Become A Rabbi | Hebrew College

Certificate in Tefillah Leadership: Shabbat

The Rabbinical School of Hebrew College has a culture of soulful davening and a reputation for drawing musically gifted students. Our ordinees lead communities in tefillah around the country and the Jewish world, often on the cutting edge of Jewish prayer music.

Tefillah leadership, real and vulnerable, is a multi-layered, nuanced art form, one that calls for training in liturgy and song as well as in listening—to the community, to the Divine, to our ancestral musical lineage.

We created the Certificate in Shabbat Tefillah Leadership to cultivate dynamic prayer in the Jewish world, and to transmit our rich musical and liturgical traditions to a new generation of Jewish leaders. Hebrew College’s renowned faculty members will teach courses for this certificate in partnership with masters of these traditions in the Boston area and beyond.

We invite you to join us for individual course modules, or to work towards the Certificate with four modules.

Contact us

For more information, please contact Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer, Hebrew College Rosh Tefilah & Artist-in-Residence at [email protected].

Module 1

The Kedusha: Fumbling towards Holiness

Instructor: Jessica Kate Meyer Meetings: Wednesdays @ 3 pm: October 30, November 6, 13, 20, December 4, 11, 18

The angels in Jewish liturgy are clear in their speech and mission. They know what to say, when to say it, and to Whom they are saying it. When American Jewish communities stand together, calling and responding in the poetry of the Kedusha, there is a lot more confusion. In this six-week class, we will study the kedushot of Shabbat shaharit and musaf from textual, mystical, musical, and choreographic perspectives. We will explore the relationship between kahal and shlihat tsibur in the Kedusha’s dialogue and glean more about the nature of prayer.

This class is appropriate for students with strong liturgical Hebrew.

We invite you to join us for individual course modules, or to work towards the Certificate with four modules.

WINTER SESSION: Taste of Tefillah (Open to All)

1. Song and Sustenance: a Zemiros/t intensive – 2 Sessions

Shabbat table songs create a unique musical category, music to sustain our souls while digesting a Shabbat lunch, to give us hizuk during a seudah shlishit, and to lift the energy even higher after a rousing Kabbalat Shabbat service. On Thursday and Friday , January 30 and 31, we will study and sing piyyutim of the Shabbat table, to grow our repertoire, and to send us out into the world to galvanize Shabbat tables everywhere. On Shabbat evening and afternoon, January 31 and February 1, we will gather for a mini-retreat, and warm ourselves by the hearth of the zemiros we’ve learned together.

Date: January 27+28 Shabbat retreat January 31-Feb 1

2. קול הנשמה: a Voice Workshop for Prayer Leaders and Sermonizers (1-2 sessions) Instructor: Jessica Kate Meyer

As rabbis and shlihei tzibbur, we use our voices publicly more than most people. To be heard, and to sustain our voices over many years in service of the Divine, it is important to connect to our breath support, to learn how to pace ourselves, and to care for this important instrument.

During this workshop, we will focus on practical exercises in support of vocal health and endurance.

3. Prayer Percussion – 1-2 sessions

The rhythm, the beat, the tempo is the engine of prayer. This is what grounds the community and propels us forward, and as shlihei tzibur, we must learn to use our bodies and our shtenders to pick up the pace, slow down the train, or confidently hold the congregation in rhythm. These workshops are for those of us who aren’t percussionists, but who want some fundamental skills, and a few beats for our back pocket.

We invite you to join us for individual course modules, or to work towards the Certificate with four modules.

Module 2-3

Nusah Improvisation for Tefillah Leaders: Nusah 2.0 (Two 6-Session Modules)

The essence of nusah is improvisation l’Shem Shamayim. The texts of our prayers are codified in the siddur, but the kavanah, the meaning we breathe into these words is through song. In this class, students with a foundational knowledge of Ashkenazi Shabbat nusah will learn modal improvisation, primarily by ear, so we may truly sing to God a new (modally-informed) song.

This class is suited to experienced daveners and students with a musical background and a working knowledge of Ashkenazi Shabbat nusah and liturgy

We invite you to join us for individual course modules, or to work towards the Certificate with four modules.

Module 4

Piyut and Practice

The final module of the certificate is a week-long intensive in late May/early June made up of the following components:

Shabbat Piyutim (3 sessions)

Enter the world of Medieval piyyutim from Edot haMizrah, Middle Eastern Jewish communities. We will study the poetry and the music of Shabbat piyyutim, taking our time to understand some thematic and structural principles of the music.

This class is suited to students with a musical background and strong Hebrew skills.

Masterclass in Tefillah (3 sessions) Instructor:Jessica Kate Meyer

Each student will have the opportunity to workshop a prayer service and receive feedback and guidance in the moment. Students will support each other as ‘Jews in the pew’, and with constructive feedback.

This section of the course is particularly geared to students completing the certificate. It is the culmination of the program, giving students the opportunity to synthesize what they’ve learned throughout the year, and to practice and receive feedback on different skills.