B'NAI MITZVAH
ORDER OF SERVICE

These songs and prayers can be played directly from this site by clicking on the play arrow.

Candle Blessing

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.

Click here to go forward to Modeh Ani

Candle Blessing (sung)

Lighting Shabbat Candles

Candles are lit on Friday evening to mark the beginning of Shabbat. Traditionally, two candles are lit to represent the words of the commandments relating to Shabbat – "Remember (זכור; zachor) the Sabbath day to sanctify it" (Exodus 20:8), and "Keep (שמור; shamor) the Sabbath day to sanctify it" (Deuteronomy 5:12). One candle is for "Remember" and one is for "Keep."

Some families have a different tradition – to light one candle for each member of the family or to have every family member light their own pair of candles.

The candles can be lit in any order. After lighting the candles, many people have the custom of waving their hands over the candles three times and then drawing their hands over their eyes before reciting the blessing. This can signify many things: drawing God's presence close to us on Shabbat, being aware and grateful to the light in our lives and to our ability to add light to the world on Shabbat or taking the time to reflect on the six days of the week that lead to Shabbat.

The blessing is then recited – either spoken or chanted. After reciting the blessing take a moment to look into the flickering lights, draw a breath, feel the rest of Shabbat surround you and transport you into a time beyond time. Shabbat shalom.

Candle Blessing (read)

Modeh Ani

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Candle blessing.
Click here to go forward to Mah Tovu

Modeh Ani (read)

Modeh Ani (sung)

Saying Modeh Ani

We wake up each morning with "I offer thanks to You…" Modeh or Moda ani should be the first words on our lips. It begins our day with gratitude for the fact we are alive. Don't curse the alarm clock when you get up. Instead, thank God! Say the words of this prayer as the first thing you do when your eyes are open. Feel the peace and calm of beginning the day recognizing what a miracle it is just to be alive. Starting the day this way opens our hearts to the blessing of being alive and we prepare ourselves to treat others with humility and kindness.

Mah Tovu

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Modeh Ani
Click here to go forward to Nissim B'chol Yom

Mah Tovu (read)

Mah Tovu (sung)

Mah Tovu

Mah Tovu is our opportunity to express gratitude for our family, our friends and our entire community. It allows us to remember that we are not alone in the world, that we have our close circle of people that share our journey and that at all times we have God by our side.

Nissim B'chol Yom

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Mah Tovu
Click here to go forward to La'asok B'divrei Torah

Nisim B’Chol Yom (read)

Nisim B’Chol Yom (sung)

Nissim B'Chol Yom
Blessings for Daily Miracles
This series of morning blessings were originally recited in the home as a part of the daily routine of getting up and getting ready for the day. Eventually, the blessings were brought into the daily morning worship service of the synagogue.
You can see within each blessing the particular morning routine to which it refers:

1) A blessing for hearing the rooster crowing in the morning (the pre-modern equivalent of the alarm clock!) and greeting the new day with a optimism and appreciation.

2) A blessing for opening the eyes upon awaking.

3) A blessing for throwing the covers off of the bed in preparation for getting up.

4) A blessing for standing up on two feet.

5) A blessing for feeling the ground under the feet.

6) A blessing for taking the first steps of the day.

7) A blessing for having and putting on clothing.

8) A blessing for feeling fully awake and rested.

9) A blessing for rubbing the sand out of the eyes.

10) A blessing for gratitude for being physically whole.

11) A blessing of gratitude for being physically and spiritually free.

12) A blessing of gratitude for being a Jew.

Most of these blessings serve as a moment of recognition for an activity that we would usually regard as mundane but in reality is a small miracle we should be grateful for. Whether it is the ability to walk, having clothes to wear, or feeling fully awake, each blessing elevates something mundane into the realm of the sacred. In reciting the blessings, we recognize that every moment of our lives is an opportunity to notice the presence of divinity and the miracles that surround us. What an awesome and awe-inspiring way to start the day!

