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[During this Easter celebration of the life-death-resurrection of the 2nd Person of the Christian Trinitarian God who dominates the New Testament scriptures, it is only fitting to go back to basics and feature the God of Israel Who dominates the “Old” Testament, i.e., the Hebrew Scriptures, the TNK.
At the culmination of creation week, the Sabbath —which was modeled as a day of cessation from work by the Creator Himself — was not only reiterated later on Sinai as the 4th Commandment in the Decalogue, but also was significantly chosen as the ‘sign of the Covenant’ between Israel and the Creator/Revelator on Sinai Who declared His Name as YHWH. Hence, while the Christians are referred to as the “Sunday People’ and the Moslems the “Friday People”, Jewry are the “Sabbath People”.
Sinaites being among the Gentile “Sabbath People” with Jehovah Witness, Seventh Day Adventists, and Messianics who are “Sabbatistas”, we feature the Jewish prayer tradition once again. Selections here are from The Jewish Prayer Book and My People’s Prayer Book and The Expanded ArtScroll SIDDUR. Translation of quoted scripture is from Everett Fox’s The Five Books of Moses.
Please bear in mind — we declare the Name of YHWH in this website as a sign of reverence and awe for the God we love and worship; so even if these prayers are from traditional Jewish prayerful expressions which avoid the Tetragrammaton Name. It is important to us that we name the God to Whom these Sabbath prayers are lovingly directed by His chosen. The language has also been modernized from archaic expressions “Thy, Thee, Thou, reignest, etc.”—Admin1.]
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KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
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Blessed are You, YHWH our God, King of the universe,
who has sanctified us by Your commandments,
and commanded us to kindle the Sabbath lights.
Exodus/Shemoth 31:12-13, 16-17
YHWH said to Moshe:
And you, speak to the Children of Israel, saying:
However: My Sabbaths you are to keep!
For it is a sign
between Me and you,
throughout your generations,
to know that I, YHWH, hallow you.
The Children of Israel are to keep the Sabbath,
to make the Sabbath-observance throughout their generations
as a covenant for the ages;
between Me and the Children of Israel,
a sign it is, for the ages,
for in six days, YHWH made the heavens and the earth,
but on the seventh day, He ceased and paused-for-breath.
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“Come, my friend, to meet the bride;
let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath.”
“Observe” and “Remember the Sabbath day,”
the only God caused us to hear in a single utterance:
the LORD [YHWH] is One,
and His name is One to His renown and His glory and His praise.
Come, let us go to meet the Sabbath,
for it is a wellspring of blessing;
from the beginning from of old, it was ordained—
last in production, first in thought.
Come in peace, thou crown of thy husband,
with rejoicing and with cheerfulness,
in the midst of the faithful of the chosen people:
come O bride, come, O bride.
Come my friend to meet the bride;
let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath.
Leader: Bless the LORD [YHWH] who is to be blessed.
ALL: Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted and extolled
be the name of the supreme King of kings,
the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is the First and the Last,
and beside Him, there is no God.
Extol Him that rides upon the heavens by His name YAH,
and rejoice before Him.
His name is exalted above all blessing and praise.
Blessed be His Name,
whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.
Let the Name of the Lord [YHWH] be blessed
from this time forth and forevermore.
Leader and All: Blessed is the LORD [YHWH] who is to be blessed forever and ever.
Blessed are You O LORD [YHWH] our God, King of the universe,
who at Your word brings on the evening twilight,
with wisdom opens the gates of the heavens,
and with understanding changes times and varies the seasons,
and arranges the stars in their watches in the sky,
according to Your will.
You create day and night;
You roll away the light from before the darkness,
and the darkness from before the light;
You make the day to pass and the night to approach,
You divide the day from the night,
the LORD [YHWH] of hosts is Your name;
a God living and enduring continually,
may You reign over us forever and ever.
Blessed are You, O LORD [YHWH]
who brings on the evening twilight.
With everlasting love You have loved the house of Israel, Your people;
a Law and commandments, statutes and judgments have You taught us.
Therefore. O LORD [YHWH] our God,
when we lie down and when we rise up
we will meditate on Your statutes:
yea, we will rejoice in the words of Your Law and in Your commandments forever;
for they are our life and the length of our days
and we will meditate on them day and night.
And may You never take away Your love from us.
Blessed are You, O LORD [YHWH] who loves Your people Israel.
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BLESSINGS
Blessed are You, YHWH, our God, King of the universe,
Who creates the fruit of the vine.
Blessed are You, YHWH, our God, King of the universe,
Who creates species of nourishment:
the fruit of the tree, the fruit of the ground,
through Whose word everything came to be.
Blessed are You, YHWH our God, King of the universe,
who feeds the entire world in Your goodness—-
with love, kindness, and mercy.
You give food to all people because Your kindness lasts forever.
May the Merciful God let us inherit
the Shabbat of the World to Come,
which will be a complete rest day forever.
The Way of the Righteous Man
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the Law of YHWH,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. . . .
For YHWH knows the way of the righteous.
A Woman of Valor
Who can find a capable wife?
Her value is far beyond that of pearls.
Her husband trusts her from his heart,
and she will prove a great asset to him.
She works to bring him good, not harm, all the days of her life. . . .
Clothed with strength and dignity,
she can laugh at the days to come.
When she opens her mouth, she speaks wisely;
on her tongue is loving instruction.
She watches how things go in her house,
not eating the bread of idleness.
Her children arise; they make her happy;
Her husband too, as he praises her:
“Many women have done wonderful things,
but you surpass them all!”
Charm can lie, beauty can vanish,
but a woman who fears YHWH should be praised.
Give her a share in what she produces;
let her works speak her praises at the city gates.
Sons: May YHWH make you like Ephraim and Menashe: (name them) Daughters: May YHWH make you like Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah: (name them)
HAVDALAH
Blessed be the Lord [YHWH] by day;
blessed be the Lord [YHWH] by night;
Blessed be the Lord [YHWH] when we lie down;
blessed be the Lord [YHWH] when we rise up.
For in Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead, as it is said.
In Your hands is the soul of every living thing,
and the spirit of all human flesh.
Into Your hand I commend my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O YHWH God of truth.
Our God who are in heaven,
assert the unity of Your Name,
and establish Your kingdom continually,
and reign over us forever and ever.
May our eyes behold, our hearts rejoice,
and our souls be glad in Your true salvation,
when it shall be said unto Zion, Your God reigns.
The Lord [YHWH] reigns;
the Lord [YHWH] has reigned;
the Lord [YHWH] shall reign forever and ever:
for the kingdom is Yours, and to everlasting, You will reign in glory;
for we have no king but You.
Blessed are You, O YHWH the King,
who constantly in Your glory will reign over us
and over all Your works forever and ever.
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Shabbat Shalom to all of YHWH’s people
at the beginning of the Biblical Passover,
Israel and Gentile Believers in Israel’s God,
on behalf of Sinai 6000 Core Community,
NSB@S6K
