One of the congregations in New York City that is considered edgy, progressive, “out there,” and forward-thinking is called LabShul. Even the name of the community embodies who they are, and the principle they’re espousing with their “brand” really resonates with me. What might it mean to think of prayer, services, the Siddur, and our individual relationships with God as opportunities for experimentation and exploration? We don’t often think of the synagogue or the Sanctuary as a laboratory… but why not?
There is, of course, value in repetition and familiarity as well. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. It can be a tremendously spiritual experience to close your eyes, sing along to the Shema or the Aleinu, or any other oft-repeated prayer, and just feel comfortable and in sync with everyone else. AND there are also times when we can - and maybe should - delve deeper into the meanings behind the prayers. I think it is vitally important to ask ourselves why we chant these words, why we sit or stand or bow, and why we start where we do, move along through these particular prayers in this prescribed order, and then conclude where we always have.
So, how would we find answers to these questions, and maybe discover new questions we didn’t even realize we had before?! Perhaps we need to put our services, our tefillot, under a microscope or in a test tube, and really investigate their core properties. Well, that is exactly what we intend to do! Starting on November 7th, our Sunday morning minyan is going to magically transform into “MinyanLab.” We are going to depart from the regular order of services, and instead focus on just 3 or 4 prayers, over the course of a 45-minute service, to really explore and dissect what they are all about. We’ll also incorporate some chanting and meditation, to help create the mood and proper atmosphere for prayer.
I want to thank Naomi Wicentowski, our new Ritual Committee Chairperson, for working with me on launching this, and a very special thank you to the minyan regulars - our Minyanaires - for allowing the congregation to experiment with our Sunday morning minyan. MinyanLab will take place *every* Sunday, and each week will focus on a different aspect of the service and how (and why) we pray.
I hope you’ll consider attending. MinyanLab can’t work if we don’t have participants to delve and deconstruct and question and explore. I want to go on this journey with all of you, and I want us to craft and discover meaning within Jewish prayer *together*. I can’t do it alone. So please bring your questions, your struggles, and your curiosity, and join me every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. (starting in November) for our new Ohev Shalom MinyanLab. Happy exploring!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Gerber
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