22 | MARCH 16 • 2023
OUR COMMUNITY
I
n mid-2019, Volunteer Ritual
Chair Marc Sussman and
Congregation B’nai Moshe
leadership got together to reju-
venate and create an alternative
Shabbat morning experience,
something different
from the usual.
Several ideas were
brainstormed about
what people would
be interested in.
What they ended
up formulating
was a Shabbat
Experience unique to the con-
gregation in more ways than
one.
The first part is sort of a ser-
vice, but it’s big on spirituality,
mindfulness and gratefulness.
When in prayer, the group
might hum or sing a line not
ordinarily from the usual prayer
service. There’s a lot of call-and-
response singing involved. The
participants pay attention to the
world around them. It’s medi-
tative.
“There’s closing the eyes and
stretching out the words and
sensing our breathing in and
out, that’s what we do with half
a dozen or so different passages,
”
Sussman said. “We talk about
the soul, the spirit, breath and
wind, and how those concepts
are intertwined. We’ll sing a line
from Ashrei. We’ll talk about
thankfulness, the things that
make us grateful or happy that
occurred during the past week.
It’s highly spiritual.
”
There’s a certain amount of
variety, session after session, of
the things they do — often guid-
ed by the desires of the group.
“
An important part of daven-
ing for anybody is this element
of connection you have to have;
otherwise, it’s just saying words,
”
Sussman said. “We try to make it
as meaningful as possible.
”
B’nai Moshe Executive
Director Steve Fine said, “The
first part is sort of like yoga
without the stretching.
”
Most of all, in a world filled
with responsibilities and pres-
sures, the B’nai Moshe Shabbat
Experience seeks to renew one’s
soul.
“That’s our biggest goal,
”
Sussman stated. “Instead of peo-
ple just saying they went to shul,
we want them to say, ‘I went to
this Shabbat Experience, and I
feel refreshed and renewed.
’”
The second part
of the Shabbat
Experience is an
interactive dis-
cussion session
almost always
about some
aspect of prayer,
often focused on
learning about
the prayers people
have been saying
for years that they maybe have
never given any deep thought to.
Sussman leads this part, and he
says he’s learned a tremendous
amount in the process.
“It’s a discussion of, ‘What do
you think of this prayer? Does
this touch you? Does it uplift
you? Did you like or dislike say-
ing these words? Do you think
you can or can’t say these words
honestly?’ That’s what we get
into in our jolly little group.
”
Sussman says the congrega-
tion encourages anyone to try
the experience — members
and non-members, friends and
acquaintances — and to come as
you are.
“It’s a pretty good variety of
prayer experience and medita-
tive experience,
” Sussman said.
“I’ve never been one for doing
that, closing your eyes and expe-
riencing the world
around you. But I
really like it. It’s a
nice opportunity
for me to just take
it easy.
”
The group first
met in February
2020. After meet-
ing in person a
few times, they
stopped for sever-
al months due to the pandemic,
then started up on Zoom before
returning to meet face-to-face
around November 2021.
The experience takes place
every three to four weeks in
the chapel at B’nai Moshe. Both
parts typically last around 45
minutes each.
One of the major forces
behind the experience is Hannah
Fine, who originally led the first
part. When she accepted a job
out of town, her
parents Steve and
Elyse took it over.
“We have referred
to the experience as
the best-kept secret
at B’nai Moshe,
”
Steve Fine said. “It’s
different. It’s not like sitting in a
sanctuary, but that’s one of the
beauties of it.
”
More than anything, B’nai
Moshe views it as a chance to
experience Shabbat in a different
way.
“Somebody once said that, in
this program, we learn prayers
both holy and wholly. That’s a
really good way to express it,
”
Fine said. “We wanted to try
another way to reach people.
If you find that the sanctuary
service is not for you, give this a
try.
”
Learn more and find dates for the B’nai
Moshe Shabbat Experience at www.
bnaimoshe.org and www.facebook.
com/BnaiMoshe.
Congregation B’nai Moshe’s
Shabbat Experience is a unique
alternative to the usual.
B’nai Moshe’s
Best Kept Secret
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Hannah
Fine
Marc
Sussman
Elyse and
Steve Fine