Shabbat Evening Home Ritual
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Please note that this page contain the name of God.
If you print it out, please treat it with appropriate respect.
If you do not have experience reading transliteration
please see the Guide to Transliteration. |
Setting the Table
The sabbath table should be set with at least two candles (representing the
dual commandments to remember and observe the sabbath), a glass of wine,
and at least two loaves of challah (representing the dual portion of manna
that God provided for the Israelites in preparation for Shabbat in the desert).
The challah loaves should be whole, and should be covered with a bread cover,
towel or napkin.
Lighting Candles
Candles should be lit no later than 18 minutes before sundown. For the precise
time when Shabbat begins in your area, consult the list of candle lighting
times provided by the Orthodox Union
or any Jewish calendar.
 At
least two candles should be lit, representing the dual commandments to remember
and to keep the sabbath. The candles are lit by the woman of the household.
After lighting, she waves her hands over the candles, welcoming in the sabbath.
Then she covers her eyes, so as not to see the candles before reciting the
blessing, and recites the blessing below. The hands are then removed from
the eyes, and she looks at the candles, completing the mitzvah of lighting
the candles.
| Blessing over Candles |
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe |
asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us |
l'had'lik neir shel Shabbat. (Amein)
to light the lights of Shabbat. (Amen) |
Evening Services
Evening services (Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv) should be attended in the
synagogue or performed in the home between candle lighting and dinner on
the evening of the sabbath.
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Kiddush is recited while holding a cup of wine or other liquid, no less than
3.3 ounces. If wine or grape juice is not used, you should substitute shehakol
nih'yeh bid'varo (by whose will all things come to be) for borei p'ri hagafen
(who creates the fruit of the vine). |
Vay'hi erev vay'hi voker yom hashishi
And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day |
vay'khulu hashamayim v'ha'aretz v'khol tz'va'am
The heavens and the earth were finished, the whole host of them |
vay'khal elohim bayom hash'vi'i m'la'kh'to asher asah
And on the seventh day God completed his work that he had done |
vayish'bot bayom hash'vi'i mikol m'la'kh'to asher asah
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done |
Vay'varekh Elohim et yom hash'vi'i vay'kadeish oto
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it |
ki vo shavat mikol m'la'kh'to asher bara Elohim la'asot
because in it he had rested from all his work that God had created to do |
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe |
(if using wine or grape juice)
borei p'ri hagafen (Amein)
Who creates the fruit of the vine (Amen) |
(if using other liquids)
shehakol nih'yeh bid'varo (Amein)
Who made all things exist through His word (Amen) |
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe |
asher kid'shanu b'mitz'votav v'ratzah vanu
who sanctifies us with his commandments, and has been pleased with us |
v'shabat kad'sho b'ahavah uv'ratzon hin'chilanu zikaron l'ma'aseih
v'rei'shit
You have lovingly and willingly given us Your holy Shabbat as an inheritance,
in memory of creation |
ki hu yom t'chilah l'mik'ra'ei kodesh zeikher litzi'at Mitz'rayim
because it is the first day of our holy assemblies, in memory of the exodus
from Egypt |
ki vanu vachar'ta v'otanu kidash'ta mikol ha'amim
because You have chosen us and made us holy from all peoples |
v'shabat kad'sh'kha b'ahavah uv'ratzon hin'chal'tanu
and have willingly and lovingly given us Your holy Shabbat for an inheritance |
Barukh atah Adonai m'kadeish hashabat (Amein).
Blessed are You, who sanctifies Shabbat (Amen) |
| Washing Hands |
| After Kiddush and before the meal, each person in the household should
wash hands by filling a cup with water and pouring it over the top and bottom
of the right hand and then the left hand. Before wiping the hands dry on
a towel, the following blessing should be recited. |
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe |
asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us |
al n'tilat yadayim.
concerning washing of hands. |
| Why is there no "Amen" at the end of this blessing? Traditionally, each
person washes their own hands, and each person says their own blessing. You
don't say "Amen" to your own blessing, and everybody says their own n'tilat
yadayim, so there is no "Amen"! With the other blessings on this page, a
leader says the blessing on behalf of everyone, and the others say "Amen." |
| Ha-Motzi |
| Immediately after washing hands and before eating, the head of the household
should remove the cover from the two challah loaves, lifting them while reciting
the following blessing. The challah is then ripped into pieces or sliced
and passed around the table, so that each person may have a piece. The family
meal may then begin. |
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe |
hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. (Amein).
who brings forth bread from the earth. (Amen) |
© Copyright 5758-5767 (1998-2007),
Tracey R Rich
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