Shofar (TBE Newsletter)

The Shofar, Temple Beth El’s monthly publication, keeps community and temple members up to date on what’s going on. Take a look at this month’s Shofar to see what’s coming up or browse through the archives to see all that we’ve done!

May 2025 – Shofar (pdf)

Feedback Regarding Service Length: A Tircha d’Tzibura (Hardship Upon the Community)Midrash

Dear Esteemed TBE Members,

For this month’s Shofar article, I would like to simply state that I continue to receive feedback from congregants who have been frustrated with the length of services at our sweet synagogue. Many of those sharing their feelings have not been to synagogue services in awhile and may be unaware that I have made efforts to shorten service length, to respond to the concerns and to recognize that several of you have felt that it is a tircha d’Tzibura—a strain on the community, that services have gone longer than desired. This came to a head during Rosh Hashanah services, but the reality is that once a service feels long to a congregant, they believe that it will be immutably long forever afterward.

I want to change this. I want you to attend our Shabbat and Days of Awe services. I miss you!  Here is my service length aspiration: I will try to shorten adult Friday Night Services from 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours to 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours.  Rosh Hashanah services will be shortened, but not sure just yet because this book is still new for us…probably less reader parts, shorter sermon, and less song. Yom Kippur services may remain the same, as the feedback I have received was almost entirely regarding Rosh Hashanah, and people are fasting, anyway.

There are several explanations for why there has been a challenge for us on this point, but what matters more than this is the feeling you carry, and I want to remedy any feelings you may carry about service length. First, my background as a Reform Jew led me to Reform synagogues such as Stephen S. Wise Temple, where services are longer than in the history (it seems) of Temple Beth El; I assumed that this is standard fare for Reform synagogues,especially on Rosh Hashanah. Second, while I have years of experience as a rabbi, most of my spaces have been pluralistic spaces such as Hillel, where all the denominations are present and students are accustomed to being surrounded by traditional forms. Third, as a congregational rabbi, I was not accustomed to reading Torah on Friday nights (since my arrival, though, we only read Torah on Friday nights once or twice a month due to other service styles that do not include a Torah service), and of course that adds significant time to the Friday night experience. Fourth, we recently changed Machzors (Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur prayer books) from the single volume Gates of Repentance to the much more elaborate two-volume Mishkan HaNefesh, and this transition has been a learning experience that requires simplification. Fifth but less significantly, there is a marked historical difference in service length between Christian and Jewish services; those raised in churches may have assumptions that simply are different. And finally, guilty as charged—this Rabbi likes to talk! I hope you know that it is out of passion for our traditions, and I so dearly want to share this Torah with you! Still…

Nevertheless, I have received feedback, and I hope you feel my humility. Kibalti v’Shamati—I have received, and I have heard. I will endeavor to shorten our worship services so that you can feel that our services speak more directly to you.

There will be times of disappointment, but please know that I am trying!

I love Temple Beth El, and more specifically, I love our Kehillah K’doshah (Sacred Community)—YOU!—with our wonderful cast of fantastic characters and lots of stories from over 77 years of Jewish pride. I recently found in myoffice the certificate that essentially declares our “charter” with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations,from 1947! We have a wonderful community, and more than my needs, I am here to serve you.

As we close out the school year and ready ourselves for summer, I wish you all a wonderful month of May!

Blessings,

Rabbi Jonathan Klein

p.s. send me feedback via phone: 424.248.5775. Thank you!

SHOFAR ARCHIVES