Candle Blessing

Modeh Ani

Nissim B'chol Yom

Mah Tovu

La'asok b'divrei Torah

La'asok B'divrei Torah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Nissim B'Chol Yom
Click here to go forward to Ashrei

La’asok b’divrei Torah (read)

La’asok B’divrei Torah (sung)

La’asok B’divrei Torah - The Blessing for the Study of Torah

This blessing is different from the blessing before the ritual of reading from the Torah during the Torah service. This blessing reminds us that studying is not something we do just to become more knowledgeable, but rather that study is itself a spiritual act. We should always aspier to keep growing as individuals. By studying, we become closer to our ideal vision for ourselves and by that, closer to the image in which God created us. We make a blessing before we study Torah to remind ourselves that we are not studying this ancient text just because it is historically significant (even though it is), just because it is literarily magnificent (even though it is), and not even just because it helps us understand Jewish law (even though it does). We study Torah because it sanctifies our lives and helps us discover meaning and purpose in life. Studying Torah draws us closer to God.

Ashrei

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to La'asok B'divrei Torah
Click here to go forward to Hall'luyah

Ashrei (read)

Ashrei (sung)

Reciting Ashrei

Ashrei (literally meaning happy) is one of the most often repeated prayers in Jewish tradition. In Orthodox practice, a person recites Ashrei at least three times a day, twice in the morning service and once in the afternoon service. In our prayer book, Ashrei is recited only once in the morning service.

Ashrei is made up mostly of Psalm 145. The words of Ashrei mostly praise God for making our lives joyful, for ruling the world with justice, and for providing for all our needs.

At Temple Judea we repeat the first part of the prayer again and again allowing people to share, between repetitions, things in their lives they are grateful for. We recognize that gratitude is not something we are born with, it’s something we have to learn and have to practice every day! Our rabbis ordered us to try and find 100 hundred different things we are grateful for every day! So this repetition and reciting Ashrei can be not only a meditative experience, but one that helps us become better and more grateful people. The specific words of the prayer are not as important as the pleasure of joining with other voices in familiar song.

Hall'luyah

Hall’luyah (chorus only)

Hallelu in Hebrew means give praise, Yah is the way we refer to God. This prayer, known as the last of the Psalms (number 150) is a great last opportunity every morning and afternoon to express gratitude to God for all the blessings we have in our lives.

It mentions many different musical instruments that were used in the Temple in Jerusalem to praise God, reminding us that we are all “a musical instrument” that each of us is unique, and that each of us has their own voice to use when praising God.

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Ashrei
Click here to go forward to Chatzi Kaddish

Chatzi Kaddish

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Hall'luyah
Click here to go forward to Bar'chu

Chatzi Kaddish (read)

Chatzi Kaddish (sung)

The Chatzi Kaddish

There are many forms of the prayer called Kaddish. The Chatzi Kaddish (or "Half Kaddish") is probably one of the oldest prayers that Jews recite. Its purpose is to mark the separation between sections of the service. In our Shabbat morning service, we recite the Chatzi Kaddish following the end of the introductory sections of the service and right before the Bar'chu, the "Call to Prayer."

The Chatzi Kaddish is in Aramaic, not Hebrew. In the time of the ancient rabbis, Aramaic was the common language spoken by most Jews. The presence of this Aramaic prayer in the prayerbook shows that the ancient rabbis recognized the importance of praying in the vernacular, the common language of the people. In our congregation, we do the same thing when we recite some of our prayers in English.

Barechu

Bar'chu

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Chatzi Kaddish
Click here to go forward to Sh'ma

Bar’chu (read)

Bar’chu (sung)

Bar'chu

The Chatzi Kaddish mentioned above marks a moment of transition in the service. We recite it before the Bar'chu to signal worshippers that we have concluded the "spiritual warmup" section of the service and we are about to move into the first major section of the service, called "The Shema and Its Blessings." We respond by standing in attention and setting a personal intention within our hearts for our prayers.

Once we stand - The Bar'chu is recited in a "call and response" format. The prayer leader commands the congregation, "Bless Adonai who is blessed!" and the congregation responds, "Blessed is Adonai who is blessed forever and ever!"

When we say the word Bar’chu, we bend our knees and bow forward. This is done as a sign of respect as well as humbling ourselves in front of a power we recognize to be bigger than us.

The words of the Bar’chu do seem a bit odd. Why should we bless God if, as the words of the prayer say, God is already blessed now and forever?

