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  "title": "What to Expect on First Visits",
  "summary": "A more detailed guide than the Where to Start chapter — for the visitor who wants to know exactly what will happen.",
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      "title": "What to Expect on First Visits",
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    "article": {
      "slug": "community-what-to-expect-on-first-visits",
      "title": "What to Expect on First Visits",
      "deck": "A more detailed guide than the Where to Start chapter — for the visitor who wants to know exactly what will happen.",
      "summary": "Summary. A Shabbat-morning Orthodox service runs 2.5–3 hours: Shacharit, the Torah reading, Musaf, kiddush. A Reform service runs 75–90 minutes with more music and fewer Hebrew prayers. The architecture of any Jewish service is the same: morning blessings, the Shema with its surrounding blessings, the Amidah, the Torah reading (on appropriate days), the closing prayers. A New Jew can follow along in the siddur with the page numbers; the chazzan will usually announce them. The kiddush after services is where the actual community happens.",
      "level": "practice",
      "sectionSlug": "community",
      "tags": [
        "first visit",
        "etiquette",
        "shul"
      ],
      "publishedAt": "2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z",
      "wordCount": 571,
      "readMinutes": 3
    },
    "section": {
      "slug": "community",
      "title": "Community"
    },
    "image": null,
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "summary",
        "body": "Summary. A [Shabbat](/glossary.json#letter-S)-morning [Orthodox](/glossary.json#letter-O) service runs 2.5–3 hours: [Shacharit](/glossary.json#letter-S), the [Torah](/glossary.json#letter-T) reading, [Musaf](/glossary.json#letter-M), [kiddush](/glossary.json#letter-K). A [Reform](/glossary.json#letter-R) service runs 75–90 minutes with more music and fewer Hebrew prayers. The architecture of any Jewish service is the same: morning blessings, the [Shema](/glossary.json#letter-S) with its surrounding blessings, the [Amidah](/glossary.json#letter-A), the Torah reading (on appropriate days), the closing prayers. A New Jew can follow along in the [siddur](/glossary.json#letter-S) with the page numbers; the [chazzan](/glossary.json#letter-C) will usually announce them. The kiddush after services is where the actual community happens.",
        "text": "Summary. A Shabbat-morning Orthodox service runs 2.5–3 hours: Shacharit, the Torah reading, Musaf, kiddush. A Reform service runs 75–90 minutes with more music and fewer Hebrew prayers. The architecture of any Jewish service is the same: morning blessings, the Shema with its surrounding blessings, the Amidah, the Torah reading (on appropriate days), the closing prayers. A New Jew can follow along in the siddur with the page numbers; the chazzan will usually announce them. The kiddush after services is where the actual community happens."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Orthodox Shabbat Morning",
        "text": "Orthodox Shabbat Morning"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Roughly the timeline. 8:45 AM: Shacharit begins, with [Birkot HaShachar](/glossary.json#letter-B) and [Pesukei D'Zimra](/glossary.json#letter-P). 9:30 AM: Shacharit's central prayers — the Shema and the Amidah. 9:45 AM: The Torah service begins; the Torah is taken from [the Ark](/glossary.json#letter-A), the [parshah](/glossary.json#letter-P) is read aloud (40 minutes to an hour), the [haftarah](/glossary.json#letter-H) is chanted. 10:30 AM: The [d'var Torah](/glossary.json#letter-D) (the sermon, 10–20 minutes). 10:50 AM: Musaf, the additional Amidah for Shabbat. 11:30 AM: [Aleinu](/glossary.json#letter-A), [Mourner's Kaddish](/glossary.json#letter-K), conclusion. 11:45 AM: Kiddush in the social hall. Total: about 3 hours. Speeds vary; some [shul](/glossary.json#letter-S)s are faster, some slower.",
        "text": "Roughly the timeline. 8:45 AM: Shacharit begins, with Birkot HaShachar and Pesukei D'Zimra. 9:30 AM: Shacharit's central prayers — the Shema and the Amidah. 9:45 AM: The Torah service begins; the Torah is taken from the Ark, the parshah is read aloud (40 minutes to an hour), the haftarah is chanted. 10:30 AM: The d'var Torah (the sermon, 10–20 minutes). 10:50 AM: Musaf, the additional Amidah for Shabbat. 11:30 AM: Aleinu, Mourner's Kaddish, conclusion. 11:45 AM: Kiddush in the social hall. Total: about 3 hours. Speeds vary; some shuls are faster, some slower."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Conservative Shabbat Morning",
        "text": "Conservative Shabbat Morning"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Essentially the same structure as Orthodox, with some compression. About 2.5 hours total. Egalitarian — women lead some prayers, get [aliyot](/glossary.json#letter-A) to the Torah, and may serve as chazzan or rabbi. Musical instruments are not used on Shabbat (in keeping with traditional practice). The d'var Torah is often longer and more discussion-oriented.",
        "text": "Essentially the same structure as Orthodox, with some compression. About 2.5 hours total. Egalitarian — women lead some prayers, get aliyot to the Torah, and may serve as chazzan or rabbi. Musical instruments are not used on Shabbat (in keeping with traditional practice). The d'var Torah is often longer and more discussion-oriented."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Reform Shabbat Morning",
        "text": "Reform Shabbat Morning"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Shorter — 75–90 minutes is typical. The structure is the same (preliminary, Shema, Amidah, Torah, sermon, closing), but with English readings, contemporary poems and prayers in place of some traditional Hebrew passages, and often musical instruments. The d'var Torah is typically the focal point of the service. The Torah is often read in a [triennial cycle](/glossary.json#letter-T) (one third of each parshah each year).",
