“Congregation B’nai B’rith has a morning minyan. I am not sure if you have heard yet, but we do, and I attend.

“I want to share with you, my congregational family, why I do, in the hopes that some of you may also find a reason to attend.
I work full time, starting at 8:00am every morning, in a job where I am not sure what the day will bring. I am sure that there will be demands made of my energies and time. I am sure that I will need to meet things head on with a clear head and, I hope, with compassion for the people making the requests. One of the ways I can take care of myself and try to make my state of mind as clear and peaceful as possible is to attend morning minyan.

“It is not about the other people there; it is not about the Temple; it is not about the words, and it is not about what I bring to it, or even about G-d. It is about all of these things in combination.

“In minyan, where I have grown close to the people I pray with, I am myself, with no pretense. I do not have to be anything but present. I can pray the prayers, or I can just say what is in my heart. The time that we pray is special, not only in the community that it forms but in the environment of beauty that we are privileged to be surrounded by.

“Frequently when we pray, the sun is coming up and through the stained-glass windows. This is an experience you will have to have for yourself. I encourage you to do so, and I will tell you that for me it is powerful.

“I lost my father a couple of years ago, and would have loved a minyan where I could have said Kaddish for him. I am proud that can we offer that to the community today; and really, that is what it is about for me. I am praying with my community, and I invite you to pray with your community as well. It is a powerful beginning to any day.”

Deborah Scott