By: Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR – In an attempt to help Jewish people who have become disconnected from their heritage, Beth El Synagogue is offering a "learning minyan."
The centuries-old "learning minyan" tradition is open to anyone wishing to learn more about Jewish services and faith.
"The learning minyan is a separate Sabbath service for adults who want to know what’s going on with the service, but really have no background – Hebrew reading’s not required," said Michael Benson, a Hebrew school and adult education teacher at Beth El. It will be a regular weekly service beginning Saturday.
"I spend some time explaining and answering questions, but I try to go through the basic elements of the service at the same time," Mr. Benson said. "This way, you don’t have to become a religious person, but you get to find out what’s going on. All questions are welcome!"
This explanatory service should be especially helpful for those who have become disconnected from their heritage, often because of the new mobility of our society. Mr. Benson uses materials developed from efforts in the New York area to reconnect Jews to their roots.
"These were people who did not grow up in strictly Jewish neighborhoods and were not attending the synagogue regularly. They had some kind of need to go back to the synagogue, but they didn’t know what they were doing."
Even parents who want their children to be connected to the tradition may not be connected themselves. Students at the Beth El’s Hebrew school are required to attend Sabbath service occasionally, and Mr. Benson has noticed that often their parents accompanying them seem confused and uncomfortable at the service.
"Their parents don’t know anything about it."
In his explanations Mr. Benson will focus on different aspects of the service, so participants will accumulate a more and more complete introduction to Jewish tradition through the weeks. This week Mr. Benson will focus on the special prayers for the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper.
"It’s an introduction to the regular service, so after attending a number of times – whether it be three times or 30 times — someone who’s in the learning minyan can go into the regular service and basically know what’s going on. If they stay with us for a few months, they’ll know a good part of the major prayers and they’ll be familiar with the other prayers, even though they don’t know them that well," Mr. Benson said.
There is the chance to experience the special sights, sounds and even smells of the traditional Sabbath service. Mr. Benson will try to do justice to both the emotional and intellectual aspects of the service.
In his own studies he has taken an academic approach to the service. "But personally, I’ve always been an emotional person in the service, so I try to bring both of those together." He earned a Ph.D. in ancient Jewish history and literature at New York University.
The leaning minyan will be in Beth El’s Bard Chapel at the same time as the regular Sabbath service: 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. on Saturdays at Beth El Synagogue, 50 Maple Stream Road.
