שאלות נפוצות
המחיצה שלנו מגדיר את חלל התפילה לשני צדדים זה לצד זה. המחיצה נבנית בגובה של 1.5 מטר ושליש העליון הוא וילון יחסית שקוף שניתן לפותחו כשראוי לפתוח. המחיצה נותנת לנשים את האפשרות לראות ולשמוע את כל מה שקורה במהלך התפילה. כל פעם שניפגש לתפילה - לא משנה באיזה יום או שעה - תמיד תהיה מחיצה ועזרת נשים שמורה עבור כל אשה שרוצה להגיע.
In what ways can women be "leaders" in shul?
- While our Tefillah is an orthodox tefillah, and is led by men, we encourage women to give Divrei Torah IN the shul, and to carry the Torah through the women's section during Tefillah. Our board includes women, and women are invited to make announcements about shul related events. Women are invited to be speakers and guest speakers, as well. We always strive to find more ways to include women in the shul leadership, and we encourage you to reach out to the board to present your ideas for more inclusionary practice within the parameters of Halacha.
Who reads the Torah? Who gets an Aliyah?
We follow traditional Orthodox guidelines and our Torah readers and the people who get Aliyot are men.
Does Or Hatzafon have minyan every Shabbat?
At this time, Or Hatzafon meets every Friday night, and some Shabbat mornings. To find out our schedule on any given week, please check our Facebook updates or call or text 053-530-1139 (not on Shabbat, please)
What Nusach do you daven?
The shul's Nusach is Nusach Ashkenaz. However, everyone is welcome in the shul, and anyone who davens a different nusach is encouraged to daven their nusach for the silent Amidot. The Shaliach Tzibbur follows Nusach Ashkenaz.
Are there siddurim and chumashim available?
Yes, we have siddurim and chumashim available for Shabbat Tefillah, and machzorim for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, including some with English translations for your convenience. We currently have a shortage of siddurim for Yom Tov, so if you plan to join us for Yom Tov (chag), please consider bringing a siddur. To donate siddurim, please contact us at 053-530-1139.
Are you a registered non-profit?
At this time, we are not yet a registered non-profit. We try to keep our shul expenses to a minimum and we appreciate any contributions our supporters make. We will consider opening a non-profit entity when our membership increases enough in number to be able to justify the additional costs of running an non-profit organization. For now, it would be an unfair burden on a small number of people, so we operate in an informal manner.
I see you have a playroom. Can my children play there while I daven somewhere else?
Our playroom is for the children of the people who come to Or Hatzafon. If you want to send your children to our playroom during Tefillah, please join us for Tefillah, as children in the playroom are the responsibility of their parents or guardians. Please do not send your children to our playroom if you won't be joining our shul for Tefillah.
When you have shiurim, do men sit in the men's section and women in the women's section?
Any time that is not Tefillah, a mechitza is not required. For this reason, when we offer shiurim and learning sessions, we sit together and do not use the mechitza during those times.