Soul Food Fridays
Soul Food Friday is a monthly Qabbalat Shabbat Service held here at Temple Israel. Soul Food begins at 7:30 p.m., usually on the second Friday of each month. This is a highly musical and engaging service led by Rabbi Matt Soffer and a live band, The Josh Nelson Project. A free oneg of Jewish soul food follows the service. This is a great introduction to the Riverway community. The following article was written by Riverway participant and leader, Ali Freedman, for the May/June 2011 edition of the Temple Israel bulletin.
Singing for Soul Food (Alison Freedman)
Last month at Soul Food services, I stood up. And it wasn’t just when everyone else did. During Yih’yu L’ratzon, a prayer often set as a quiet meditation, I was so moved by the intensity of the moment, and the music, that I stood up to sing.
Every other month or so, Riverway Project-ers, primarily composed of 20- and 30-somethings, gather in the chapel for a soul-stirring service led by Rabbi Matt Soffer and the Josh Nelson Project, a high-octane Jewish rock band. This Qabbalat Shabbat Service is a cross between soul tent revival, rock concert, and a Friday night at Jewish summer camp.
People attend Soul Food for several reasons. There’s the obvious—the free matzah ball soup and latkes served at the Oneg. Others embrace the opportunity to ring in the Sabbath Bride with like-minded Jews who appreciate an alternative service. Some are likely looking for a soul mate or meeting for a Jdate. For me, Soul Food is all about the music.
The Josh Nelson Project is not your typical religious service accompaniment. They rock. Josh, the eponymous lead singer and guitarist, creates a space in which you can belt out the prayer, mumble it under your breath, or just take it in silently. He often encourages people to loosen up and sing; and he breaks down each melody so that the prayers are accessible, even to those unfamiliar with the traditional Qabbalat Shabbat liturgy.
Josh sometimes introduces new material, but most of the time, the tunes stay the same—this is, after all, a Shabbat Service with a specific structure. My favorites include T’filah, Od Yavo, and, of course, Yih’yu L’ratzon. The prayer/song that has had the most profound impact on me is the simple, yet undeniably powerful, Hava Nashira, a catchy Josh Nelson anthem played to conclude the service. Hava Nashira, which translates to “Let us sing together, sing alleluia,” so inspired me, and, in turn, my husband, that we had a friend play it as the recessional at our wedding last fall.
For those of you who like the sound of Soul Food, but are not in the Generation X or Millenial set, fear not. Soul Food is for anyone open to putting a dynamic twist on Shabbat. My in-laws are Soul Food regulars and even my husband’s grandmother once came and enjoyed the service.
One thing I love about Temple Israel is that congregants are encouraged to explore their own spiritual path. For me, Soul Food resonates. It brings me to a sacred space and, even when I least expect it, lifts me.