The answer may be that we do not bless God in order to change God. God is already the source of all blessings, whether we acknowledge it or not. It is not in our power to change God in any way. Rather, we bless God in order to change ourselves. When we state, "Blessed is Adonai," we recognize that we are blessed by God. By acknowledging God's gifts to us: the world we live in, minds that can understand, hearts that can feel compassion, and our very lives, we become more understanding and more compassionate human beings who live with a sense of gratitude and obligation to God.

Shema

Sh'ma

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Bar'chu
Click here to go forward to V'ahavtah

Sh’ma (sung)

Sh’ma (read)

Sh'ma

The six Hebrew words of the Sh'ma, "Hear O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One," “Sh’ma Israel Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad” are regarded as the central statement of Jewish faith. Probably the most important and most well-known prayer that most Jews can recite.

Yet, it can be interpreted and understood in many ways. In declaring She'ma, we state that there is one God who is the source of all morality. There is such a thing as right and wrong in the universe because there is one God who sets one standard for all.

The Sh'ma also teaches that God is One – the oneness that unites all reality. There is nothing that God is not. Everything and everyone that inhabits reality is a reflection of God's presence.

For many people it is a reminder that we are ONE with God, created in God’s image and having a spark of God within us (our soul).

V'ahavtah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Sh'ma
Click here to go forward to Mi Chamochah

V’ahavta (read)

V’ahavta (sung)

V'ahavta

The prayer that we call "V'ahavta" is actually the continuation of the Sh'ma.

Traditionally, the Sh'ma consists of three biblical passages from the Torah. The first passage, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, states the obligation to love God with all our being (heart, mind and soul). The second passage ,Deuteronomy 11:13-21, is not included in the prayer book of the Reform Movement; it describes God's reward for obeying the commandments and the punishment for disobeying. The third passage, Numbers 15:37-41, begins with the commandment to wear tzitzit, the fringes on the corner of the tallit (not included in our prayer book) and ends with "L'maan tizk'ru…," the section that states the obligation to remember and do all of God's commandments.

Traditionally, the Sh'ma is recited twice each day, in the morning and evening worship services. This reflects the commandment within the passage to recite the words "when you lie down and when you rise up." The passage also includes the commandment to put a mezuzah on the doors of our homes ("…inscribe them on the doorposts of your house…").

It might occur to you that the commandment to love God in this passage is difficult to understand and to fulfill. How is it possible to order someone to have an emotion? How can love be commanded?

Here is one way to understand the commandment.

We recognize that, when people love each other, they do things for each other that deepen the love between them. For example, when I prepare a meal for the person I love, or when I wash the dishes after the meal, I do so, in part, because I know that it will make my partner happy. That makes me feel happy, too, because I enjoy meeting the needs of the person I love. Doing things like that makes me love my partner even more.

It is the same in our relationship with God. When we do what we know God wants from us – the mitzvot – it makes God feel good and it makes us feel good too. Doing mitzvot deepens the love we share with God. You may experience this yourself when you do something to help a person in need. It feels good to do things that are good, in part because it makes you feel closer to God.

The commandment to "love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" can be understood as a commandment to do the mitzvot with a feeling of joy and love. When you perform a mitzvah in this way, it deepens your love for God. The commandment to love God is not just an order to feel a particular emotion. Rather, it is a commandment about the attitude you have when you do things that draw you closer to God. Loving God and deepening your love for God is a choice you make every day through your actions.

Mi Chamocha

Mi Chamochah

Mi Chamocha (read)

Mi Chamocha (sung)

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to V'ahavtah
Click here to go forward to Avot V'imahot

Mi Chamocha

The words of this prayer appear in the story of the Exodus, when the people of Israel crossed the sea of reeds, escaping from the Egyptians, they raised their voices in song declaring that there “Is no one like Adonai among all Gods.”

It is a daily reminder of the idea of redemption – that we are free people, that we have free will to choose love over hate, goodness over evil and compassion over cruelty. We are free to worship God and to follow God’s commandments – things we could not do as slaves.

It also reminds us that just as the people of Israel overcame their fears and the challenge of having to cross the parted sea (Just think how frightening this was for them) so can we overcome every challenge in our lives, if we learn to march together and to have faith in God.

Avot V'imahot

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Mi Chamochah
Click here to go forward to G'vrot

Avot V’imahot (read)

Avot V’imahot (sung)

Avot V’Imahot

The opening blessing of the T'filah is called Avot v'Imahot, which literally means "Fathers and Mothers." The blessing connects us with the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and the matriarchs – Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. We remember that we are part of the covenant with God that started with these ancestors.

