KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
O YHWH,
our God, Lord, and Creator,
You perfected Your universe on day six
culminating in the ‘crown’ of Your Creation
—humankind—
then You added a seventh day which is not just another day,
for You chose to sanctify the seventh for rest.
It behooves us who are made in Your image, to do the same,
not simply to withdraw from our weekly chores,
but to make a difference in what we choose to do on this day,
a day to cease from our daily routine,
and take delight in the gift of rest
and be joyful from sundown to sundown.
For, if You did not make it a commandment in Your decalogue,
humankind would keep going nonstop in toiling and working
and that would be detrimental to health and wellbeing,
shortening our life span.
So, thank You, YHWH, Lord of the Sabbath,
for Your 4th commandment!
O CREATOR of LIGHT,
in the meaningful family tradition of Your chosen people,
the matriarch of the family kindles the Sabbath lights
and speaks 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 the world celebrates motherhood,
we reflect on the special gift of childbearing that You have placed upon womanhood:
You designed the propagation of the human race
through the recreation of new life
to include the participation of both man and woman,
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
when the infant is ready to leave the dark security of mother’s womb to finally see the light of day.
Mother continues to nurse and care for her child with selfless dedication
until she is able to release this beloved part of her ‘self’
to take its own direction in life in a world ridden with choices.
Just as Your Words through Isaiah speak of Israel Your Firstborn,
a mother can say of the children 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 role 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 every parent’s heart.
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.
[Borrowed Tune: O Mighty Cross/Revised Lyrics]
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
O YHWH,
You perfectly designed the world we live in
to sustain all life—with sunshine and air,
water and a variety of nourishment.
We bless You for blessing us with fruit from the vine and bread from wheat, daily provisions that nourish body and soul.
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, a joy and delight not only on 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 and happiness from the Source of all joy—
You, YHWH, our Lord and our God,
their Creator and their very Source of life.
We ask for blessings upon our family,
[name them] fathers, mothers,
sons and daughters,
their spouses,
grandchildren.
We thank You for the blessing of lives not only well-lived but rightly-lived,
because of a special connection with You
Who determines length of life
and gives meaning for being born, for being,
for existing and even for the ending of a 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, GIVER of the breath of life,
we are thankful and celebrate Life!
Mabuhay, to Life, l’chaim!
SABBATH MEAL
TORAH DISCUSSION
HAVDALAH
Shabbat shalom!
NSB@S6K