“Meaning and Music of Shabbat Prayers” adult education

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., is offering the “Meaning and Music of Shabbat Prayers” adult education series.

This course is designed for Jews and non-Jewish family members who know the melodies but never learned the prayers in Hebrew, as well as persons who are not Jewish but would like to learn more about our Shabbat prayers.

​​The prayers of Shabbat are meaningful and beautiful and most are sung in Hebrew. But many members of Reform congregations never studied Hebrew or were provided the opportunity to learn to chant or sing the prayers in Hebrew.

Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Cantor Baruch Koritan from Temple Beth Shalom have identified several of Judaism’s most common, yet important prayers in order to help the participants learn the music and words to each. They will lead this course so the participants will be able to understand the significance and meaning of each of these prayers and how to sing or chant them in Hebrew, using transliterated Hebrew.  It doesn’t matter if you can sing well or you can’t “carry a tune.” There is room for everyone.

The prayers that will be covered during these four sessions include:  the blessing before lighting the Shabbat candles; how to make an Aliyah; the Amidah, Bar’chu’  V’ahavta; L’chah Dodi.

Classes will be from 10-11 a .m. Nov. 6, 9, 13 and 16. Cost is $35 for non-members. Register by contacting the Temple Beth Shalom office at 623.977.3240 between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday by noon Thursday, Nov. 2. For more details, go to tbsaz.org.

​Baruch Koritan has served as Cantor at Temple Beth Shalom since 1992. Also, he is a composer and has been invited to perform his new liturgical settings at workshops and conventions of American Conference of Cantors and Guild of Temple Musicians (ACC/GTM) and Cantors Assembly in the U.S., Canada, and Israel.

​Dana Evan Kaplan has been Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley since 2019. He is the author and editor of several books, including most recently, ” A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism’s Sacred Path.” Before arriving at Temple Beth Shalom, Rabbi Kaplan was the interim rabbi of the Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile, Alabama, and a teacher in the Department of Theology at Spring Hill College. He has led congregations in Kingston, Jamaica, as well as in Albany, Georgia, and Cape Town, South Africa.