Activities/Services > Shabbat

Shabbat

It is said that "More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews." (Ahad Ha'am)

Shabbat is the most important sacred act in Judaism and it is the only ritual event mentioned in the Ten Commandments. Shir Hatzafon offers its members and visitors an opportunity to celebrate Shabbat as a community once a month from September through June. Our celebration takes place on the Shabbat commencing on the first Friday of the month.

At Shir Hatzafon we celebrate Shabbat on Friday evening with Kiddush, we bless the Shabbat by lighting the candles, saying the blessings over the kiddush wine and the challot (two Shabbat bread loaves) and singing Shabbat songs. Afterwards, we enjoy a vegetarian / fish / milchik (dairy) pot-luck dinner.

There are many recipes for challah (plural: challot). To the right you will find a link to a recipe that is popular in Shir Hatzafon. If you want to keep Shabbat at home you can download the pages brachot (blessing) and songs that Shir Hatzafon use Friday evening. You'll find a link to these pages to the right.

On Saturday morning our Shabbat services begin at 10 am and last about two hours. Religious services at Shir Hatzafon are led by our rabbi, chazzanit and musician. A feature of religious services at Shir Hatzafon is the large amount of music and song that is built into the services, as well as the active participation of our members during worship services.

Shir Hatzafon's religious services are conducted in three languages - Hebrew, Danish and English. In our siddur (prayerbook) which we use for Shabbat services you will also find the Hebrew text transcribed into Latin characters.

After the service there is a communal Kiddush and vegetarian / fish / milchik pot-luck lunch.

Shir Hatzafon is an egalitarian synagogue, therefore, women and men sit together during worship. Women and men also participate on equal terms in all the parts of the service. If you are not a member of Shir Hatzafon, but would like to attend one of our a services you are most welcome. We recommend that you send us an email at shirhatzafon@mail.dk and we will then ensure that you will be welcomed and offered any necessary assistance.

When a family has a festive event to celebrate such as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the Shabbat lunch is often sponsored by the family. If you wish to mark a special family occasion you are most welcome to sponsor a Kiddush - please contact the Board.

For guidelines concerning the Kashrut policy of Shir Hatzafon, we kindly refer to the page Kashrut in the menu under About Progressive Judaism. On the Kashrut page you will also find links to other websites on the topic Jewish food.

A few times a year Shir Hatzafon also has a communal Havdallah ceremony to mark the end of Shabbat, where we gather in a private home to round off Shabbat and welcome in the new week. These Havdallah ceremonies are announced in the Shir Hatzafon newsletter and calendar.

To learn more about Shabbat, we recommend the North American Union for Reform Judaism Shabbat website where you can download lyrics and listen to audio files.