During the Service we ask that you silence your cellphones and be respectful of the synagogue. Upon entering the sanctuary, it is a sign of respect for male attendees to cover their head with a kippah (skull cap). Feel free to keep it!!! The service lasts about 90 minutes. We also wish for you to follow along during the service (if you aren’t familiar with the service, there is a lot of repetition).
Bennett Kasen will be wearing a tallit worn by his grandfather, Gerald Kasen, who also wore this tallit at his Bar Mitzvah and was first used in 1939, and Ezekiel will be wearing his father’s tallit, which was also worn during his Bar Mitzvah.
Ezekiel and his tallit 
Bennett and his tallit
A tallit is a Prayer Shawl with fringes called tzitzit which are tied in a very particular way described in the Torah.
The Kiddish Cup and Candle Sticks were once used by the great grandparents of the B’nai Mitzvah so they are 4th generation and about 80 years old. Kiddush in Hebrew means “holy” and the Shabbat (Sabbath), the holy rest day each week, is set apart and made holy by lighting candles and drinking a little wine on Friday evening and then again at sundown on Saturday with a short service called Havdalah, meaning separation.
Temple Ohabei Shalom is a Reform Synagogue and uses a Siddur or prayer book called Mishkan T’filah which you will pick up when you enter. You will also pick up another book containing the Torah and Haftarah readings that are used during the service.
Ben and Zeke will become B’nai Mitzvah during the Shabbat morning service, the most important and longest service of the week. The Service starts with the opening readings and song.
We then transition into the heart of the service, Shaharit, the morning prayer in which we sing the Sh’ma, considered our single most important prayer. Next is the Torah Service which is when Ben and Zeke will read from the Torah.
There will be five readings, each called an Aliyah. A person or persons will be called to the Torah to recite a blessing before and after each reading. During this part of the service, Ben and Zeke will each be called to the Torah to do their first ever Aliyah. This is the point in the service where each of them will become a Bar Mitzvah and will become an adult member of the Jewish community.
During the Torah service, close friends and family will be honored with mitzvot which are honored roles in the ceremony. Almost all of these individuals participated Ben and Zeke’s Brit Milah thirteen years ago.
The Torah portion for this week is called Vayyigash and tells the story of the re-unification of Joseph with his father and brothers and lots of nieces and nephews in Egypt where they have fled to avoid famine in Canaan.
Ben and Zeke will then read from the Book of Nvi’im, or prophets. Their reading will be from the book of Ezekiel telling the story of the coming together of the tribes of Israel under one king, David.
The closing prayers follow the Torah readings.
After the service, we invite you to join us for a snack (Kiddush)