Shabbat
Services
A Guide
to Our Saturday Service
"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the
Sabbath throughout their generations, for perpetual covenant." (Exodus
31:16)
"And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it
he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (Genesis 2:3)
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour,
and do all thy work: But the seventh day (is) the Sabbath of the Lord thy God:
Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle." (Exodus 20:8-11)
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Preface:
We hope this supplement to the Shabbat morning service
Siddur (Prayer Book, siddur meaning order) will enhance your own understanding
of the prayers and provide inspiration to you as you sit (or stand.!) during
the service and as you leave here today.
Blessed
may you be on your coming and
blessed may you be on your going out.
DEUTERONOMY 28:6
Judaism by itself does not make a home holy, nor would its absence make a
loving home anything less than holy. But by marking our lives and the rhythms
of our households in Jewish terms, we constantly, in large and small ways,
connect to G-d, to our people’s historic covenant with the Divine, to
the obligation of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and to k’lal yisrael
(the whole of the people Israel).
Yosef
Abramowitz, Jewish Family & Life
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Prayer
is an art, all art
requires effort and practice.
To
Pray
To pray is to acknowledge and thank, praise and glorify, bless and sanctify.
Even
Amen is an act of prayer.
Across
all religions, Prayer is a human way of communicating with God — expressing
our feelings, reactions and needs. The distinctiveness of Jewish prayer is
to be found in the concept of God. Formal Jewish prayer utilizes the words
others have formulated in order to guide us. These words specifically reflect
Jewish beliefi, ideas, history and hopes for the future.
Rabbi
Reuven Hammer, The Art Of Jewish Prayer
Prayer
can...
Teach that we are not alone
Remind us of the wonders of the world
Heighten our awareness of the sacred
Connect us with our history
Connect us with Jewish life around us
Remind us of the wonder of life.
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Prayer
is the bridge between God and man. Prayer
is one of mans greatest but also most difficult acts.
Ernst Simon
Although
Judaism has a rich tradition of individual prayer, it nevertheless places
an extraordinary emphasis on community worship. An individual can express
oneself in any way he or she desires. But when taking part in community one
must also join in the framework of the community. Judaism is wary of aloneness.
Religion is what we do with our togetherness.
Why
Pray in Hebrew?
Certainly, one can pray in any language. There is nothing magical about Hebrew,
but it is a connection to our past and our culture. There is hopefully an
emotional connection, even when not understanding the literal meaning. However
by learning the meaning behind the words, there is a significance that cannot
be there by translating to another language.
KAVANAH
means “to aim”. Prayer requires
kavanab. It implies not only concentration, but
also meaning and Intention.
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Rituals and Symbols:
Rituals and symbols play a part in every phase of life. Even
people not involved in religious life use symbols — marriage rings, other
jewelry, birthday cakes, clothes, photos, etc. as objects to bring meaning.
Rituals
are the languages of religion. They bring into our daily life (through our
senses) the invisible world of the spirituality and the unseen presence of
God. The light of candles, the vision of the Torah, the feel of the tallit,
the sound of music, and the taste of certain foods all bring religion alive.
Rituals
renew our sense of linkage with a tradition that spans centuries. Rituals
reaffirm life. Rituals make feelings tangible.
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The Tallit:
The
Lord said to Moses: “Speak to the Children of Israel, and bid them to
make fringes in the corners of their garments throughout their generation,
putting upon the fringe of each corner a thread of blue.
When
you look upon the fringe you will be reminded of all the commandments of the
Lord...I, the Lord, am your God.”
In their
origin, ritual garments with fringes were not merely intended for times of
prayer, but to be worn with day-to-day clothes. In fact, Abraham Ibn Ezra
said that it was more important to wear the tzitzit/fringes when not praying
because during prayer one is unlikely to sin. The fringes remind us of our
obligation to God and the mitzvot.
To see, to remember and to observe.
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Why blue? Rabbi Meir said blue resembles the sea, the sea resembles the sky
and the sky resembles the throne of glory. Each corner has one long thread and
3 short ones folded to make 8 threads and 5 knots. Since there are 613 commandments,
the twists and knots (13 in total) are designed to be taken together with the
numerical value of tzitzit (600) to add up to 613, representing the 613 mitzvot/commandments.