In the words of the blessing, God is identified separately for each ancestor. We say, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…," rather than just saying, "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…" A rabbinic teaching says that this is because God is understood differently by each of us and God connects differently to each person. By saying, "The God of…," for each ancestor, we remember that there is no one correct way to think about God.

G'vurot

G'vrot

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Avot V'imahot
Click here to go forward to L'dor Vador

G’vurot (read)

G’vurot (sung)

G’vrot

The second blessing of the T'filah is called the G'vurot, which means "Strength." The blessing acknowledges that God has power over our lives, focusing on two areas where we most immediately think of God's power: the weather and death.

In ancient times, the weather was a matter of life and death every day. If the rain did not fall at the right time of year, the crops would not grow, and people would die. That is why the words of the blessing change over the course of the year; we pray for the right weather that is needed in each season. In our contemporary world, we also realize the power the weather has over our lives.

Our mortality is the second major theme of the blessing. We human beings are temporary, and we realize that death is the common fate of everyone who lives. The blessing refers to God as the source of life and death. When we think of God's power in our lives, we also think about the fragility of our lives, about how life is a gift from God, and how death is part of the reality of the world.

The traditional version of this blessing made the theme of life and death even more clear. The older version of the blessing uses the words in parentheses that speak of God who "revives the dead." The Reform Movement originally changed those words to "gives life to all" in both the English and the Hebrew. The early Reformers rejected the traditional language because it refers to the idea that God will bring all those who have died back to life at the end of time – a literal belief that is rejected by Reform Judaism.

However, the idea of God "reviving the dead" does not have to be understood on a literal level. We can think of God as reviving us from death when we are healed from sickness or when we emerge from a life-threatening situation. Also, we can think of God "reviving the dead" when we keep people alive in our memories after they have died. Mishkan T'filah was the first prayerbook to offer both the traditional form of the blessing (in parentheses) and the revised language of the Reform Movement.

L'dor Vador

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to G'vrot
Click here to go forward to Blessing for Taking Out the Torah

L'dor Vador

A part of the Kedusha. That reminds us that we are just one link in a long tradition that started thousands of years ago and that we hope continues for eternity. It has always been a Jewish value to pass on the teachings and traditions of Judaism from one generation to another, the commandment to teach our children is part of the Shema and the V’Ahavta prayer. As Jews we commit to doing all we can to keep the flame of Judaism alive. While we are just a small percentage of the world population (about 0.0002) Judaism has shaped great parts of the western world over the last 3000 years and more. Many of the great empires that ruled over Jews are long gone but in some miraculous way, Judasim has survived.

L’dor Vador (read)

L’dor Vador (sung)

Blessing for Taking Out the Torah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page
Click here to go back to L'dor Vador
Click here to go forward to the Blessing Before the Torah

Blessing for Taking Out the Torah

Just as the tablets with the Ten Commandments were stored in the ark of the covenant, which was placed in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem. We honor our Torah by dressing and covering it with beautiful garments and placing it in a special location in our temple called “the ark” When the time arrives to chant from the Torah, we rise and take the torah out, chanting various prayers that speak about the greatness of God, his love to us as reflected in giving us the gift of Torah, and the role of Torah in our lives.

Taking out the Torah blessing

Taking out the Torah blessing (read)

Taking out the Torah (sung)

Blessing before Torah

Blessing Before the Torah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page
Click here to go back to the Blessing for Taking Out the Torah
Click here to go forward to the Blessing After the Torah

Blessing before Torah (read)

Blessing before Torah (sung)

Blessing Before the Torah -Do We Really Believe that God Chose Us and Gave Us the Torah?

In the blessing before the reading of the Torah, we say that God "chose us from all the peoples and gave us God's Torah." Do we, as Reform Jews, believe that literally? If not, why do we say so in the blessing?

Reform Jews, in general, do not believe in the literal transmission of the words of the Torah from God to the Jewish people at a single historical event at Mount Sinai. We see Sinai as a symbol of our ongoing relationship between God and the Jewish people. We believe that the Torah is a work written by human beings who were inspired by God and who wished to share the stories and laws that helped them understand God and God's will. According to this view, the Torah is the product of centuries of Jews who discussed and created laws and legends that drew them closer to God and what it means to live as God wishes us to live. That process has not ended. We are still creating new understandings and interpretations of Torah.