        "text": "Shorter — 75–90 minutes is typical. The structure is the same (preliminary, Shema, Amidah, Torah, sermon, closing), but with English readings, contemporary poems and prayers in place of some traditional Hebrew passages, and often musical instruments. The d'var Torah is typically the focal point of the service. The Torah is often read in a triennial cycle (one third of each parshah each year)."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat",
        "text": "Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Across all denominations, 45–75 minutes. The structure: [Psalms 95–99 and 29](https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.95-99) (preliminary), [L'cha Dodi](/glossary.json#letter-L) (the central song welcoming the Shabbat bride), [Psalm 92](https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.92) (the Shabbat Psalm), the Shema and its blessings, the Amidah, Kiddush in the synagogue (in some traditions), and the closing. Many shuls follow with a community dinner.",
        "text": "Across all denominations, 45–75 minutes. The structure: Psalms 95–99 and 29 (preliminary), L'cha Dodi (the central song welcoming the Shabbat bride), Psalm 92 (the Shabbat Psalm), the Shema and its blessings, the Amidah, Kiddush in the synagogue (in some traditions), and the closing. Many shuls follow with a community dinner."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Weekday Services",
        "text": "Weekday Services"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Shorter and more sparsely attended. Weekday Shacharit: 30–45 minutes. [Mincha](/glossary.json#letter-M): 10–15 minutes. [Ma'ariv](/glossary.json#letter-M): 15–20 minutes. The weekday Mincha-Ma'ariv combination (back-to-back at sunset) is a common evening [minyan](/glossary.json#letter-M), lasting about 30 minutes total.",
        "text": "Shorter and more sparsely attended. Weekday Shacharit: 30–45 minutes. Mincha: 10–15 minutes. Ma'ariv: 15–20 minutes. The weekday Mincha-Ma'ariv combination (back-to-back at sunset) is a common evening minyan, lasting about 30 minutes total."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Practical Etiquette",
        "text": "Practical Etiquette"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Sit anywhere not visibly reserved. Some shuls have assigned seats; ask if uncertain.",
        "text": "Sit anywhere not visibly reserved. Some shuls have assigned seats; ask if uncertain."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Stand when the congregation stands. Sit when the congregation sits. Bow at the appropriate moments (you will pick this up).",
        "text": "Stand when the congregation stands. Sit when the congregation sits. Bow at the appropriate moments (you will pick this up)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Do not greet people during the Amidah or the Torah reading.",
        "text": "Do not greet people during the Amidah or the Torah reading."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Turn off your phone before you enter the sanctuary. In Orthodox shuls on Shabbat, do not bring a phone.",
        "text": "Turn off your phone before you enter the sanctuary. In Orthodox shuls on Shabbat, do not bring a phone."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "If you are called to the Torah for an aliyah and do not know what to do, ask the [gabbai](/glossary.json#letter-G) — they will guide you through it.",
        "text": "If you are called to the Torah for an aliyah and do not know what to do, ask the gabbai — they will guide you through it."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "After services, stay for kiddush. This is where you meet people.",
        "text": "After services, stay for kiddush. This is where you meet people."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Where Denominations Diverge",
        "text": "Where Denominations Diverge"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Differences as noted in the article.",
        "text": "Differences as noted in the article."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Sources",
        "text": "Sources"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, To Pray as a Jew — full chapter on shul etiquette.",
        "text": "Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin, To Pray as a Jew — full chapter on shul etiquette."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life.",
        "text": "Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[What to Expect at Shabbat Morning Services](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3198398/jewish/What-to-Expect-at-Shabbat-Morning-Services.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "What to Expect at Shabbat Morning Services — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Everything You Need to Know About Shabbat Services](https://reformjudaism.org/everything-you-need-know-about-shabbat-services) — ReformJudaism.org.",
        "text": "Everything You Need to Know About Shabbat Services — ReformJudaism.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Kabbalat Shabbat](https://www.sefaria.org/topics/kabbalat-shabbat) — Sefaria.",
        "text": "Kabbalat Shabbat — Sefaria."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Why Aren't Musical Instruments Allowed in Orthodox and Conservative Services?](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/why-aren-t-musical-instruments-allowed-in-orthodox-and-conservative-services) — Jewish Virtual Library.",
        "text": "Why Aren't Musical Instruments Allowed in Orthodox and Conservative Services? — Jewish Virtual Library."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Further Reading",
        "text": "Further Reading"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, The Way Into Jewish Prayer.",
        "text": "Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, The Way Into Jewish Prayer."