Ever
since the sages there has been discussion about women wearing tzitzit.
Observant
Jewish men will wear tzitzit in the form of an undergarment called arba kanfot
(4 corners) or rallir katan (small tallit) at all times.
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Kippah/Yarmulkah:
Wearing
a Kippah/Yarmulkah
is not a mitzvah/commandment in the technical sense. There is not a blessing
for putting on a Kippah/Yarmulkah.
It has become a distinct sign of Judaism and a symbol of modesty, humility
and reverence for God above.
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Torah:
The
Torah is the most sacred object — it is the scroll containing the message
of God (the five books of Moses) and the wisdom of our history. Judaism has
no holy images, no representations of God. The Torah is carried from the ark
to the reader’s table while verses are chanted emphasizing the centrality
and sanctity of the Torah.
Although
the Torah is read primarily on Shabbat, it is also read on Mondays and Thursdays.
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Order
of the Service:
Barchu:
(page 87)
The morning blessings touch our
emotional side; they prepare us to pray.
Rabbi Mordecai Miller
In the ancient Temple, a Priest would greet the first appearance of the morning
sun with the exclamation “Praise the Lord, Source of all blessing.”
This was later adopted as an appropriate way to summon a congregation to worship.
The reply of the congregation “Praised be the Lord, Source of all blessing,
forever” is intended to unite the congregation and the leader in the act
of worship at the beginning of the service. Barchu is one of the prayers recited
only in public workship, in the presence of a Minyan.
Blessed
is God and blessed is God’s name
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Shema: (page
92)
The
Shema became the first prayer of the innocent
child and the last utterance of the martyr.
Joseph Hertz
The Shema is Judaism’ most famous declaration. However, it is not a prayer.
One is not making a request. It is a statement of faith. Its opening verse,
“Hear 0 Israel! The Lord is our God and the Lord is One."
|
Shma
yisra-el adonai eloheynu, adonai ekhad
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The tradition
is to cover one’s eyes in order to concentrate on these important words.
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Praise to You: (Likrat Shabbat Prayer Book)
Let us imagine a world without color
Praise to You, 0 Lord, for all the colors in the rainbow.
Let us
imagine a world without sound
Praise to You, 0 Lord for words that speak to our minds and for sounds
that lift our spirits.
Let us imagine a world without order
Praise to You, 0 Lord, for the marvelous order of nature.
Let us
imagine a world without love
Praise to You, 0 Lord, for the capacity to feel another’s happiness
and another’s pain.
As we
sing of One God, we rejoice in the wonder of the universe.
Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is One.
Praised
be His name; His glorious kingdom is for ever and ever.
God
does not need to be reminded that
God is one. It is needed by people; people
must be reminded that God is one.
Ferdinand Isserman
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V'ahavta: (directly follows the Shema)
Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all
your might.
A Hasidic master, Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, was once asked, “Why does
it say (in Deuteronomy 6:6) that God’s words should be al levavecha,
‘upon your heart? Shouldn’t it say that they should be in your heart?
The Rebbe replied, of course they should be in your heart, but that is not
always possible. At the very least you can put them on your heart and they
may just sit there for a very long time. Some day your heart will crack, and
zf they are already on top of your heart, they can slip right in.”
Rabbi
Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer,
Parenting As A Spiritual Journey
Teach
them diligently unto thy children
Don’t
limit a child to your own learning
for he was born in another time.
Rabbinic Saying
Jewish parenting is Parenting. Just like we have a lot to teach our children
about rules and responsibilities of life, we have a lot to teach them about
Jewish life— and can’t expect them to figure it out themselves.
Jewish parenting is also about our own journey not JUSt what! can teach my
children, but what I can learn myself.
Daniel Gordis, Becoming A Jewish Parent
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Amida: (page 96)
The Standing Prayer, Central to Judaism. Prayer and the Amidah are synonymous.
Stand as a respect to God to be thankful, praise and ask for God’s help.
