Resources for Independent Minyanim

The resources in this section are for individuals organizing services, celebrations, and communal structures. If you don't see what you're looking for, please let us know.

Birth and Naming

• Mishebeirach for a new mother
  • Shabbat version
  • Weekday version
• Mishebeirach for naming a baby girl

Shiva

Torah service supplements for:

• gabbai
• service-leader

Weekdays

• Morning service order and page numbers. A very useful document with the order of service for shaharit on weekdays, Rosh Hodesh, Tisha B'Av and other fast days with page numbers in a variety of different siddurim, including Koren Sacks, ArtScroll and Sim Shalom.
• Full minhah service on 1 sheet of double-sided legal paper.
• Blessings before and after the Torah reading.
• Spreadsheet of the weekly Torah readings.
• Learn nusah for weekdays.

Shabbat

Overview

• Nusah overview for shabbat.

Friday Night

• Lighting candles on Friday night.
• Text of Shir HaShirim, traditionally read by some communities on erev shabbat.
• Cheat sheet for Friday night, designed to help gabbais prepare for their upcoming services.
• Service Map for Friday night, written by Cantor Liz Kessler Sacks.
• Supplement for Friday night service.
• Full Friday night service on 1 page of double-sided legal paper.
• Songsheet for a tisch.

Shabbat Morning

• Order of service for shabbat morning, with:
  • Prayers for US and Israel on page 2.
  • Welcome note to Kehilat Hadar.
  • New Sim Shalom page numbers.
  • Updates for Rosh Hodesh.
• Service Map for shabbat morning, written by Cantor Liz Kessler Sacks.
• Honor cards to give out to the congregation on shabbat for things like aliyot, ark openings etc.
• 1st paragraph of the Amidah, including the imahot / matriarchs, as per responsa of Rabbi Shai Held.
• The whole shabbat Torah service on 1 page, for the leader to use instead of a siddur.
• Torah service supplement for gabbais for
  • Ordinary shabbat.
  • Non-festival, two-Torah shabbat.
  • Shabbat and festival.
• Birkat HaHodesh supplement, for the shabbat preceding the New Moon.
• Blessings before and after the Torah reading.
• Prayer for the US, for sticking into siddurim.
• Prayer for the US and Israel, 1 page.
• Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea, full text and instructions for call and response for Parashat BeShallah.
• Kiddush for shabbat morning.
• Outline for a Tot Shabbat service, written by Rachel Petroff Kessler.
• Tips for leading great shabbat davening.

Shabbat Afternoon

• Shabbat minhah Torah supplement for gabbais, including the aliyah blessings on page 2.
• Havdallah for the conclusion of Shabbat.

Pesah

• Pesach Preparation Guide by Rabbi Ethan Tucker
• Torah service supplement for
  • when Shabbat and Yom Tov coincide
  • Haftarah blessings for when Shabbat and Yom Tov coincide
  • Yom Tov that does not coincide with Shabbat
• Birkat Kohanim handout
• the full text of Shir haShirim
• Order of service for
  • Shabbat hol hamo'ed Pesach
  • Days 7 and 8 (when day 7 is Shabbat)
  • Days 7 and 8 (when day 7 is not Shabbat)
• Candle lighting for Yom Tov
• Kiddush for the closing Yom Tov of Pesach:
  • morning when Shabbat and Yom Tov coincide
  • evening when Shabbat and Yom Tov coincide
  • evening and morning, for Yom Tov that does not coincide with Shabbat
• Havdallah for the conclusion of
  • Shabbat
  • Yom Tov

Shavuot

• Torah and Haftarah reading for
  • Shavuot 1st day, including Akdamut.
  • Shavuot 2nd day, including Ruth.
• Torah service supplement for
  • When Shavuot falls on a weekday.
  • When Shavuot falls on shabbat.
• Birkat Kohanim handout and explanation.
• Morning Blessings (Birkat HaShahar) as said by someone who has slept for those who haven't.
• Yizkor handout.
• Cheat sheets—to help gabbais make sure everything is ready and prepared for the festival services—for
  • Evening 1st day.
  • Morning 1st day.
  • Afternoon 1st day (when Friday night).
  • Afternoon 1st day (when a weekday).
  • Morning 2nd day (when on shabbat).
  • Morning 2nd day (when a weekday).
  • Afternoon 2nd day (when on shabbat).
  • Afternoon 2nd day (when a weekday).
• Order of service for
  • Shavuot 1st day.
  • Shavuot 2nd day, when it falls on shabbat.
  • Shavuot 2nd day, when it falls on a weekday.
• Candle lighting for Yom Tov.
• Songsheet for a tisch.
• Kiddush for Shavuot
  • Evening and morning, when it falls on a weekday, includes zimmun.
  • 2nd day evening, if it is Friday night.
  • 2nd day morning if it is shabbat.
• Havdallah for the conclusion of
  • Shabbat.
  • Yom Tov.

