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KINDLE THE SABBATH LIGHTS
Blessed are You, YHWH, Eternal God,
Who was and is and will be as You choose to beto Jews, to Gentiles, and to us, Sinaites.
Blessed are You, All-Existent-One
Who has no beginning and no end,
Whose wisdom designed earthly time,
in seconds, minutes, hours and days, weeks, months and years,
so that humanity could properly function
and coordinate life systems according to phases and stages and processes and cycles.
We are reminded of how You taught Your chosen people
and all who would learn from Your Instructions for Life,
how to track the heavenly bodies and their movements,
for the first sighting of a sliver of the moon
to its fullness in the middle of the month
and to its waning to signal the end of the monthly phase,
marking the progress of time by lunar cycles,
”for signs, seasons, and appointed times”
a constant reminder of your perfect clockwork.
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Your universe has functioned
perfectly since the beginning of Creation week,
from sundown to sundown, on to our days
and on to the end of the age.
May each Sabbath
and each new month
be for us,
a renewal of our love and devotion toward You,
a time to continue to grow in our knowledge of You,
that we may be fruitful for ourselves
for one another, for others not with us,
and specially for the unknown seekers of truth
who find their way into our Sinai 6000 website.
Blessed are You, Creator God whose very first words were
“let there be light”
Who designed heavenly luminaries for visual pleasure and for guidance.
In Your visible Presence on earth,
You manifested as a burning bush, a pillar of fire, a shekinah glory cloud.
These Sabbath candles remind us of Your true source of enlightenment.
Your “lamp unto our feet” and Your “light unto our path.”
As Torah observers,
may we function as true reflectors of Your Light,
as luminaries in a darkened world,
from Sabbath to Sabbath,
until our final Sabbath Rest.
Indeed, may it be so!
——————–
Psalm 127
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to[a] those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
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BLESSINGS
From seed to vine to grape to wine,
This drink brings joy, a delight and a sign
that we started as seeds, matured into vine,
bore fruit like grapes, ripened into wine.
We continue to age, gaining wisdom and truth,
What more could we ask from the Source of all TRUTH,
more life, long life, Your Life, O Giver of LIFE.
[When you raise your wine glasses, to make a toast, say:]
Mabuhay (Live!),
L’Chaim (to Life!).
From seed to stem to grain of wheat,
From flour to dough and baked in heat,
This bread is food that came from seed,
Just like the drastic change we need,
From phase to phase of life indeed.
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Lord, God of the families represented here,
we speak before You
the names of loved ones,
that You might grant them
daily provisions and divine protection,
and Your peace, mercy, and grace,
but more importantly,
may they gain knowledge of You
and wisdom that comes
from the study of your Revelation,
that they may make right choices
and live wisely,
and discover the joy of living
at each stage of their growth.
May they become true seekers of You
and be zealous in pursuit of Your Truth,
so that their names will be worthy
to be written in your Book of Life.
Indeed, may it be so!
[Name them: Parents; Siblings: Spouse: Sons: Daughters:
Extended family: Grandchildren, In-laws.
Friends and Co-Travellers in the Faith
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HAVDALAH
[From: The New Union Prayer Book ,
For the Days of Awe]
We hope, Eternal God,
soon to behold the glory of Your might.
Then will false gods vanish from our hearts,
and the world will be perfected
under Your unchallenged rule.
And then will all acclaim You as their God,
and, forsaking evil,
turn to You alone.
Let all who dwell on earth acknowledge
that unto You every knee must bend
and every tongue swear loyalty.
Before You, Eternal God,
let them humble themselves.
To Your glorious Name let them give honor.
Let all accept the yoke of Your sovereign rule,
that You may reign over them soon and forever.
For You are sovereign,
and to all eternity You will reign in glory,
as it is written:
“The Eternal God will reign for ever and ever.”
