Kiddush for Shabbat

The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments and thought by some students of the bible to be even more important than Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement).

People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from God, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns.

Shabbat is typically welcomed by lighting Shabbat candles just before sunset and holding a Kiddush at the start of the evening meal. There are three common elements in a Kiddush for Shabbat, blessing over wine, washing of hands, and blessing over bread. What other prayers, if any, are said vary from household to household. When I was growing up, my family only did the blessing over bread as our Kiddush. Recently I have become more observant and have grown to appreciate Shabbat more and welcome the Shabbat with the following Kiddush.

Lord open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it. Six days you shall labor and do all of your work, but the seventh day is the Shabbat for the Lord your God. You shall not do any work. You, your son, or your daughter, your man servant or your maid servant, or your cattle, or the stranger within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.

Therefore the Lord blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy.

If you refrain your feet because of the Shabbat from attending to your affairs on My holy day, and call the Shabbat "delight", the day made holy by the Lord, "honored", and you honor it by not following your customary ways, refraining from pursuing your affairs and from speaking profane things, then you shall delight in the Lord, and I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob your father; thus the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Pass out glasses of wine and/or grape juice to everyone participating in the Kiddush. Holding the wine glasses aloft, all recite the blessing over the wine, first in Hebrew and then in English.

Beruch atah adonay,
elo-hey-nu melech ha-o-lam,
borey p'ree ha-ga-fen.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Drink the wine (or grape juice) in silence and contemplation.

Recite the following blessing in Hebrew or English as the hands are washed.

Beruch atah adonay,
elo-hey-nu melech ha-o-lam,
asher kid-sha-nu b'mits-vo-tav
v'tsi-vay-nu al n'ti-las
ya-da-yim.

Blessed are Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments and commanded us concerning the washing of hands.

Traditionally there is no talking between the washing of hands and the blessing over bread.

Pass out pieces of bread to everyone participating in the Kiddush. All recite the blessing over the bread, first in Hebrew and then in English.

Beruch atah adonay,
elo-hey-nu melech ha-o-lam,
ha-motzi le-chem
min ha-a-retz.

Blessed are Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who bringest forth bread from the earth

Eat the bread in silence and contemplation.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable before You, Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.

Amen.