Shabbat/Festivals שבת וחגים/מועדים
Shabbat
Kabbalat Shabbat services
The last Friday of every month at 6pm, followed by a shared dairy meal. Please bring a main or sweet dish to share (no meat please, but fish is okay).
Shabbat Morning services
Every Saturday at 10am
Shabbat is the centrepiece of Jewish life when most Jews, whether traditional or not, tend to enjoy the day as a time to slow down, to eat well, to sing, and to engage with family and friends. Shabbat, for most, is a day of peace, reflection and hospitality.
At Etz Chayim, we make Shabbat a unique and meaningful experience as we join together in prayer, reflection and song. Our services, conducted in both English and Hebrew, create an experience accessible for those both familiar with the liturgy and those starting their explorative journey.
At Etz Chayim, we use Mishkan Tefilah as our siddur [prayer book] and Rabbi Gunther Plaut’s The Torah: A Modern Commentary as our Tanakh, Torah Commentary. Both are available for loan during the service as you enter our sanctuary.
Chagim
With their roots firmly entrenched in the Torah, the key Jewish Holidays and Festivals are not random days scattered throughout the year but are focussed moments of time, each drawing their power from multiple sources including nature, seasons, historical events, communal memory and religious traditions.
As such, Jewish Holidays and Festivals reflect both seasonal and historical cycles and focus our attention to the big questions of life: birth, death, food, shelter, freedom, and responsibility.
Each Holiday and Festival can mean different things to different people at different stages of their lives.
At Etz Chayim we welcome you to explore with us the perspectives and possibilities Judaism offers in celebrating or commemorating the richness of our tradition, and its relevance to us today.
High Holy Days
This year our High Holy Day services are going to be held in our Etz Chayim building. As per usual, we will also be streaming our services through Zoom and YouTube.
All members will be sent High Holy Day tickets and they must bring these with them to all services they attend. ALL NON-MEMBERS MUST REGISTER using our
When you enter the building, you will be required to show photo identification for entry. We would like to welcome as many people as we can, thus registration for each service is required.
Priority seating will be given to our financial Etz Chayim members first and their families, then our conversion candidates, then non-members who pay for entry, then members of other Progressive Synagogues.
- Please Note: Financial membership refers to those Etz Chayim Members who have paid their fees for 5784.
- We will continue to honour the tickets of members at other Progressive congregations without additional payment.
Members of our sister communities will be required to show their High Holy Day ticket from their Congregation or evidence of being in good financial standing with their Progressive Congregation.
If people arrive without registering in advance, we cannot guarantee seating.
NON MEMBERS MUST REGISTER ON OUR TRYBOOKING PAGE:
The prayerbooks we use are the Mishkan T’Shuvah for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These books may be purchased by contacting our office. Alternatively, machzorim will be available to borrow on a first come – first serve basis.
All Services will be streamed live on our YouTube Channel.
Life Cycles
Traditional Jewish rituals accompanying important life cycle events bring joy and comfort to the individuals involved. They also bring the community together in celebration and support. These life cycle rituals are probably among the most important functions that a synagogue can perform. Progressive Judaism has an egalitarian approach to all life-cycle events.
Etz Chayim also marks other milestones in our member’s lives, such as a special birthday or wedding anniversary. Some members enjoy being honoured during a Shabbat morning service or may choose to sponsor a Kiddush for the whole community. Others may mark a significant event by making a donation to the synagogue either for general use or to help us acquire something from our community wish list.
