One of the things I enjoy about teaching our children, particularly the younger ones, is that they will say what is on their minds, not yet having learned the various methods of filtering. In a recent Hebrew School class, we were talking about the High Holiday services. One of my charges stated, "They're boring."
"Yes," I said, "I can understand that you might think so. Do you know why they are boring?"
My answer was a shake of the head.
"You consider services boring because there is all this stuff happening around you, but you are not part of it. You don't really know what's going on, and so it's not very interesting. When I go to services, I am not bored because for me, it's not stuff happening around me, it's something I am doing."
I suspect that the opinion stated by the child is not uncommon amongst some of her elders. How many people dutifully attend services every year, either out of obligation or to be in a familiar and comforting environment. Yet so many consider the service itself something happening on the bimah, rather than an event in which they are a participant? And the only reason I characterize this in terms of the High Holidays is because many who feel this way simply choose not to attend the weekly services for Shacharit or Shabbat.
Certainly, any of us can pray to God at any time, in any place. Why, then, do we have designated times and places for it? Human nature being what it is, we tend not to get around to certain things unless and until we have a designated time for them (think Spring cleaning). Having worship services at designated times helps us to remember to do this important task that we might otherwise just not get around to.
The nub of the matter is that many people are not comfortable in services, or do not find them enjoyable (so for the children, so for the adults). This can be rectified, but not easily. It involves work. For the children, this work can be done by their being brought to services somewhat regularly. As they are exposed to the service, they come to know it, and naturally become participants. For them, services can provide the comfort and familiarity of an old friend well into their adulthood. As for the adults, they must take the initiative on their own. Aside from attendance, they can pursue various means of learning more about the service, its structure, what the Hebrew is actually saying, and how it is meant to affect us.
In his book, This is My God, Herman Wouk mentions that one should not expect that every time one prays one will connect with the divine. But when it happens, he says, it more than makes up for the other times. I encourage you to come and attend one of our services throughout the year. If you have questions, by all means, ask them! If you have comments, make them. But please, start by showing up and joining us. You have nothing to lose but your boredom.
Cantor Socolof