      }
    ],
    "related": [
      {
        "slug": "where-to-start-your-first-shul-visit",
        "title": "Your First Shul Visit",
        "href": "/articles/where-to-start-your-first-shul-visit.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "community-finding-a-shul",
        "title": "Finding a Shul",
        "href": "/articles/community-finding-a-shul.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "community-conversion-to-judaism",
        "title": "Conversion to Judaism",
        "href": "/articles/community-conversion-to-judaism.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "community-chevra-and-chevruta",
        "title": "Chevra and Chevruta",
        "href": "/articles/community-chevra-and-chevruta.json"
      }
    ],
    "goDeeper": [
      {
        "slug": "community-conversion-to-judaism",
        "title": "Conversion to Judaism",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/community-conversion-to-judaism.json"
      }
    ],
    "glossary": {
      "aleinu": {
        "term": "Aleinu",
        "hebrew": "עָלֵינוּ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The prayer that closes every synagogue service, proclaiming God's sovereignty and looking toward a repaired world. Its second paragraph is a classical source of the phrase 'to repair the world' (l'takken olam).",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "amidah": {
        "term": "Amidah",
        "hebrew": "עֲמִידָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'standing' — the central prayer of every Jewish service, recited standing and traditionally facing Jerusalem. It is also called the Shemoneh Esrei ('Eighteen'), after the original count of its weekday blessings.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-prayers-the-amidah-shemoneh-esrei"
      },
      "birkot-hashachar": {
        "term": "Birkot HaShachar",
        "hebrew": "בִּרְכוֹת הַשַּׁחַר",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The morning blessings — the string of short blessings on waking that give thanks for sight, clothing, strength, and the ordinary miracles of a new day.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-prayers-morning-blessings-birkot-hashachar"
      },
      "kaddish-yatom": {
        "term": "Kaddish Yatom",
        "hebrew": "קַדִּישׁ יָתוֹם",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Mourner's Kaddish — recited by mourners for eleven months after the death of a parent and on each yahrzeit; it praises God and never mentions death.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-kaddish"
      },
      "lecha-dodi": {
        "term": "L'cha Dodi",
        "hebrew": "לְכָה דוֹדִי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "\"Come, my beloved\" — the 16th-century mystical hymn of Kabbalat Shabbat that greets Shabbat as a bride; the congregation turns toward the door for its final verse.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "maariv": {
        "term": "Ma'ariv",
        "hebrew": "מַעֲרִיב",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The evening prayer service — the third of the three daily services, built around the Shema and the Amidah.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-the-three-daily-services"
      },
      "mincha": {
        "term": "Mincha",
        "hebrew": "מִנְחָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The afternoon prayer service, the shortest of the three daily services; its name recalls the afternoon grain offering brought in the Temple.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-the-three-daily-services"
      },
      "musaf": {
        "term": "Musaf",
        "hebrew": "מוּסָף",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The 'additional' service recited after the morning service on Shabbat, festivals, and Rosh Chodesh, corresponding to the extra offering brought in the Temple on those days.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "orthodox-judaism": {
        "term": "Orthodox Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Orthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "pesukei-dzimra": {
        "term": "Pesukei D'Zimra",
        "hebrew": "פְּסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָא",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Verses of song' — the psalms and biblical passages of praise that open the morning service, warming the heart before the core prayers.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "reform-judaism": {
        "term": "Reform Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Reform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "shabbat": {
        "term": "Shabbat",
        "hebrew": "שַׁבָּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seventh day — the weekly day of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, marked by candle lighting, kiddush, festive meals, and rest from creative work.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-shabbat"
      },
      "shacharit": {
        "term": "Shacharit",
        "hebrew": "שַׁחֲרִית",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The morning prayer service — the longest of the three daily services, built around the Shema and the Amidah.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-the-three-daily-services"
      },
      "shema": {