Reform Judaism does embrace the idea of the Jewish people being "chosen," but this term does not suggest that the Jewish people are superior to other people or closer to God. Rather, we believe ourselves to be "chosen" in the sense that we have a unique relationship with God that we call a b'rit (a covenant, or agreement) and we live by doing God's mitzvot (commandments). We say that God chose us for the relationship we have with God; other people have their own relationship with God and their own ways of connecting with God.

Torah is God's gift to the Jewish people, and it is the foundation of our unique relationship with God. In saying this, we are not accepting a supernatural view of the Torah and we are not saying that we are superior to others. Rather, we celebrate the text that is at the heart of our ever developing and reforming relationship with God. That is how we understand the words of the Torah blessing.

Blessing after Torah

Blessing After the Torah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page
Click here to go back to the Blessing Before the Torah
Click here to go forward to the Blessing Before the Haftarah

Blessing after Torah (read)

Blessing after Torah (sung)

Blessing after the Torah - How to Come up to the Bimah for an Aliyah

The honor of making the blessing before and after the Torah reading is called an Aliyah, which literally means "going up." Making the blessings for Torah is a spiritual ascent in which we figuratively go up to Mount Sinai to hear God speaking to us once again.

The person who accepts the honor of an Aliyah – called an Oleh (masculine) or Olah (feminine) – is called up to the bimah by his or her Hebrew name. The Oleh/Olah comes up to the Torah reading table on the right side. Standing in front of the Torah scroll, the Oleh/Olah touches the corner of his or her tallit to the beginning of the reading and then touches the tallit to his or her lips. (You can also use the Torah belt). This symbolizes the sweetness of Torah. The Oleh/Olah then takes hold of the wooden posts of the scroll and recites the blessing before the Torah reading. The words of the blessings are printed on a large laminated sheet in Hebrew and in English transliteration. Holding on to the Wooden posts is a reminder of our commitment to “hold on to” the words of Torah.

After you recite the first sentence of the blessing the congregation will recite the second sentence. You will then repeat the second sentence before continuing with the blessing.

Following the recitation of the Torah, the Oleh/Olah again touches the scroll with his or her tallit at the end of the reading, touches it to his or her lips, takes hold of the wooden posts, and recites the blessing after the reading. Following the blessing, the Oleh/Olah steps to the other side of the Torah reading table to make room for the next Oleh/Olah and stays on the bimah until the end of the next Aliyah. Before returning to his or her seat in the congregation, the Oleh/Olah shakes hands with the other people on the bimah and receives a special blessing from the Gabbai (the MC of the prayer service)

People will say to the Oleh/Olah, "Yashar Koach" ("May you go from strength to strength"). The traditional response is "Baruch Tih'yeh" ("May you be blessed").

Blessing before Haftarah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page
Click here to go back to the Blessing After the Torah
Click here to go forward to the Blessing After the Haftarah

Blessing Before the Haftarah

Blessing before Haftarah (read)

Blessing before Haftarah (sung)

Blessing before the Haftarah

The word "haftarah" does not mean "half the Torah"! The word is not even related to "Torah." Rather, "haftarah" means "completion." It is the reading from the Prophets section of the Hebrew Bible that is a complement to the weekly Torah portion or that is related to an upcoming or recent holiday. For example, during the week that the Torah portion includes the song that the Israelites sang during the parting of the Red Sea, we read a haftarah from the book of Judges in which the Israelites sing a song rejoicing in the victory of the prophetess Deborah. Usually, the haftarah is connected to a theme, an image, or even just a word in the Torah portion.

In the blessing before the haftarah reading, we state that we are connecting the words of the Prophets section of the Bible to the Torah. We say, "Blessed are You, Adonai, who chooses the Torah, God's servant Moses, God's people Israel, and the true and righteous prophets."

Blessing after Haftarah

Blessing After the Haftarah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page
Click here to go back to the Blessing Before the Haftarah
Click here to go forward to the Aleinu

Blessing after Haftarah (read)

Blessing After Haftarah (sung)

Blessing after the Haftarah-Why do we read the Haftarah?