Gratitude
isn't only ethically right,
it is the basis of happiness.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
The Central Prayer of the Amidah is preceded by the words of Psalm 51:17 “0
Lord, open my lips so that my mouth may utter Your Praise.” To be able
to pray is a special gift, but then so is the ability to perform any human
act
of importance. Of course prayer is difficult, we live in a secular world.
Prayer is not part of our daily lives. Prayer will only feel like it is working
when it is integrated into our routines.
Movements
to show that you are not merely uttering words, but speaking directly to God.
Begin
by moving backward and then forward 3 steps
At
the conclusion, step back 3 steps and bow in each direction.
Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue
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Parts
of the Amidah
Praise — Request — Strength to go on ones way
1.
Remember the Patriarchs
2. God’s awesome power
3. Holiness/Kedusha (In the Musaf— additional service after the Torah
Reading - this is expanded to include God and Zion)
4. Shabbat Gifts (In the Musaf this is expanded to include God’s special
gifts of Gemilut Hasidim -Deeds of Loving Kindness, Tzedakah and Prayers)
5. Request to God to hear our prayers
6. Modim — Gratitude
7. Priestly Blessings — Prayer for Peace
Why do
you go to synagogue? To see friends? To feel part of the community? Because
it is required? To hear a good sermon? To hear beautiful music? All of those
are easy to acquire. The challenge , in the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel
is, “to sense His presence.. . to remove callousness from the mystery
of our existence.”
Rabbi Reuven Hammer
Happiness
is from the ordinary, not the extraordinary Life is lived in the ordinary
of the day to day routine.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
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The Little Word
If any little word of mine may make a life the brighter,
If any
little song of mind may make a heart the lighter,
God help
me speak the little word and take my bit of singing,
And drop
it in some lovely vase to set the echoes ringing,
If any
little love of mine may make a life the sweeter,
If any
little care of mine may make a friends’s heart the fleeter,
If any
little lift of mine may ease the burden of another,
God give
me love and care and strength to help my toiling brother.
Man’s
share in creation
When God created the world~ God made everything a little bit incomplete.
Instead of making bread grow out of the earth, God made wheat grow so that
people might bake it into bread Instead of making the earth of bricks, God
made it of clay so that people might bake the clay into bricks. Why? So that
people may become God's partner in the task of completing the work of creation.
From
The Midrash
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Torah Reading:
(We
put the Siddur/Prayer book away and take out the Chumash/Bookform of the Torah/5
Books of Moses with Readings from the Prophets/Haftorah)
A loving
parent does not show genuine love by telling a child, “Do whatever you
want.” That would not indicate love, but lack of concern and responsibility.
The truly loving parent says, I care very much about you and although I cannot
live your life for you, I want you to have the benefit of my experience.”
Judaism
is a religion of love because it does not leave people to find the way unaided.
Harold Kushner
Everyone
has good intentions to be kind, but good intentions are not enough, you have
to have a system for living a kind life. Judaism, through mitzvot, gives us
a system.
Rabbi
Joseph Telushkin
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Living
a Torah life is what counts. You can have
all the material things. But if you don’t have
inner peace you have nothing.
Esther Jungreis
The Torah is the most sacred object — it is the scroll containing the
message of God and the wisdom of our history. Judaism has no holy images,
no representations of God. The Torah is carried from the ark to the reader’s
table while verses are chanted emphasizing the centrality and sanctity of
the Torah.
Although
the Torah is read primarily on Shabbat, it is also read on Mondays and Thursdays.
The tradition is to end and once again begin the cycle of reading with Genesis
“in the beginning” on the holiday of Simchat Torah. Since there
are a different number of Sabbaths in various years, there are certain portions
that may be read together or separately.
When
you start to study Torah the first question
you should ask is not what is this week’s parsha.
The first question you should ask is what interests
you, what concerns you, what excites you? Then
open the Torah and, if you go and study, you will
find
the answers to your questions.
Rabbi Phil Miller
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The tradition
dictates that the first aliyah
(to go up to a higher level) blessing
go to a Kohen (descendent of the high priests) and the second blessing
goes to a descendent of the Levi tribe. The other aliyot
are for the Israelites — the “common” people.
