significant part of my life. I grew up in a Catholic household and went to church every Sunday. With this, I grew close to my faith. Today, I continue to practice my Catholic faith in which I pray, and attend mass when necessary. I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ who is our savior. I believe in the practices the Catholic church teaches such as God’s commandments. This is what I grew up knowing, and this is what I continue to believe.
On Saturday, January 27th, 2018, I had the opportunity to participate in a Shabbat service at Sinai Synagogue. Initially I was weary about going to this service not only because it was not my religion, but I had never been to a place
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I learned that the people at the Shabbat service are very passionate about their faith as much as I am about mine. I learned that this way of worship is normal to them just as my way of worship is normal to me. I learned that they read their texts with love and passion and they are eager to share this with their guests. I learned that they read their texts in Hebrew because that is what they believe God wanted them to do. I learned that at least ten Jewish people are needed in order for there to be a specific Jewish worship. From my eyes I saw things a little differently. For instance, some of the people at the service were extremely welcoming to all and during the service they would go up to people and talk to one another while the service was in session. Another time one of the men came and collected books during the service because they were no longer needed. I saw this as a bit of a disruption. This takes away from worshiping God. Another thing I saw differently was the reason behind reading in Hebrew. From my point of view, I think that the readings should be in English so everybody could understand and relate. From my eyes I saw that the people who did not understand Hebrew were withdrawn from the service and did not pay much
...t also with acceptance as one of their own, although I never wore a Tallit or Kippah. This was a very peculiar position since I have never been so accustomed to this sort of kindness. By the end of the Jewish service, not only did I respect and appreciate their faith much more, but, in a way, I began to grow a love for it as well. While I felt no negative feelings towards the service, the most positive aspect would, most definitely, be the warmth I felt from everyone inside the Synagogue and from the presentation of the building itself. At first glance, I was not able to fully appreciate the decorations in the room, but the longer I observed I began to realize each decoration represented something significant. Overall, if I learned anything important this day it is that one thing holds true: I can still appreciate ideas and concepts even if I do not agree with them.
The Ways in Which Shabbat is Observed in Jewish Homes and in the Synagogue Shabbat, the Jewish holy day, begins at sunset on Friday night and ends Saturday night when the first star appears. It usually lasts 25 hours. Jewish people observe Shabbat in many different ways. On Shabbat, Jews are forbidden to work. This is because they believe that on their holy day they should devote themselves entirely to praying, worshipping God and studying the Torah.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience of learning more about a new culture and participating in their cultural events. My original fear of being an intruder went away when people would be friendly and introduce themselves to me. I was surprised to enter the prayer room and see that people were sitting on the floor because I am used to people having a chair to sit on. I was also nervous about sitting on the floor for a long period of time because my body is not used to it and I am not as youthful as I once was. After about thirty minutes, I started to get really uncomfortable, but I continued to sit because I did not want to be offensive by standing. I was surprised to see volunteers cooking meals for the guest because that is not something that I am used to seeing at a
This experience was really out of my comfort zone. It was hard to be an outsider and not prepared for what was to come and not speaking one of the languages used to understand the entire service. This service learning project gave me the opportunity to try a new church and gain a deeper respect for a different religion. Everyone at the service was very educated on speaking the sacred texts and participating in the rituals practiced. I hope to have gained a better understanding for those who are new to religions and are nervous to come to a worship service. I will make more of an effort to be welcoming and accommodating to those who are new to our church.
When choosing a religious service I was very limited on my choices so I was intrigued to go back to my roots and try the Catholic denomination. This denomination is the one that is most prevalent in my community and also in my social circle as well. Since I have actually been to a Catholic church as a child I thought I knew what to expect but I was shocked at how naive I was to the subject. My preconceived ideas and thoughts were that there would be a lot of getting down on your knees then back up again then saying your Hail Mary’s with not much depth to a service. Also growing up with a social group that was full of Catholics you would always hear of confession so that was something I was particularly dreading for the fact that I did not quite understand the concept and believe in it. This did not take place however which was a sigh of relief on my part cause I was not ready for that big of a leap from my own comfort zone.
Overall, my visit to the Center for Jewish Life in Marlboro, N.J. was an enlightening experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Ultimately, I thought it was delightful to see that whether you are at a Church or Synagogue, the main purpose of the establishment is to bring people together to pray for health, happiness and love for another.
The first cultural immersion activity that I participated in was going to St. Charles Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2014). I had a friend who was catholic attend the church with me so I would have a better understanding of what to do and not stand out so much. In addition, I asked my friend to attend with me so I would not do anything in church that was disrespectful. Before going to the church, I thought that I would have to dress up in dress clothes but my friend told me that it is not necessary to dress up for a catholic church, which surprised me. When we first got there, my friend used the holy water and kneeled before entering the pew. I did not do these things because I felt like I would mess up and it would be disrespectful to the religion to mess up those things. Another thing I noticed was when everyone was entering after they have found their seats they would kneel and pray. Later I asked my friend what everyone was doing and she said it was praying to catch up and talk to God about things that has happened since the last time you talked to him.
