Services at CBI
On most Friday mornings, our meditation minyan meets from 9am until 9:30am. All are welcome for silence and contemplation in our beautiful sanctuary overlooking the mountains and the wetlands. No meditation experience is necessary. Usually a short teaching or guided meditation is offered halfway through the meditation time.
Shabbat morning services are held each Saturday morning at 9:30am followed by kiddush around 11am. Shabbat morning services are led twice a month by Rabbi Rachel, and twice a month by other leaders (check our calendar to see who's leading davenen each week.) On Shabbat mornings we use Mishkan T'filah, the Reform siddur.
Over the course of the year we frequently have "special" services: contemplative / chant-based services, or services that interweave contemporary poetry with liturgy, or services that incorporate movement (often led by Rabbi Lori Shaller from Martha's Vineyard). Special services are usually described in advance on the From the Rabbi blog.
For dates and times of upcoming services, including holidays, check our Events page.
What to Expect at Our Services
Davenen (prayer) at CBI is informal, song-filled and participatory. Most of our music invites group singing, and when Rabbi Rachel is leading services she typically leads with a guitar in hand. It doesn't matter if you don't know Hebrew or if you don't know the words - we invite you to hum, tap and clap along!
About half of our prayer is in Hebrew, the ancient language of Jewish faith and worship. Our prayer books include complete English translations and transliterations to allow all to participate meaningfully. All are welcome to daven in Hebrew, or in English, or in a mixture of the two -- whatever language or languages most allows you to speak from your heart.
Jews and non-Jews of all genders are welcome to wear a kippah (yarmulke) during worship, but doing so is not required. Jews above the age of bar/bat mitzvah are encouraged to wear a tallit (prayer shawl) during morning services, but doing so is not required. Kippot and tallitot are available at the entry to the sanctuary.
Attire at CBI is informal. We are a "country" synagogue where many people wear their neat weekend clothes to services. On special occasions, such as the Days of Awe or at the celebration of a bar or bat mitzvah, people do dress a bit more formally - jackets are appropriate for men; dresses, skirts or pantsuits for women.
We respectfully request that clothing be appropriate for worship. If you're attending a bar or bat mitzvah celebration, dress for the service, not for the party that follows.
Download our user-friendly Shabbat Guide (pdf), a one-page introduction and a one-page "roadmap" of Shabbat morning services, here:
