Ritual Practices

Mechitza 
Darkhei Noam’s mechitza is designed to create 3 separate domains: a davening space for men, a davening space for women, and a public ritual space in the center, which houses the Torah reading and provides a space for the ba’alai tefillah (the women and men who lead tefillah) to stand while leading davening.

Davening
Women lead the following services:

Kabbalat Shabbat
Pseukei D’Zimra
Torah Service
Yizkor
Hallel (except on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah)

Women always lead the first three services above, while men and women split leading Yizkor and Hallel.  Men always lead Shacharit, Musaf, Mincha, and Maariv.

During the High Holidays, women are often paired with men to co-lead services, specifically the expanded piyutim. On Rosh Hashana a man and woman share the shofar blowing. 

Younger boys and girls often lead the end of services.

Torah Reading
Men and women fully participate in kriyat haTorah (Torah reading) in the context of a traditional minyan of ten men. We divide the aliyot among various men and women each week. Similarly, men and women both partake in reading megilot.

A man and woman serve together as gabbaim during Torah reading. For the purpose of receiving aliyot, a woman is considered to be a yisrael.

Lifecycle Events
Lifecycle events for both men and women are marked at Darkhei Noam. New mothers and fathers often receive aliyot to mark the birth of a new child, which is often accompanied by a baby naming ceremony for girls. Boys and girls celebrate their bar and bat mitzvahs with the community, and brides and grooms receive aliyot as part of their aufruf weekend before marriage. Men and women both recite kaddish when in mourning or to mark the yahrzeit of loved ones.

Learning
Darkhei Noam is committed to providing as many venues as possible for the community to grow and learn. Every Shabbat morning there is a shiur given before davening begins and there is a dvar torah before Musaf. In addition, scholars are invited to learn with our minyan several times a year, offering the community opportunities for extended learning and discussions on various topics as well as communal meals with the scholars-in-residence.

Please view our Halakhic Resources page for more details regarding Darkhei Noam's ritual practices.