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RITUAL COMMITTEE'S CODES
A. Synagogue Decorum and Etiquette
1. Temple Beth Shalom does not mandate or reject the use of kipot or
taletot during any of its services. Each member may, according to his
or her preference, pray using any, all or none of these ritual
garments, according to one's conscience.
2. To preserve the dignity of the synagogue and sanctuary, which
represents God's house, persons entering therein will be dressed
appropriately with due regard to modesty. There will be no food,
beverage or smoking permitted in the sanctuary and no smoking permitted
in the building.
3. Photography will not be permitted in the sanctuary during a service
except by permission of the rabbi. If, during a special ceremony,
photographs are desired, the procedure will be that flashbulbs or
artificial lighting is not permitted unless the artificial lighting is
turned on before the service begins and remains constant throughout. No
persons or photographers will be permitted to move through the
sanctuary taking photographs or cinematography during a service. No
flashbulbs or floodlights that are turned on or off during the service
will be permitted; but may be used before or after the service.
4. General decorum shall be maintained during religious services. Any
officer, member of the Ritual Committee or the Rabbi shall be empowered
to request anyone breaking the accepted rules of social behavior to
leave the building.
B. Religious Ritual:
1. It has been the policy of Temple Beth Shalom since its inception
that no interfaith marriage may be celebrated on the premises. The
synagogue's Rabbi, if she or he deems it appropriate, is free to
perform such ceremony outside of the synagogue.
2. Non-Jews may not be included in reading statements of faith
(b'rachot) on the Bimah. They may participate in ceremony and custom.
3. No member of the congregation may celebrate an event in the Synagogue
such as a wedding, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or baby-naming without first
consulting with the Rabbi, who will then satisfy his-or herself that
all the criteria for the proper observance of same as established by
the Synagogue are met.
4. No member may invite a rabbi or other person to perform a service at
Temple Beth Shalom without the permission of the Temple\ Board, in
consultation with . the Ritual Committee and the Rabbi. The final
determination belongs to the Rabbi.
5. Any qualified person wishing to perform a service or part of a
service shall consult with the Rabbi to insure that it is performed
according to Synagogue guidelines.
6. Any time the permission of a Rabbi of the Synagogue is required and
the Rabbi is not available to extend that permission, the Ritual
Committee must give it.
C. Dietary regulations.
1. No meat products of any kind, and no shellfish or other non-kosher
seafood, may be brought to Temple Beth Shalom for purposes of
consumption therein. Only dairy and pareve products are permitted.
Only fish that have both fins and scales are permitted.
2. All cakes and baked goods served at the Temple should be made with
butter or vegetable shortening and not with any other animal fats .
3. In the week prior to Passover, children and adults will clear the
Temple kitchen of all foods that are not appropriate for Passover.
During Passover, no food classified as chametz may be brought into the
Temple.
D. Shabbat and Holy Days.
1. Complete decorum and respect for the Shabbat and what it represents
shall be maintained at all times.
2. Each member shall respect decorum during services being held on all
Holy days.
3. The TBS Judaica Shop may not be open for business transactions on
Shabbat or Yom Tov, until after Kiddush and Motzi.
4. The TBS Office is closed on Shabbat and Yom Tov. No work will be
performed in the office on these days.
5. Volunteer projects sponsored by TBS are permitted on Shabbat and Yom
Tov, as long as they do not conflict with services. These are acts of
G'milut Hasadim and as such are permitted.
E. Miscellaneous.
1. No animals or pets of any sort may be brought on to the synagogue
premises.
2. The Synagogue's Board of Directors must approve the use of the
sanctuary by any private groups for other than religious purposes.
3. Whenever the Synagogue is without a Rabbi, consent for the
performance of activities set forth in these guidelines shall be with
the consent of the Ritual Committee and/or the Board of Directors.
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Requirements for Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Temple Beth Shalom
1. Minimum of three years of religious school education al TBS or the
equivalent in Jewish education. What is equivalent is to be determined
by the Rabbi. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah will continue attending religious
school at least until tile end of the school year his/her Bar/Bat
Mitzvah. Test of basic knowledge is required before beginning the
preparation.
2. Attendance at services on a regular basis during the year preceding
the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. (At least one evening and one morning service per
month as well as on the holidays).
3. Knowledge of Prayer Book and ability to lead evening and morning
Shabbat services, preferably including the cantorial.
4. Ability to chant or read in Hebrew at least verses of Torah and the
Haftarah, including the appropriate blessings, as assigned by the
Rabbi.
5. Comprehension of the Torah and Haftarah portions, as well as the
relationship between them. Preparation of a sermon (written principally
by the Bar/Bat Mitzvah) with the emphasis on the significance of the
portions to the celebrant.
6. Involvement in a social-action project during the year preceding the
Bar/Bat Mitzvah (in consultation With the Rabbi).
7. Parental participation in the preparation (in consultation with the
Rabbi, with respect to services, learning, social-action project,
celebration).
8. The Rabbi and Religious School Principal have final say in
preparation of Bar/Bat Mitzvah (readiness of the child to begin
preparation, determining the date, and the preparation process). When
more than one rabbi is involved in the preparation of a Bar/Bat
Mitzvah, the rabbi who will officiate at the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony
is the person who defines the ritual and directs the Bar/Bat Mitzvah's
preparation, and all other rabbis should coordinate with him/her.
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Conversion
1. Conversion is an individualized process between the rabbi of record
and the potential convert, within the framework established by the
CCAR.
2. TBS will maintain current archives which include copies of all
life-cycle events transpiring in the congregation (weddings, b'rit
milah and baby-namings, consecration, b'nei mitzvah, confirmation,
conversion, deaths, etc.).
3. Visiting rabbis should ensure that they accurately record the
progress of current candidates for conversion and that this information
is passed on to the rabbi who follows them at TBS. The chair of the
Ritual Committee will ensure that this information is transmitted to
the first rabbi of each Jewish calendar year.
4. In the event that someone comes to TBS and claims to have converted
previously with a Rabbi elsewhere, it is required that a document be
produced, photocopied, and kept in the archives of the congregation.
The document must be validated by a Rabbi. If there is no Rabbi in
residence, then, a copy of the document should be validated by the
Regional Director of the URJ. The written validation by the examining
Rabbi will be attached to the photocopy of the document in the Temple's
archives so that there will never be a question of validity in the
future.