The bar
mitzvah traditionally reads the Mafrir, the last Torah reading of the Shabbat
service. The custom is also for the bar/bat mitzvah to read from the Prophets
(Haftarah). The term bar or bat mitzvah means “subject to the commandments”
and implies that the child is now of age to be obligated to fulfill mitzvot.
By having a ceremony, he or she is agreeing to assume responsibility as part
of the community.
The very essence of Judaism rests upon the acceptance of a spiritual-historical
event known as the giving of the Ten Commandments. Every aspect of Jewish
life is influenced by Jewish law and the covenant with God. Traditional Jews
believe that every word of the Written Law/the Five Books of Moses is the
word of God. Other Jews believe that it is the word of learned men inspired
by an attempt to feel close to God.
When
the Torah Reading is complete the joyous feeling continues by lifting the
Torah to show the entire congregation. “This is the Torah that
Moses placed before the people of Israel at the command of the Lord through
Moses.”
|
V'zot
ha-torah asher sam Moshe lifnei
b'nei yisra-el al pee Adonai b'yad Mosheh
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A tradition
is to point the pinkey finger on your left hand at the Torah when it is being
placed back in the ark to signify the life-line of the Torah.
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Haftorah:
A reading from the Prophets
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Prayer for Israel:
V’al Yerushalayim: A Prayer for Israel
O Guardian of Israel, we ask Your blessings
Upon the People of Israel and the Land of Israel
Bless
them with peace, tranquility, and achievement,
Bless them — as they have been a blessing to us.
For they
have nurtured our pride,
And renewed our hopes.
They
have gathered in our homeless;
They have healed the bruised and the broken.
Their
struggles have strengthened us;
Their sacrifices have humbled us.
Their
victories have exalted us;
Their achievements have enriched us.
They
have translated into fulfillment
The promises of the ancient prophets:
They
shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine.
Truly,
they have made the wilderness like Eden,
And the desert like the garden of the Lord.
Watch
over the Land, we pray;
Protect it from every enemy and disaster
Fulfill
the promises of the prophets
which we still await to be realized.
Violence
shall no more be heard in the land,
There shall be no more desolation within your borders.
Zion
shall be redeemed through Justice
And they that dwell live through righteousness.
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For
the Jew, Israel is not just a place.
It is history, it is theology, it is memory.
Rabbi Sidney Greenberg
Prayer
for Our Country:
Our God and God of our fathers, we invoke Your blessing upon our country,
on the government and leaders of our nation, and on all who exercise rightful
authority in our community. Instruct them in the wisdom from Torah, that they
may administer all affairs of state fairly; that peace and security, happiness
and prosperity right and freedom may be part of our daily lives.
Unite
all the citizens of our country, whatever their backgrounds and beliefs, into
a bond of true peoplehood~ to banish hatred and bigotry, and to safeguard
our ideals and institutions of freedom.
May
our land be an influence for good through the world, unite men and women in
peace and freedom. Fullfill the vision of the prophets.
Lo
Yisa Goy El Goy Herev, Lo Yil Ma du Od Mil chamah
Nation
shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war any more
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The
Torah is returned to the Ark.
Ashrei
- (page 132)
Praise for all of God’s Glory
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Musaf
- Additional Service
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Kaddosh
(Holy)
|
Kadosh,
Kadosh, Kadosh, Adonai tz'va-ot m'lo chol ha-aretz k'vodo
|
There is holiness when we strive to be true to the best we know.
There is holiness when we are kind to someone who cannot be of service to
us.
There is holiness when we promote family harmony.
There is holiness when we forget what divides us and remember what unites
us.
There is holiness when we love — truly, honestly and unselfishly
There is holiness when we remember the lonely.
There is holiness when we share — our bread, our ideas, and our enthusiasms.
There is holiness when we Pray to Him to give us power to pray.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; All of life can be filled with His
glory.
Rabbi Sidney Greenberg
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Ayn
Keloheynu
There is no one like our God.
