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Part I. Shabbat Observance and Themes
Introduction
The book of Genesis tells us that, after the six days of creation, God rested
on the seventh day. "God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy"
(Genesis 2:3). If God took a day to rest, surely we need to do so even more.
Shabbat rituals and customs form the anchor of Jewish observance.
For most of human history, the average person's life has been hard. Jews have
suffered from anti-Semitism and from ordinary poverty. In this context, Shabbat
has been seen as a queen, because on Shabbat the Jewish people lived as kings.
They rested and celebrated on Shabbat, and they saved their best foods, especially
meat and fish, for Shabbat meals. To some extent, this aspect of Shabbat has
been lost in our prosperous society. Nowadays, for example, we can eat good
food every day. But Shabbat remains a day for prayer and family, a day when
priorities are shifted away from the activities that dominate most of the week.
Elements of Shabbat Observance
Shabbat is a day when we can't check anything off of our lists of things to
do. This may seem like the last thing we need, given that most of us have very
long lists. But on Shabbat we can put our lists in perspective: there are more
important things than checking items off our lists, and if we kept going until
our lists were empty, we would never stop.
Home and family are an important focus of Shabbat observance. Home rituals
mark the beginning and end of Shabbat. Prayer is also a central element; Shabbat
prayers include both family prayers said at home and community prayers said
in the synagogue. (See Part II below for more on these.) In Reform Judaism,
the Friday evening synagogue service is the main Shabbat service; for the other
Jewish denominations, the primary service is the Saturday morning one.
Engaging in work activities is forbidden on Shabbat, except in emergency cases.
The cessation of work involves more than staying away from one's normal job.
To observe Shabbat, one must refrain from doing anything included in the 39
categories of work that were performed in the building of the tabernacle, the
"temporary temple" that the Israelites built in the desert. Tearing
paper, for example, is forbidden on Shabbat, as is lighting a fire. The latter
restriction implies a prohibition against cooking, driving, and completing an
electric circuit.
In our culture, Shabbat observance is complicated by the fact that Saturday
is in many ways an awkward day to celebrate Shabbat. Errands, sports events,
etc., are more customary Saturday activities for most Americans.
Themes of Shabbat
Three major themes are celebrated on Shabbat:
- Shabbat begins with candle lighting on Friday night, and the theme for
Friday night is the celebration of creation, which began with the creation
of light.
- The Saturday morning celebration focuses on the theme of revelation: the
scriptures are read aloud at the Saturday morning synagogue service.
- Redemption is the theme of Saturday afternoon observances, which include
singing songs about Elijah and the coming of the Messiah.
Part II. Shabbat Liturgy and Music
Overview
Synagogue services and home ceremonies involve singing songs and prayers in
Hebrew. The sounds of music and the Hebrew language both have an emotional appeal.
The Hebrew text of the Jewish prayer book, called the Siddur, has been basically
the same for about the past two thousand years. Singing the Hebrew prayers from
the Siddur is a way of connecting with the Jewish communities of past centuries
who sang the same Hebrew prayers.
In a Conservative synagogue, most of the Friday evening and Saturday morning
service time is spent singing or chanting in Hebrew. The Friday evening service
is usually about 45 minutes long and is almost entirely sung in Hebrew. The
Saturday morning service, which lasts about 2.75 hours, includes a short sermon
and some prayers in English, but these take only a total of about 45 minutes.
All other parts of the service, including all of the scripture readings, are
sung or chanted in Hebrew.
Instruments are traditionally not used at Shabbat synagogue services, though
some synagogues, like Beth El, have started using them at the Friday evening
service. After the destruction of the second temple (nearly two thousand years
ago), singing, clapping, and playing musical instruments were banned on Shabbat
as an expression of mourning. Although the prohibition against singing didn't
stick, the one against playing instruments did; clapping during synagogue services
is also generally considered inappropriate.
Examples of Shabbat Songs and Parts of the Shabbat Liturgy
(Note: All of the songs and prayers discussed here were sung at the lecture.)
- "Shalom Alechem"
One of the songs customarily sung at home on Friday evening is "Shalom
Alechem," in which we greet the angels who descend to bring peace on
Shabbat. "Shalom alechem" is a greeting that literally means "peace
be upon you."
- The Shabbat Candle Blessing
The Friday evening ritual also includes lighting candles and singing a blessing.
It's customary for a woman to do the candle lighting ceremony. A man usually
recites the blessing over wine among other prayers, but the candle lighting
can be done by either a man or a woman. Usually, a blessing is said or sung
before the action with which it is associated, e.g., we say grace before eating
a meal. This order presents a problem for the Shabbat candle blessing, since
kindling a fire is forbidden on Shabbat. If one said the blessing first, it
would signify that Shabbat had started, and then one would not be able to
light the candles. The solution is to light the candles first, then cover
the eyes while saying the blessing. After the blessing, one uncovers the eyes,
and the light "appears."
Like many Jewish blessings, the Shabbat candle blessing begins with the words,
"Baruch Ata Adonai, Elohenu Melekh Haolam," which means, "Blessed
are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe."
- "L'cha Dodi"
"L'cha Dodi" is the most famous of the songs sung at the Friday
evening synagogue service. The words of its refrain mean "Come, my beloved,
to greet the bride; welcome the face of Shabbat." The first verse begins
with the line "Observe and remember, in one word," a reference to
the two biblical versions of the commandment to keep Shabbat. In Deuteronomy
5:12, the commandment is to "observe" Shabbat, while Exodus 20:8
instructs us to "remember" it. On Mount Sinai, God miraculously
spoke both of these imperatives in one word.
- "Sh'ma Yisrael"
The "Sh'ma Yisrael," a prayer addressed to Israel rather than to
God, contains the most fundamental doctrinal statement in Jewish tradition,
a proclamation of monotheism: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the
Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). In the Siddur, the Hebrew letters ayin
and dalet are enlarged when they appear in the Sh'ma. These letters together
spell the Hebrew word for "witness," and their enlargement indicates
that those reciting the Sh'ma are bearing witness to the oneness of God. This
prayer is traditionally recited daily, both in the morning and in the evening.
- "Kadosh Kadosh" (the Kedusha)
"Kadosh" is the Hebrew word for "holy," meaning "set
apart." The holiest part of the synagogue service is the recitation of
the "Kedusha," a prayer extolling God's holiness ("kedusha"
in Hebrew). The Kedusha is part of a longer prayer comprising nineteen blessings.
The central line of the Kedusha is drawn from Isaiah 6:3: "Holy holy
holy, Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." (This verse
is also recited by the congregation during the holiest part of the Mass, just
prior to the consecration.)
- "Ki Mitziyon"
The central event in the Saturday morning synagogue service is the reading
of the Torah scroll. Just before the scroll is removed from the ark, the congregation
sings "Ki Mitziyon." The words mean "For from Zion will go
forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). This
part of the service also marks the beginning of a bar or bat mitvah celebration.
- "Etz Hayyim Hi"
After the Torah is read and the scroll is returned to the ark, the congregation
sings "Etz Hayyim Hi," a song that celebrates the Torah as a "Tree
of Life." The song begins with words "A tree of life is she (the
Torah) to those who are strengthened by her, and her supporters are happy.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."
- "Ose Shalom"
Shabbat begins with a greeting of peace ("Shalom Alechem"), and
the Saturday morning synagogue service ends with a prayer for peace, "Ose
Shalom":
May He who makes peace
in His high places
Make peace over us and over all Israel,
And let us say Amen.
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