Image from storehouse.sonsofzadok.com
“Blessed is the Eternal Power
Who inspires our people to kindle the lights of Shabbat.
Blessed is the Source of Life and Light.”
Lord YHWH,
we join observant Israel
in welcoming Your Queen of Days
with the traditional kindling of the Sabbath lights
which begins the celebration of Your weekly Sabbath,
truly a memorial to You as Creator.
We honor You, Lord YHWH,
as the Source of all Existence,
Whose omnipresence inhabits sacred places,
‘sanctuaries’ set apart for the worship of You,
Who ordained a ‘sanctuary in time’
such as the Sabbath which You Yourself observed
on day seven of week one of earth-time.
Before there was Israel,
before nations were formed,
before the Revelation on Sinai,
before Commandment IV of the decalogue,
there was the Sabbath instituted by You,
to stress its universality,
that it is for all humanity to remember to honor You,
As the One who has no beginning and no end,
Who spoke “let there be” and it was so,
As Creator of all that exist, visible and invisible.
How could we fail to celebrate
this weekly appointed time
with our God and King,
when You have commanded Your people
to remember the ‘first’ in your Creation
that we should set apart,
that ‘first’ you blessed, sanctified and designated
for the most precious gift of rest,
for the benefit of humankind and beasts of burden,
for all who toil non-stop to take a refreshing break
from six days of striving and labor and routine,
Thank You, O Lord of the Sabbath,
for Your holy Sabbath.
Image from michellederusha.com
You have likewise blessed all Sabbath-keepers
by simply granting us not only with a day of rest
but also by adding blessings of joy in heart and peace of mind, with insight, increased understanding
and divine wisdom derived from our Sabbath study
and discussion of Your instructions for living,
Your Torah.
Truly, how blessed are those who follow Your lead
in celebrating this holiest of days!
SCRIPTURE READING on the SABBATH:
[JPS — we have substituted the Tetragrammaton Name YHWH for “the LORD”.]
Isaiah 56
21 And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith YHWH;
My spirit that is upon thee,
and My words which I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed,
saith YHWH, from henceforth and for ever.
Image from ourdailyblessinglife-amyb.blogspot.com
In the course of our daily living, may we never miss seeing Your Hand in our lives and those of our loved ones:
- homes that shelter us;
- provisions for each day;
- nourishment for our body;
- opportunities where we are able to use our gifts and talents;
- learned and natural skills that enable us to earn a living and to sustain our lifestyle;
- special privileges we enjoy that have not been accessible to others;
- health which is true wealth;
- loving relationships that are blessings and even those that are placed before us as a test of our character;
- extended existence on earth with quality of life;
- living in a country that enables us to to enjoy freedom and rights and privileges;
- and many more . . .
Image from www.mysarshalom.com
Finally, we thank You for daily provisions for each one of us,
symbolized by the bread we share together;
We thank You for the joy we derive from people in our lives—family and friends, neighbors and co-workers, those in our faith community.
As we raise this glass of wine which symbolizes our joy,
we celebrate Your Life in us, to Life, L’chaim, Mabuhay!
Image from www.torahstudies.com
HAVDALAH
Blessed are You, YHWH, our God and our King,
for the joy in every Sabbath celebration,
for the fellowship of like-minded believers,
for the knowledge You have made known to us through Your Torah,
and for the time we have left before next sundown
to rest in the peace that You grant us
on this blessed and holy seventh day.
Image from elohists.blogspot.com
Shabbat shalom!
On behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,
NSB@S6K
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