[A 5th Sabbath in any month is always a ‘bonus’ and just as we have borrowed from “Prayers and Blessings from Around the World” and featured these in other liturgies, we now feature sample prayers from the SIDDUR, the traditional prayers of Israel.
The excerpts here are from The Expanded ArtScroll Siddur, Wasserman Edition, published by Mesorah Publications, ltd. and Gates of Repentance, The New Union Prayer Book for the Days of Awe.
The quotes are randomly selected from different prayers; in effect, we’re borrowing phrases that have universal application, since expectedly, the Siddur is all about Israel’s unique relationship with the God of Israel and therefore, very ‘Jewish’. Also, since Sinaites believe in declaring the Tetragrammaton Name YHWH with all due respect and reverence, this liturgy substitutes YHWH wherever HaShem is written in the ArtScroll text. We, Sinaites, are deeply grateful to Israel for the beautiful family tradition of welcoming the Sabbath at sundown, truly the best place to be—at home with loved ones, at the best time sanctified by the Creator Himself Whose Presence is a ‘given’ as Lord of the Sabbath. –—Admin1]
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KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
Blessed are You, YHWH our God,
King of the universe,
Who has sanctified us
with His commandments,
and has commanded us
to kindle the light of the Sabbath.
Come my Beloved to greet the bride—
The Sabbath presence, let us welcome!
“Safeguard” and “Remember” — in a single utterance
The One and Only God made us hear.
YHWH is One and His Name is One,
For renown, for splendor, and for praise.
To welcome the Sabbath, come let us go,
for it is the source of blessing;
from the beginning,
from antiquity she was honored,
last in deed, but first in thought.
You sanctified the Seventh Day for Your Name’s sake,
the conclusion of Your creation of heaven and earth.
Of all days, You blessed it;
and of all seasons, You sanctified it—
and so it is written in Your Torah:
Thus the heaven and the earth were finished and all their legion.
On the Seventh Day God completed His work which He had done,
and He abstained on the Seventh Day
from all His work which He had done.
God blessed the Seventh Day and sanctified it,
because on it He had abstained from all His work
which God created to make.
Our God and the God of our forefathers [and the God of all nations],
may You be pleased with our rest.
Sanctify us with Your commandments
and grant us our share in Your Torah;
satisfy us from Your goodness
and gladden us with Your salvation
and purify our hearts to serve You sincerely.
O YHWH, our God,
with love and favor,
grant us Your holy Sabbath as a heritage
and may Israel, the sanctifiers of Your Name,
[and all the nations] rest on it.
Blessed are You, YHWH, Who sanctifies the Sabbath.
Psalm 95
Come! Let us sing to YHWH,
let us call out to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us greet Him with thanksgiving,
with praiseful songs let us call out to Him.
For YHWH is a great God,
and a great King above all heavenly powers.
For in His power are the hidden mysteries of earth,
and the mountain summits are His.
For HIs is the sea and He perfected it,
and the dry land—His hands fashioned it.
Come! — let us prostrate ourselves and bow,
let us kneel before YHWH, our Maker.
For He is our God and we can be the flock of His pastures,
and the sheep in His charge —- even today,
if we but heed His call!
Words from the Wise:
Ben Zoma says:
Who is wise?
He who learns from every person, as it is said:
“From all my teachers I grew wise.”
Who is strong?
He who subdues his personal inclination, as it is said:
“He who is slow to anger is better than the strong man,
and a master of his passions is better than a conqueror of a city.”
Who is rich?
He who is happy with his lot, as it is said;
“When you eat of the labor of your hands,
you are praiseworthy and all is well with you.”
Who is honored?
He who honors others, as it is said:
“For those who honor Me will I honor,
and those who scorn Me shall be degraded.”
We gratefully thank You,
for it is You Who are YHWH,
our God for all eternity;
Rock of our lives,
Shield of our salvation are You from generation to generation.
We shall thank You and relate Your praise —
for our lives, which are committed to Your power
and for our souls that are entrusted to You;
for Your miracles that are with us every day;
and for Your wonders and favors in every season —
evening, morning, and afternoon.
The Beneficent One,
for Your compassions were never exhausted,
and the Compassionate One,
for Your kindnesses never ended —
we have always placed our hope in You.
For all these, may Your Name, YHWH,
be blessed and exalted,
our King, continually forever and ever.
May it be Your will, YHWH, our God,
that You show favor to our family —
(name them —-father, mother, husband, wife, sons, daughters)
and all our relatives (name them),
and that You grant us a good and long life;
that You remember us with a beneficent memory and blessing;
that You consider us with compassion;
that You bless us with great blessings;
that You make our households complete;
that You cause Your Presence to dwell among us.
Privilege us to children and grandchildren
who are wise and understanding,
who love You YHWH,
and have a fear of God,
be people of truth,
holy offspring,
attached to YHWH Who illuminates the world
with Torah and good deeds
and with every labor in the service of the Creator.
Blessed are You, YHWH, our God, King of the universe,
Who creates the fruit of the vine
and who brings forth food for our nourishment from the earth.
Havdalah
With the setting of this evening’s sun,
united with Jews
[and Gentiles] of every place and time,
we proclaim a new day of hope.
May the light of the Divine shine forth to lead us,
to show us the good we must do,
the harmony we must create.
Let the fire we kindle be for us a warming flame,
whose brightness shows us the path of life.
Lay us down to sleep, YHWH, our God, in peace,
and raise us up, our King, to life;
and spread over us the shelter of Your peace.
Direct us well with good counsel from before Your Presence,
and save us for Your Name’s sake.
Shield us, remove from us foe, plague, sword, famine, and woe;
and remove spiritual impediments from before us and behind us,
and shelter us in the shadow of Your wing —
for God Who protects and rescues us are You;
for You are God,
the Gracious and Compassionate King.
Safeguard our going and coming,
for life and for peace, from now to eternity.
And spread over us the shelter of Your peace.
Blessed are You, YHWH,
Who spreads the shelter of peace upon us,
upon all of His people Israel
and upon Jerusalem
[and upon all Gentiles who embrace You as God and King.]
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified
in the world that He created as He willed.
May He give reign to His Kingship
in our lifetimes and in our days,
and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel,
[and Gentile nations, and the families of Sinaites]
swiftly and soon.
Amen.
Shabbat shalom to our Jewish friends,
and Gentile Sabbath-keepers
from all over the world,
NSB@S6K