        "term": "Shema",
        "hebrew": "שְׁמַע",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The central declaration of Jewish faith — 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One' — recited with its Torah paragraphs every morning and evening.",
        "moreSlug": "essentials-essential-prayers-the-shema"
      },
      "torah": {
        "term": "Torah",
        "hebrew": "תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "triennial-cycle": {
        "term": "Triennial cycle",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "An ancient Land-of-Israel practice, revived by many Reform and some Conservative congregations, of reading roughly one-third of each week's Torah portion per year and completing the full Torah over three years rather than one.",
        "moreSlug": "calendar-the-parshah-cycle"
      },
      "aliyah": {
        "term": "aliyah",
        "hebrew": "עלייה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'going up' — the honor of being called up to the Torah during its public reading (plural: aliyot). The same word describes immigrating to the Land of Israel.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "aron-kodesh": {
        "term": "aron kodesh",
        "hebrew": "אֲרוֹן קֹדֶשׁ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The 'holy ark' — the cabinet at the front of the synagogue, usually on the wall facing Jerusalem, in which the Torah scrolls are kept. The congregation stands when it is opened.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "chazzan": {
        "term": "chazzan",
        "hebrew": "חַזָּן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The cantor — the one who leads the congregation in sung prayer. The formal Hebrew title is shaliach tzibbur, 'emissary of the community.'",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "dvar-torah": {
        "term": "d'var Torah",
        "hebrew": "דְּבַר תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'A word of Torah' — a short teaching on the weekly portion or another text, offered at the table, at a service, or at any gathering.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "gabbai": {
        "term": "gabbai",
        "hebrew": "גַּבַּאי",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The synagogue volunteer or official who keeps services running smoothly — assigning honors like aliyot, standing beside the Torah reader, and making sure everything happens in order.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "haftarah": {
        "term": "haftarah",
        "hebrew": "הַפְטָרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The selection from the Prophets chanted after the Torah reading on Shabbat and festivals, chosen for its thematic link to the day or the weekly portion.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "kiddush": {
        "term": "kiddush",
        "hebrew": "קִדּוּשׁ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The blessing over wine that sanctifies Shabbat or a festival — and, by warm extension, the refreshments and socializing after services where community actually happens.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "minyan": {
        "term": "minyan",
        "hebrew": "מִנְיָן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The quorum of ten adult Jews required for certain communal prayers, including Kaddish and the public Torah reading. In Orthodox practice the count is ten men; egalitarian communities count all adults.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "parshah": {
        "term": "parshah",
        "hebrew": "פָּרָשָׁה",
        "translit": "parashah",
        "definition": "The weekly Torah portion — one of 54 divisions of the Torah, one (occasionally two) read each Shabbat so that the whole Torah is completed every year. The plural is parshiyot.",
        "moreSlug": "calendar-the-parshah-cycle"
      },
      "shul": {
        "term": "shul",
        "hebrew": "שול",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Yiddish word for synagogue, used warmly across the Jewish world for the house of prayer, study, and community.",
        "moreSlug": "community-finding-a-shul"
      },
      "siddur": {
        "term": "siddur",
        "hebrew": "סידור",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Jewish prayer book (plural siddurim), from a root meaning 'order' — it arranges the daily, Shabbat, and festival prayers in their fixed sequence.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-siddur"
      }
    }
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": "parent",
      "title": "Community",
      "href": "/sections/community.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Your First Shul Visit",
      "href": "/articles/where-to-start-your-first-shul-visit.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Finding a Shul",
      "href": "/articles/community-finding-a-shul.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Conversion to Judaism",
      "href": "/articles/community-conversion-to-judaism.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Chevra and Chevruta",
      "href": "/articles/community-chevra-and-chevruta.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Conversion to Judaism",
      "href": "/articles/community-conversion-to-judaism.json"
    }
  ]
}