The DC Beit Midrash
is the flagship study program of the DC Minyan. The weekly program
opens with a half-hour class taught by a rotating pool of talented
educators, using the weekly Torah portion as a jumping-off point.
Although the classes feature a high level of insight and discourse,
they do not require any particular background in Jewish studies or
language and sources are always provided in English. Following the
class is an hour-long paired study period in which chavrutot,
or study pairs, inquire into subjects or texts of their own choosing.
The organizers of the Beit Midrash are available to match chavrutot
or suggest a course of study based on one's interests and
background. For more information, checkout www.dcbeitmidrash.org
or email .
Leading Services
If you would like help in preparing to lead any aspect of the services
-- leading prayers, reading the Torah/Haftarah, or delivering a Dvar
Torah -- we would be very happy to match you up with a tutor. Tutors
are available for beginners or those who are simply looking to brush
up. Please email the Gabbai Committee at
for information, or to offer to teach.
Learn How to Lead Services! You can download sheets with
directions for how to lead services - including when to sing, when to
chant, how to stand, and lots more right here:
Getting Acquainted with the Service
The structure and choreography of services can seem daunting but truly
need not be. If you are looking for an explanation of what goes on
during services and why, please email the Gabbai Commitee at
.
We have recorded several
MP3 files (with the great help of Kehilat Hadar, our sister
congregation in NY), that review the Friday night and Shabbat morning
davening, including nusah (melody/tune) as well as detailed
instructions for service leaders. We hope these will be
valuable both to those who have led before and would like to review, as
well as to those who are learning to lead for the first time.
Please feel free to download them for your personal use. E-mail us at
with any
questions. Reviewing these files alone is only one part of the process
of learning to lead, so while we encourage those interested to make use
of them, we are also happy to help facilitate learning in a one-on-one
setting. To save the files to you computer
you
might need to right click on the links below and choose "save as."
Friday night services begin with mincha (if
starting before sunset) and then continue with Kabbalat Shabbat:
Kabbalat shabbat ends here with Mourner's Kaddish, and then depending
on the practice of the minyan, this can be followed with a dvar Torah
or text study (and then Kaddish deRabbanan), or maariv can begin
immediately.
Shabbat morning services
at The DC Minyan begins with Mizmor Shir Hanukkat
haBayit l'David (the first psalm of P'sukei d'Zimra).
Appendix (with additional tunes, plus Blessing the New Month):
We welcome your feedback on these files - and please let us know if you
are having trouble accessing them. Since the files were originally
created as one continuous recording on a tape, it may be best to burn
all the files in order on a CD.
We can provide tapes or cds for those who are not able to download the
above files. Just email
with
your request. Be sure to let us know if you would like a tape or a cd.
Thanks again to Kehilat Hadar for technical recording help as well as
website assistance.