Project Home

Western Places to Visit

Eastern Places to Visit

Temple Ner Shalom

by Bianca Vargas

I attended the Temple Ner Shalom on Friday, October 18, at 8 p.m. "Ner Shalom" means Light of Peace in Hebrew. This temple houses a reform congregation that is more modern and open as opposed to a traditional or orthodox Jewish congregation. For example, attire, particular foods, and ancestors are not stressed in order to become Jewish at this facility. Hebrew education and knowledge, and belief in God were stressed more. It is a fairly small congregation of about 120 families in membership. A member informed me that the Sabbath or holy day of the week is from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. The religious leader was the rabbi, T. Gershon Blackmore. The Friday night service is called the Torah service from which there was a sermon based on these Jewish sacred writings. The Torah contains the first five books of the old testament of the Bible in Hebrew. One member informed me that, "The believers try to read the Torah all the way through every year."

When I entered the worship area I noticed high ceilings and lots of windows way above the walls. There were actually 18 windows, which is a sacred Jewish "magic number" as told to me by a member. There was one eternal light above the center of the podium. On either side of the light was Hebrew scrawled in gold paint. There were two windows that were shaped like the tablets the Torah was to be found on in Jewish religious history. To the right of the podium was a table that the Torah could be laid on and read from. The wall behind the Table was made of a dark wood. In rich colors of paint were pictures symbolizing God, nature, and love. There was a crown, a rose, the menorah, and a horizon with the city of Israel in the background. The wall was split down the middle allowing it to split into two sliding panels. This was the ark, which contained the sacred writings of the Torah.

When I first entered the service, a member handed me a songbook and a prayer book entitled Gates of Prayer. A member sitting next to me informed me that in Judaism, you read from right to left so the pages were numbered backwards. The book had many different sections such as the Shabbat and Haftorah. Rather than having a bulletin or paper that outlined the services, there were designated responsive readings and songs in English and Hebrew to choose from. The rabbi played a guitar while leading the congregation through much of the service. The members stood and sat during various songs and readings. 

The rabbi led a wedding song and showed the congregation how they would perform such an activity during a Jewish wedding. They then read a section of the prayer book called the "Reader's Kaddish" and followed it with meditation and prayer. After more singing, there was a reading entitled, "A Vision of a World Redeemed". 

Now, the Torah service officially begins. The children are called to the ark. The members begin to sing along as the ark is opened and the Torah scrolls are removed. They are in a white cloth with gold embroider. One of the temple leaders walks up and down each aisle so that the congregation may touch the prayer book to the Torah. The rabbi then read a portion of the Torah. He then asked if there were birthdays, anniversaries, or special events to share with the congregation. They followed that by singing a song, "Mi Shebeirach." 

The rabbi then announced that there was member that was going to be converted to Judaism that night. The female had attended a Hebrew university, and took necessary steps such as "being bathed naked before certain church officials" as part of her right of passage, as told to me by a member observing. The convert then led part of the singing and reading of the Torah. The rabbi then asked the congregation if they had prayer requests or blessings to lift up to God. They again sang, "Mi Shebeirach". The rabbi proceeded to ask the female further questions about her faith in Judaism as she was, "Welcome[d] into the family of Israel." She then read from the Haphtarah, Isaiah 40:27. 
The children are then called again in order to place the Torah back into the ark. The congregation read, prayed, and bowed. The rabbi said to reflect on those that have died. The congregation read the Kaddish again. Then, announcements and temple happenings for the near future were read. There was a closing song and kaddish before dismissal. The entire service lasted a total of one and a half hours.

This was a very new and different experience for me. I feel that I benefited greatly from this visit into the Jewish community. It was interesting to compare the similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity. For example, I was unaware that the Torah had any reference to the Bible that Christians use. I was also very interested in the meanings behind many of the structures within the temple. This was an experience that I know I won't forget.

Return to top