Chabad of Maine

We do not have regular daily minyanim during the winter or summer months based on Portland residents only.  In the summer, if there is a large enough visiting crowd we will organize a daily minyan at the Chabad Center.  Many people vacationing in Portland would like to daven with a minyan and some may need to say Kaddish.

Welcome to our Shul – Chabad of Maine

Imagine worshipping in an atmosphere of total inclusion and acceptance, where you are welcome, in fact encouraged, to ask questions, and where you are implored to be as nonjudgmental of your neighbor as he or she is of you. This is the atmosphere that has been created in this small, unassuming building in Portland which we call home.

Shabbat Service

Our Shabbat services are traditional. They are led by our Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Wilansky, and chanted by the Rabbi and members of our minyan. Services are conducted primarily in Hebrew, with some English passages sprinkled in for further understanding. The truth is that only each individual among us knows how he or she best communicates with G-d. At Chabad the language you use or the pace you set for yourself are not of paramount importance. Our prayer books are written in both Hebrew and English, and the page numbers are announced continuously so you may always catch up if you prefer to meditate at a slower speed. Please connect with the day and with G-d and with your own soul in whatever personal manner suits you best.

The tunes are old, familiar ones, and they are sung by those of us who know the words and by those of us who can only hum along, with all the gusto befitting the joy of the Sabbath.

D’var Torah

Each week, our Rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Wilansky enlightens us by expounding upon the meaning of the Torah section of the week. Rabbi Wilansky guides each of us on a weekly journey from ancient times to the present, by opening our eyes not merely to the words in the Holy Book, but to the unspoken allegories the words reflect. Shabbat after Shabbat, he synthesizes the Torah stories and directives, and relates their messages so that we may grow from them as we incorporate them into our contemporary hectic lifestyles. Remarkably, his message manages to be universal and personal simultaneously, and touches each of us, regardless of the mile markers on our individual spiritual highways.

Kiddush

Please join us for our weekly Kiddish immediately following the service. The kosher Kiddish is sponsored on a volunteer basis by members of our minyan who may have a simcha to celebrate, a milestone to mark, or a family member they wish to honor. Often the Kiddish is prepared simply to honor the Sabbath. Our Kiddish affords us a collective opportunity to break bread, to partake of Chana Wilansky’s most delicious and widely praised cooking, to share the news of the week, relax into the Shabbat tempo, and enjoy the warmth and companionship that emanate from this community.

Shalom. Are you familiar with that Hebrew word? Most Jews are, regardless of labels. Regardless of labels – all Parents swell with pride when their children become B’nai Mitzvot. Regardless of labels – all Jews taste the salt of their own tears as they mourn loved ones taken too soon. Regardless of labels – all Jews rejoice at the miracle of the birth of another Jewish baby. Let your only label here be “Jew.” Welcome. Shalom.