Starting every Friday night, for 25 hours, Jews are forbidden ride cars, use electronic devices, use money, cook, and many other things. Those who do not observe Shabbat might think of it as a day filled with stringent restrictions, or as a day full of prayer like is the Christian Sabbath. But for those who do observe it, Shabbat is a precious gift from God, a day of bliss impatiently awaited throughout the week, a day when we can disconnect from our weekday worries and dedicate ourselves to more important things such as G-d and our families. Most Jewish families eat the Shabbat meal together. Imagine having Thanksgiving, with all the delicious meals and spending quality time with your close relatives, but instead of once a year, you get to do it every week! Shabbat is a time to connect with the family and G-d, a day of rest and peace. I wish i could explain the magical feeling there is at a Shabbat table. Everybody singing Hebrew songs, the smell of the delicious food on the table, and the sensation of relief, freedom from your everyday tasks, all this while surrounded by those you love most. that is something that cannot be topped. I have yet to experience something as satisfying as a Shabbat dinner. Here in Panama, we are blessed to have most of the community keep the Shabbat, which unites us in a way that nothing ever
The background of Orthodox Judaism traces back to towards the end of the eighteenth century as a reaction to the events that were taking place around this time. The age of Enlightenment was one of these events, followed by Jewish emancipation. The results of these events were a society reformed by the use of reasoning and the rights of the European Jews being expanded in many nations. Orthodox Judaism was produced as an outcome of the many upcoming branches of Judaism. “Orthodox Judaism views itself as the continuation of the beliefs and practices of normative Judaism, as accepted by the Jewish nation at Mt. Sinai and codified in successive generations in an ongoing process that continues to this day. While all orthodox movements are similar in their beliefs and observance, they differ in the details that are emphasized and in their attitudes toward modern culture and the State of Israel. Modern Orthodox tend to be a bit more liberal and more Zionistic” (Katz). The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, and the oral Torah hold authority in the Jewish honor. Rambam’s thirteen Principles of Faith are the major beliefs of Orthodox Judaism in a nutshell.
Shabbat is the celebration of the Sabbath. Jews recognize sunset on Friday into Saturday evening as their Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of rest that is set apart from other days, a day in which Jews focus themselves on spiritual gratitude and reflection. Shabbat is considered one of the most important rituals to Jews. Shabbat is the observance of two interrelated commandments; to remember Shabbat (Zakhor), and to observe Shabbat (Shamor) (jewfaq.org). On Shabbat Jews rest themselves from daily tasks and take the time to enrich their minds spiritually.
Learning about Judaism caught my interest the most, so I decided to visit a Synagogue that was in my area named Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses; where I attended a Shabbat service on a Saturday morning. Shabbat means a day of rest. On my way to this event, I was a little nervous because I was unaware of what exactly to expect because I am from the Christian religion. This was a different atmosphere for me, but everyone was very welcoming. The place was beautifully decorated with many glass murals and Hebrew writings on the walls. The set up when walking into the room where the service was held was with the podium at the front and many rows of seats reminded me of what my church looks like.
I also thought that I would instantly start doubting my practices and beliefs after attending this church. To my surprise, after this experience was over I still felt the exact same way about beliefs. The most enjoyable part of my experience would have to be the scenery of the church, from the marvelous baptismal font to the paintings in the windows. My least favorite part of my experience would have to be the sermon, and maybe it is because I am not use to listening to a short rushed through summary. It actually felt weird being outside of my comfort zone and being a “foreigner” at a different church. I cannot really say that this visit to this Catholic Church really affected me in any way, but I will say that this was a pleasurable experience to have in my
The people there were all extremely nice and would try to help me understand. They understood and accepted the fact that I wasn’t religious, but was showing interest in their faith. There were not as much people there as I had expected, but that might have been because it was a smaller church. It also wasn’t as racially diverse as I had expected. I thought that because it is the world’s biggest religion, that it
Upon entering, you could literally feel the sense of calmness in the scene. It was so quiet that I felt even my whispering was too loud. I had no intention of visiting the temple to change my personal beliefs, but I was curious to see what it was like being in a different religious setting. Being able to sit with a monk and hear what he had to say about the Buddhism and some teachings was an amazing experience. The monk had us practicing meditation, which was troublesome for me because I did not really understand or get that feeling of “knowing where my mind was at”. What I liked the most about visiting the temple was that I did not get that forced welcoming feeling that I usually get when I go to a Catholic or Christian church. I do not like all of the forced hellos and handshakes when I am entering a church. During my car ride home, I realized that there are many different types of people and religion in such a small area around us. It was a humbling experience to take the time to learn about a different culture and religion that focused so much on keeping the mind
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a service that I got to attend that was different from my own religious tradition. I decided to go with my chosen topic because to be honest I had never experienced or thought to experience a different type of church service other than the one I grew up in. I grew up in a Christian home and attended a non-denominational Christian church on a regular basis. I just never felt the need to experience something that was different. So I decided to attend a mass at a Catholic church. I had been to weddings in a Catholic church and even funerals with a Catholic involvement but not an actual mass.