Erev Shabbos!

Starting this shabbos:  Zoo Minyan will now be ushering in the holy shabbos queen on a regular basis.

Zoo Minyan has met for Sat. morning services for 10 years (can you believe it?) -- and now Fridays too.  It seems like an auspicious time to inaugurate something new...

The Details:
This Friday night, December 19th
Shmoozing plus set-up: 5:30pm
Rockin' Kabbalat Shabbat -- 6pm sharp!
Followed by Ma'ariv, dinner, singing, drashing, more shmoozing....

(see below for details about dinner -- it's not just a pot-luck!)

At Ken Goldstein's house in Mt. Pleasant
For address and directions, check your Zoo Mail, or write to Fridays@ZooMinyan.org


A few things to expect (besides the unexpected)

• Creative rituals and Kavanot
  

For example: To add sweetness from the week to shabbat, we will pass around the kiddush cup during kabbalat shabbat.  For each of the mizmorim (psalms, corresponding to each of the days of the week), a few people at a time will share something from their week to add to our overflowing cup of joy.

• Nigunim

Both soulful and spirited tunes, with lots of repetition and space to sink into the melodies. (Sometimes, you don't really start singing a good melody until you've been singing it for 20 minutes!)

• Nusach shivyoni
  

Davenning leaders will be using our photocopied siddurim with egalitarian language (see the Guide for the Perplexed).  Other siddurim will also be available, and everyone is welcome to daven from their own siddur.  Certain kinds of cacophony / pluralism create their own harmony.

• Raza d'Shabbat ("the mystery of shabbos")

Between Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv, where Nusach Sefard has a passage from the Zohar and Nusach Ashkenaz has a passage from the Mishnah, we will have a (three minute) drash.  Drawing on the text of the tefillot (or parshat shavua or other relevant texts), we aim to provide kavannah for davenning and for our entry into shabbos.

Logistics

Helping out:

1. Procure dinner entrees from Rockville -- ALL SET 
   
2. Schlep siddurim, pot-luck plates & utensils, and benchers
   
3. Helping to organize set-up and clean-up
   
4. Leading Kabbalat Shabbat -- ALL SET
   
5. Raza d'Shabbat: Kavanah / Torah between Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv
   
6. Leading Ma'ariv
   

Write back to Fridays@ZooMinyan.org to help out!

About Dinner

We will have main courses from Siena's! Kosher, lots of dairy plus at least one non-dairy option, all veggie, and all yummy! Vegetable lasagna, eggplant parmesan -- send in your requests.

For shabbat dinner, the community provides some hearty entrees. You can:

• Contribute to the kitty to help pay for the entree,

         AND / OR

• Bring a side dish, salad, drink, or desert as a dairy / veggie pot-luck contribution.
  
  

Don't worry about whether your kitchen is kosher (or “kosher enough”), everyone gets to contribute. But please be prepared to explain what's in your dish, to help people avoid allergy or kashrut issues.

If you're worried about whether you'll be able to eat at Zoo Minyan, there is always a critical mass of pot-luck contributions with a heksher or cooked in someone's heksher-only kitchen. There are always hekshered challot and grape juice. The entree is hekshered, and (for the l'mehadrin) heated while double-wrapped. And you'll get to know people as you ask who brought which dish.