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
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.
In the early times of the synagogue had an essential role in the evolution of American Jewish life. Around the colonial period, the synagogue was the only Jewish institution and came to be compatible with the community. They gave both the religious and social needs for the environment. It symbolized the Jewish community as a whole. But it has undergone many changes. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the dynamic had shifted a little. There were movements to provide the needs of the Jewish communities. There was a Reform movement and a Conservative movement. These movements were a mix of religious and social functions. This was a precursor used for all the other synagogues had followed. Today, the role of the synagogue is retaining itself as an authoritative and dominating central building for American Jews. The temple has become an accepting association funding and shares the community obligation for Jewish education. Not only that, they have began to strengthen community building through social and political work. The synagogue remains a religious establishment for Jewish
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.
Bar Mitzvahs are practices that celebrate the coming of age for a child, which means that the child has reached the age of maturity and is responsible for him/herself under Jewish law (Hopfe 197-198). Bar Mitzvahs have more historical roots in Judaism, however, since the Bat Mitzvah is more of a modern day innovation practiced by many non-Orthodox congregations. The historical purpose of the Bar Mitzvah is celebrate a boy becoming man which means that he can then participate in the minyan, and fulfill all the Torah’s commandments (Hopfe 198). Surprisingly, these obligations that are associated with the coming of age aren’t dependent on whether a Bar Mitzvah happens or not. Therefore a Bar Mitzvah is really just meant to celebrate the milestone in the child’s life in a joyous
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.
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...
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.
Every day at 9:00 a.m. sharp All the youth had to report to the Youth Tabernacle for the youth’s two and a half hour worship service led by the very capable,spiritual, and talented speaker named Angela.Every day she brought people to their knees crying and praying to God.I know of many people who confessed their sins and gave their life to Jesus Christ that week.I was one of those people.
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
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’.
“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)
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