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Aleynu
Two separate readings written at different times with different meanings.
The first part is an affirmation of one God. It is not directed to God, but
is a declaration of faith, affirming our belief in God as the creator. The
second part is a petition — stressing hope that the nations will recognize
God’s kingship.
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A-lenu l'sha-bei-akh
la-don ha-kol, la-tet g'dula l'yotzeir b'resheet, she-lo asahnu k'goyei
ha-a-ra-tzot, v'lo sa-ma-nu k'mish-p'khot ha-a-da-ma, she-lo sam khel-kenu
kahem, v'gora-lenu k'khawl ha-monam. - Va-anakhnu kor'im umish-takhavim
umodim, lifnei melekh mal-khei ha-m'lakhim, ha-kodesh barukh hu....
V'ne-emar, v'ha-ya
ahdonai, l'me-lekh al kawl ha-ahretz, ba-yom hahu (2), yih-yeh adonai
ekhad, ushmo (3), ekhad.
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Mourner's
Kaddish
We
should not be afraid of death. Death is
a given. We should only be concerned of
whether we are leading a purposeful life.
Rabbi Mordecai Miller
The Kaddish is recited during the eleven months of mourning and on the subsequent
anniversaries of the death of a loved one.
Interestingly, the Kaddish was originally composed not for mourning, but
for recitation at the conclusion of a lesson in the Beit Midrash (House of
Study). The Kaddish does not include a syllable about death or immorality.
It makes no reference to pain of parting or the anguish of sorrow.
And yet, the Kaddish makes several vital affirmations. The Kaddish “sanctifies”
the name of God, attesting our acceptance of God’s will. Despite our
loss, we praise God’s name. Though due to our grief, our faith may totter
in the winds, the Kaddish helps to steady it. We are not looking to erase
our pain, we are looking to confirm our belief in life.
The Kaddish must be recited with a minyan, stressing our need to mourn among
the comfort of community Death is seen for what it Is: part of the incomprehensible
mystery of human existence in which light and dark, laughter and tears, joy
and sadness, birth and death are not only interwoven, but inseparable. The
Kaddish is a way to honor the dead and confirm our belief and hope in the
living.
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Adon
Olam - (page
162)
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Priestly
Blessings
Traditionally done by the rabbi over the congregation.
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Kiddush
Praised
are you, O Lord,
who hallows the Sabbath
The service concludes with the Hazzan reciting the sanctification over the
wine. The Kiddush is recited both at the home Shabbat table and in the communal
Shabbat service. The Kiddush reminds us of the joy of Shabbat, the holiness
of the Mitzvot/Commandment and the miracle of Creation and the Exodus.
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Additional
Readings
A great pianist was asked, “How do you handle the notes as well as you
do?”
The
artist answered: The notes I handle no better than many pianists, but the
pauses between the notes — ah! That is where the art resides.”
In
great living, as in great music, the art may be in the pauses.
As
it is to the Shabbat, that we look to pause between our work to restore to
our lives serenity and sanctity which Shabbat offers.
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We
learn to pray by praying
Not many years ago I began to play the cello. Most people would say that what
I am doing is “learning to play” the cello. But these words carry
into our minds the strange idea that there exists two very different processes:
(1) learning to play the cello; and (2) playing the cello. They imply that
I will do the first until I have completed it, at which point I will stop
the first process and begin the second. In short, I will go on “learning
to play” until I have “learned to play” and then I will begin
to play. Of course, this is nonsense. There are not two processes, but one.
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way.
John
Holt
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Far
more than Israel has kept the Sabbath, it is the Sabbath that has kept Israel
(the Jewish People).
Achad
Ha’am
When
I was younger I admired people who were clever, now I admire people who are
kind.
Solomon
Friehoff
We
can only be there for each other if we take the time to know each other’s
stories.
Rabbi
Susan Talve
How
do you judge what a man is worth, by what he builds or buys?.. . look at your
life
through Heaven’s eyes.
Prince
Of Egypt Movie Soundtrack
Acknowledgements
Compiled by Marci Mayer Eisen
in honor of Jonathan’s Bar Mitzva
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