To make a Minyan: A minyan, a quorum of ten adult Jews, is required in order to say certain prayers communally as a congregation. A minyan is required in order to read from the Torah with a blessing and to recite the Barchu, Kedushah or Kaddish. There is this great feeling to know that you are needed, that your presence counts and that the community can not be complete without your participation.

To maintain a Conservative Jewish community - Too often as Conservative Jews we like to say "Oh, I don't have to do that because I'm a Conservative Jew". In reality the reason the Conservative movement can into existence is about "conserving" the traditions - halachah (Jewish law). Our movement and congregation should not be about looking to get out of doing something but about doing things in a more meaningful way. By having a daily egalitarian minyan we our making a statement that we are a vital and religiously involved Jewish community.

For those saying Kaddish: There is a longstanding tradition of saying the Kaddish for eleven months after the death of a parent and one month after the death of other close relatives (brother, sister, wife, husband and children). There is also the custom of reciting the Kaddish on the anniversary (Yarzeit) of a loved ones death. Without a minyan you, your fellow congregants and that stranger who comes in one morning to recite can not honor their loved ones with the Kaddish.

I have to get to work! This has always my biggest problem, I have to be in my office in Manhattan by 8:30 AM and there was no way I could go to services in the morning and still make it to work on time. There are two solutions to this obstacle. One option is to participate in the evening service, which starts at 8:00 PM and only lasts about ten minutes (that right, just 10 minutes). The other options is to just do it. Most employers will not have a problem if they know that on the second Tuesday of each month you will be in a half an hour late. About two years ago I decided that I would start leaving work early on Fridays so I could participate in the Friday evening service. During the winter months this service starts as early as 4 PM. At first I felt awkward leaving work early and having to explain why. As the summer approaches, Shabbat starts later and I have been able to stay at work longer. Still, by about 4 PM on Friday my colleges at work often remind me and say "David, don't you have to leave already!".

I don't know how! The majority of the daily service is in Hebrew - a language that almost all of us don't understand and a lot of us can't or struggle to read. But remember, each page of the Sim Shalom prayer book has Hebrew on one side and English on the other. You will find that as you go to services on a regular basis that you will quickly learn how to recite the key prayers recited aloud. You should spend time meditating on a prayer in English at your own pace. While I can read Hebrew I am often (OK, always) unable to keep up with the leader. Therefore, I select key prayers throughout the service that I carefully recite and contemplate its meaning. I don't worry that the leader is ahead of me. When done, I just skip ahead to the next chosen prayer close to where the reader is. This way I am able to have a meaningful prayer and more or less stay with the congregation.

The Daily Service is just for men! Many women who grew up in a traditional home feel that participation in the daily minyan is primarily the obligation of the men. As an egalitarian congregation men and women participate equally in all aspects of our service and are counted in the minyan. Some women (and men too!) don't feel comfortable participating in certain aspects of the service such as being called to the Torah. That's OK, but we still want you to join us in making a minyan.