9 Av

Tisha B'Av Evening

• Learn Megillat Eikhah / Lamentations trop.
• Tisha B'Av evening cheat sheet—help make sure that everything is ready for your service with this handy guide.
• Songsheet for Tisha B'Av evening, including an order of service.
• Full evening service and Eikhah reading, made for congregation Shaare Tzedek in 2003.

Tisha B'Av Morning

• Morning service order and page numbers. A very useful document with the order of service for shaharit on weekdays, Rosh Hodesh, Tisha B'Av and other fast days with page numbers in a variety of different siddurim, including Koren Sacks, ArtScroll and Sim Shalom.
• Torah service and haftarah supplement for fast days.
• Torah reading supplement for Tisha B'Av shaharit.

Tisha B'Av Afternoon

• Torah reading, haftarah and directions for Tisha B'Av minhah.
• Tisha B'Av minhah cheat sheet—help make sure that everything is ready for your service with this handy guide.
• Visit Rabbi Yehonatan Chipman's blogpost for liturgy variations of the Naheim prayer.

Yamim Noraim

Selihot

• Piyut Mi She-Anah rewritten to include women's stories. Written by Lisa Exler and Julia Andelman.
• Order of service for Selihot. Originally written for Cambridge Minyan.
• Recordings of Ebn Leader and Elie Kaunfer leading Selihot services at Kehilat Hadar.

Rosh HaShanah

• Candle lighting for Yom Tov.
• Kiddush for Rosh HaShanah evening and morning.
• Rosh HaShanah Guide. Handout and explanation of the Rosh HaShanah service written by Ethan Tucker. Designed to make the services more accessible to beginners.
• Order of service for Rosh HaShanah, with page numbers for Silverman mahzor.
• Supplement for the Silverman mahzor, including Psalm 130, B'rikh Sh'meih etc.
• Honor cards for Rosh HaShanah. Use these to give out honors to the congregation, such as aliyot or opening the ark.
• Haftarah blessings for Rosh HaShanah morning. Click here if Rosh HaShanah falls on shabbat.
• Piyut VeYe'etayu arranged for easier singing.
• Instructions for the Shofar service, from Kehilat Hadar.
• Birkat Kohanim explanation and handout.
• Havdallah for Yom Tov. Click here if Rosh HaShanah falls on shabbat.

​Tashlikh

• Handout and explanations for Tashlikh.
• Traditional Tashlikh liturgy.

Yom Kippur

• Candle lighting for Yom Tov.
• Yom Kippur Guide. Handout and explanation of the Yom Kippur service written by Ethan Tucker. Designed to make the services more accessible to beginners.
• Order of service for Yom Kippur, with page numbers for Silverman mahzor (only fully accurate when Yom Kippur falls on shabbat).
• Supplement for the Silverman mahzor, including Psalm 130, B'rikh Sh'meih etc.
• Piyut Mi She-Anah rewritten to include women's stories. Written by Lisa Exler and Julia Andelman. For Kol Nidrei.
• Honor cards for Yom Kippur. Use these to give out honors to the congregation, such as aliyot or opening the ark.
• Haftarah blessings for Yom Kippur morning and afternoon. Click here if Yom Kippur falls on shabbat.
• Piyut VeYe'etayu arranged for easier singing.
• Readings to be distributed for the Martyrology service during Yom Kippur musaf. At Kehilat Hadar in 2006, the first was read aloud and the rest were read silently.
• Birkat Kohanim explanation and handout.
• Yom Kippur youth service outline. Written by Rachel Petroff Kessler.
• Havdallah for Yom Tov. Click here if Yom Kippur falls on shabbat.
• Kiddush Levanah, can be said the evening after Yom Kippur when the moon is visible.

Sukkot

• Torah service supplement for Yom Tov and Shabbat.
• Birkat Kohanim handout and explanation.
• Candle lighting for Yom Tov.
• Haftarah blessings for Shabbat Hol HaMo'ed Sukkot.
• Kiddush for Sukkot morning if it is shabbat.
• Havdallah for the conclusion of
  • Shabbat.
  • Yom Tov.

Shemini Atzeret-Simhat Torah

• Torah service supplement for Yom Tov and Shabbat.
• Service order for Shemini Atzeret on shabbat.
• Birkat Kohanim handout and explanation.
• Candle lighting for Yom Tov.
• Yizkor supplement.
• Reshuyot for both genders.
• Haftarah blessings for:
  • Shemini Atzeret when it falls on shabbat.
  • Simhat Torah.
• Kiddush for Sukkot morning if it is shabbat.
• Havdallah for the conclusion of
  • Shabbat.
  • Yom Tov.

Purim

To learn to read Megilla, we recommend the app developed by JOFA.

• Purim evening cheat-sheet
• Purim day supplement (Torah reading and Shoshanat Ya'akov)
• Repeated Megillah verses (with verses for both Mordechai and Esther)