Saturday services at most synagogues take about two hours, sometimes longer. They follow a similar order. It might help if you know what’s coming:

The Warm-Up: The service starts out with a few Hebrew hymns. The songs are pretty, and it’s a good way to get yourself in the right mindset, kind of like the first few poses in a yoga class.

Blessings: Next are the core Jewish prayers, which include the Sh’ma (one of the most common Hebrew blessings, and, some say, most important) and the blessings that go with it, like the V’ahavta and Mi Chamocha. (These are all in Hebrew, so there are going to be a lot of those throat-clearing sounds). There may be readings and other blessings too; we’re just trying to hit the highlights here. (Side note: If there’s a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the child might help lead a lot of these prayers. It all depends on the synagogue, the rabbi, and the kid.)

The Torah Service: This is the main event, and it starts with some prep work. (Again, if you’re at service for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the person having the Bar/Bat Mitzvah has a starring role.)

• The first step is taking the Torah out of the ark and then walking around the synagogue with it in a processional. Lots of people kiss the Torah when it comes past, usually by kissing their prayer book or the corner of their tallit and then touching it to the Torah. It’s also a good time to give a wink to your friend who’s carrying the Torah, shake hands with the rabbi (for some reason, people really like that), and honestly, chat for a few minutes with your friends while you’re waiting. Once the Torah makes it back to the bimah it’s unwrapped of its fancy covering and placed on the platform to be read.
• Next comes the actual Torah reading. (There’s a blessing before the Torah reading called an Aliyah. We’ll tell you more a little later.) The Torah is divided into weekly portions, and each week has a corresponding parasha, which is basically the lesson to be learned from the Torah reading. Once the Torah is read in Hebrew, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah kid or the rabbi typically makes a short speech translating what was just read (this is called the D’var Torah) and giving their own take on the lessons within it. It’s the part of the service that is typically the most interesting because each person has their own interpretation and people can get creative or funny with it.
• The Torah is then rolled back up and put away, or sometimes someone sits with it on the bimah.

The Haftorah: Seriously, we grew up under the assumption that the Haftorah is simply half the Torah. Makes sense, right? Ah, if it were only that easy. Actually, the Haftorah is a selection from the Books of Prophets (Nevi’im) about a bunch of well, prophets, including Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. Only selected passages make it into the Haftorah cycle. There’s a portion to match each week’s Torah reading. The Haftorah is part of a book, not a scroll, and, also unlike the Torah, it has vowels, which makes the Hebrew infinitely easier to read. (Don’t worry – there’s no quiz on this.)

More Prayers: The next few parts, the Musaf service, then the Amidah, and then Repetition go pretty quickly.

Kaddish: Before the service is over, there is also the Mourner’s Kaddish, which is a prayer for those who have died. First, the rabbi generally announces who in the congregation is observing yahrzeit and in whose memory they’re saying it. Yahrzeit marks the anniversary of someone’s death. So, if your dad died in August, it is common to go to synagogue on the anniversary of his death to say Kaddish for him. The rabbi might say, “Today we remember Stanley Green, father of Jim, grandfather of Ben.” And if Jim is at services, he will stand during Kaddish. Chances are that Ben (who, in this example, is the grandson) won’t stand, because usually you just say Kaddish for your parents, brother, sister, or children, but it’s still a free country, so if Stacy wants to stand, she can. Also, if your parent died within the past year, you always stand for Kaddish. This is not a hard and fast rule, but in Reform synagogues, it is generally the custom for everyone to stand during the recitation of Kaddish. Some people like to do this to remember the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust and have no one to say Kaddish for them. In Conservative and Orthodox synagogoues, only those in a period of personal mourning or observing a yahrzeit usually stand. This is also nice because the community can see who is standing, and perhaps give them an extra hug later.

Healing Prayer: Another popular prayer that you may see at Shabbat services is the Mi Shebeirach, which is the Jewish prayer for healing. It is often sung to a sweet tune that was written by a fabulous singer-songwriter, Debbie Friedman. The Mi Shebeirach prays for a physical cure, as well as spiritual healing, and it asks for blessing, compassion, restoration, and strength within the community and for others who are ill, as well as for all Jews and all human beings. Often, before the Mi Shebeirach is sung, the rabbi asks the congregation if they would like to name someone who is in need of healing. Then people say the name out loud. This is another touching time when the community can see who among them might need a little extra TLC.

The End (Almost): Then there’s usually another reading or two, then announcements, then the service is over. There’s usually an oneg, a little post-service reception, which is formally a celebration in honor of the Sabbath, but informally, it’s the time when you get to have a cookie for sitting through the service!