A Sinaite's Liturgy – 1st Sabbath of June

KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS

In the beginning,

 

the SOURCE of LIGHT,

whose blinding brilliance dazzled a darkened world when there was not a soul–animal or human—

to witness and wonder at the awesome spectacle—

 

the Creator YHWH spoke all matter into existence, 

one after another

according to their function and purpose,

designed to fit into His Grand Design

as only He can orchestrate it all,

with harmony and balance,

with variety and diversity,

with beauty and utmost creativity,

with perfection.  

 

Truly, how can we begin to describe the testimony of the created order,

the witness of  science, of nature and of humankind—

to the existence of a God Who merely speaks and suddenly there “is”?

 

There was setting, there was dawning: one day.
6 God said: 

And so it was.

 

 

 

 

These Sabbath lights do not dazzle nor blind, 

 

but they dispel enough darkness in space where once there was light from the brilliance of a created sun which has withdrawn from our horizon on this erev Shabbat, as it regularly does in obedience to the Divine command: 

 

 

14 God said:Let there be lights in the dome of the heavens, to separate the day from the night, Let there be lights in the dome of the heavens, to separate the day from the night, that they may be for signs-for set-times, for days and years, 15 and let them be for lights in the dome of the heavens, to provide light upon the earth!  It was so.

16 God made the two great lights,  the greater light for ruling the day and the smaller light for ruling the night, and the stars.

17 God placed them in the dome of the heavens
18 to provide light upon the earth, to rule the day and the night, to separate the light from the darkness.   God saw that it was good.

19 There was setting, there was dawning: fourth day.

 

O Lord YHWH, Creator-God,

we read these verses in the opening chapter of Your Torah and believe with our mind and our heart every word You have spoken, as recorded by Moshe to whom is attributed the authorship of Your Sinai Revelation.

 

We celebrate this Sabbath day in loving tribute to You,  the first Celebrant of the first Sabbath, and as a memorial to Your first Sabbath, the seventh day when You rested from Your creative work, in the company of the first man and woman who would be the first father and mother of all humanity.

 

Image from artbyjoani.squarespace.com

We conclude that You did not cease from Your work because You needed rest;

We surmise that by doing so, You were impressing upon us who now read this account, the importance of rest from a six-day workweek.

 

We imagine that You did not celebrate the Sabbath alone, all by Yourself;

 

We imagine what a blessing it must have been for the representatives of Your ‘crown of creation’, humankind, to have been there to be commanded the Sabbath law that was to be the fourth of Your Ten Declarations on Sinai.

 

The first human made from existing material, the earth,

was split by You into two beings to complement one another in all ways,

that they might participate in the supreme act of reproducing another being,  of their kind, but of different genders, male and female.

And that is Your original design.

 

And we guess that the first couple who were made on day six

were a day old when they celebrated their first Sabbath with You.

 

From that first Sabbath of Creation week,

You have made certain that Your Sabbath will be enshrined in Torah

as a commandment, not a mere suggestion.

 

We join Your chosen nation obedient Israel,

in taking joy and delight in celebration of Your Queen of days.

Come, O Lord of the Sabbath, You are welcome in this home.

 

This community embraces Your Lordship and Your Kingship,

and love Your Law, Your Book of Instructions

intended for all humankind.

 

Would that the day will come that the prophets of Israel spoke of,

that all nations will know You and honor Your Name YHWH,

by living according to Your Torah.

 

BLESSINGS

 

The Sabbath is a blessing, a joy and a delight.

 

Our Sinai community of believers in YHWH, delight in the company of one another.

 

The families represented here, have been blessed with life through each generation— parents, sons and daughters, grandchildren, extended families through spouses and kin.

 

For them all, O Giver of Life and Lord of Love,

we bless You YHWH,

and share this bread of fellowship,

and drink this wine in joyful celebration

of Your loving-kindness and mercy,

 

Your daily provisions, Your protection of our homes and our loved ones.

Amen.

SABBATH MEAL /TORAH STUDY

 

 

 

 

HAVDALAH

 

 

 

[For Havdalah, read the following quotation from Isaiah 60:19-20  addressed to YHWH’s firstborn son Israel. Sinaites pray that this will happen soon, that the end of the age might come.]

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                

NSB@S6K