KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
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O CREATOR of LIGHT,
in the meaningful family tradition of Your chosen people,
the matriarch of the family kindles the Sabbath lights and recites the blessing:
Blessed are You,
YHWH, our God,
King of the Universe,
Who sanctified us with Your commandments
and commanded us to “sanctify the Sabbath.”
As children of all ages celebrate motherhood,
we reflect on the special role and function of childbearing:
You designed the propagation of the human race
through the recreation of new life
to include the participation of both male and female,
but granting woman the unique privilege of hosting an embryo,
designing her to be the suitable vessel
to carry and nurture a developing life to full maturity.
On birthing day when the unborn
leaves the dark security of the womb,
to finally see the light of day,
Mother continues to nurture her child with selfless dedication
until it is time to release and entrust this beloved part of her ‘self’
to the teaching and guidance for life,
divinely assigned to fathers.
Just as Your Words through Isaiah speak of Israel Your Firstborn,
a mother could say to each child that she births,
15 Can a woman
forget her suckling child,
that she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb
yea, they may forget,
yet will I not forget thee.
Bless all Mothers, O GIVER of LIFE,
for their special place in the lives of children,
providing never-ending unconditional love to them.
May children young and old, see in Mothers that very image of You,
a loving God Who cares that each child fulfills the purpose for which he was created:
to know You first and foremost,
yet freely choose his destiny,
with You or without You in it.
It is our prayer that our children will choose ‘Life’,
YOUR LIFE, for in doing so,
their destiny is rightly directed and ultimately blessed,
and that brings great comfort to a mother’s heart.
It is our prayer that, while fathers are assigned
the primary responsibility of teaching Your Way of Life
to our children and our children’s children,
that mothers will step in, if and only when—
fathers fail to dispense their duty and responsibility
that You have clearly commanded in the SHEMA,
initially to Israel, though intended for all humanity:
Hear, Israel, [O Nations],
YHWH our God, the LORD is one.
And you shall love YHWH your God
with all your heart
and with all your being
and with all your might.
And these words that I charge you today
will be upon your heart.
And you shall rehearse them to your sons
and speak of them
when you sit in your house
and when you go on the way
and when you lie down
and when you rise.
And you shall bind them
as a sign on your hand
and they shall be as circlets
between your eyes.
And you shall write them
on the doorposts of your house
and in your gates.
[Deuteronomy 6:4-9]
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Proverbs 31:28-31
Her children have risen and praised her;
her husband and he extolled her:
“Many women have amassed achievement,
but you surpassed them all.”
Grace is false, and beauty vain;
a woman who fears YHWH,
she should be praised.
Give her the fruits of her hands;
and let her be praised in the gates
by her very own deeds.
Original Tune: ‘O Mighty Cross’/Revised Lyrics
Image from Berean Ministries
1. Oh Lord of Life, Who knew my name
before I came to know Your Name,
Your very breath gives me my soul,
my very being, spirit, mind and heart, my all.
2. Oh God of Truth, how could we know
the way through life, the way to You,
Your guiding Light, your Words of Life,
have led me through the path, the only path to You.
3. O loving God of humankind,
teach us Your Way, show us Your Mind,
Torah says all we need to know,
there is no other Source of Truth, it is just so.
4. Immortal God, Who was and is,
from now through all eternity,
You are the First, You are the Last,
no other God is there on earth or heaven above.
BLESSINGS
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O YHWH,
You perfectly designed the world we live in
to sustain all life—with sunshine and air,
water and a variety of nourishment and provisions for every need to sustain plant, animal and human life.
We bless You for blessing us
with fruit from the vine
and food from Your bountiful nature,
‘manna’ that nourish body, mind, and spirit.
In Your Tabernacle in the wilderness,
You consistently stressed two items together:
the Ark of the Covenant which contained Your revelation on two tablets of stone,
and the table of shewbread which was replaced every Sabbath.
How could we miss the connection:
that as we delight in nourishing our physical life,
we nurture our spiritual life by ‘feeding’ on Your Torah,
both joy and delight not only on the Sabbath,
but as often as we desire food for body and soul.
We celebrate motherhood,
and ask for blessings upon all women
who deliver Your gift of life to each of their children.
May they be rewarded in the desires of the heart,
that their children no matter how old,
will find joy from the Source of all joy,
YOU, O YHWH, our Lord and our God,
their Creator the Source of all life.
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We ask for blessings upon our family,
[name them] fathers, mothers,
sons and daughters, their spouses,
grandchildren, extended kin.
We thank You for the blessing of lives
that are not only well-lived but rightly-lived,
because of a special connection with You,
Who determines length of life
and gives meaning to our being born,
to our being, to our existence,
and even to the ending of our lifetime.
May none of us waste precious time,
for every second and every minute is forever gone,
and none of us know the length of life
You have allotted each of us on this earth.
For the precious gift of TIME, O YHWH, we are grateful,
and we are thankful for the time we have spent
with the woman who gave birth to us, (name your mother);
we are just as thankful for surrogate mothers (name them),
and grandmothers (name them).
As we celebrate motherhood, we say —-
Mabuhay, to Life, L’chaim!
SABBATH MEAL
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TORAH STUDY
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HAVDALAH
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Shabbat shalom
on behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,
NSB@S6K
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