No one knows exactly how or when the practice began of completing the Torah reading with a reading from the prophets. Some people believe that it began because of persecution in the time of the Chanukah story. According to this view, the Greek King Antiochus prohibited the Jews from reading Torah in the synagogue. In response, the Jews began reading sections from the prophets to stand in the place of the Torah reading. After the Israelites won their independence from Antiochus and restored the reading of Torah, they continued the practice of reading the Haftarah.

It is also possible that the rabbis including the reading from the prophets to make a point against their opponents. The Samaritans and the Sadducees were non-rabbinic Jews who denied that the writings of the prophets belonged in the Jewish Bible. The rabbis may have created the custom of reading from the prophets after reading from the Torah to emphasize the importance of the prophets and to distinguish themselves from those who did not revere them.

Today in may Reform temples, including Temple Judea, the reading of the Haftarah allows us to discuss ethical issues, morals and values which the prophets talked about and as relevant to us as they were to their audience thousands of Years ago. In The Reform Movement the prophets are revered as the eternal voice of justice, compelling us to always pursue justice.

Aleinu

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page
Click here to go back to the Blessing After the Haftarah
Click here to go forward to the Ein K'Eloheinu

Aleinu (read)

Aleinu (sung)

What Does the Aleinu Prayer Mean?

We sing the Aleinu close to the end of every service. However, this was not always the case. The prayer originally was recited only on Rosh Hashanah and it was connected to the blowing of the shofar.

The prayer expresses a vision of how God intends to rule the world. In the traditional words of the Aleinu, we state that God will "sweep away false gods from the earth" and "repair the world." On that day, the prayer says, "God will be One and God's Name will be One." The Aleinu, in its essence, is a prayer about our hope for the world to be united and at peace, for evil to be driven from the world, and for all of humanity to be united in a common vision of God.

This is why the Aleinu was so popular in medieval times and it is why it eventually was included at the end of every service. We need to express our hope that the world will be better than it is today. We need to say that, one day, all of humanity will all be united and at peace. It’s important to notice that the word Aleinu means “it is upon us” – voicing the idea that we are Gods partners in creating the vision of the world we wish to see, a reminder that we have to be part of the change we wish to witness.

Ein K'Eloheinu

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Aleinu
Click here to go forward to V'shamru

Ein Keiloheinu (sung)

Ein K’Eloheinu - Why Do We End Services with Ein K'Eloheinu?

Ein K'Eloheinu is a traditional poem that is often sung near the end of the morning service, especially on Shabbat and Festivals. The song is closely associated with a statement in the Talmud that "a person should recite one hundred blessings each day" (B. Menachot 43b). The first three stanzas of the poem begin with the Hebrew letters Aleph, Mem and Nun, which spell the word "Amen." According to a fanciful interpretation, each "Amen" in the poem counts as reciting a blessing, helping a person to reach the goal of one hundred blessings each day.

Each stanza of the poem includes four names of God: Eloheinu (our God), Adoneinu (our Lord), Malkeinu (our Ruler), and Moshieinu (our Redeemer). These four names for God are in the order in which they first appear in Torah. Each name is associated with a different aspect of God. Eloheinu is associated with God's quality of justice. Adoneinu is associated with God's quality of compassion. Malkeinu is associated with God's sovereignty over our lives and the universe. Moshieinu is associated with God's quality of helping us transform ourselves and become better people.

V'shamru

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Ein K'Eloheinu
Click here to go forward to Havdallah

V’shamru (sung)

V'shamru - Shabbat as a Sign of Covenant

The song V'sham'ru is a biblical quotation about Shabbat from the book of Exodus. The verses, Exodus 31:16-17 are recited several times over the course of the Sabbath Day. Most notably, they are sung as an introduction to the kiddush on Shabbat morning.

Elsewhere in the Torah, Shabbat is described as a remembrance of God's creation of the world and of God's rest on the seventh day of creation. Shabbat is described in other parts of the Torah as a day to remember the exodus from Egypt and as a day of giving just and necessary rest to workers.

This passage, however, is unique in the Torah for describing Shabbat as a sign of God's covenant with the Jewish people from one generation to the next. In the passage, God states that Shabbat "shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel." Observing Shabbat, according to this idea, is not just a way to remember what God has done for us in the past, it is a way of keeping the relationship between God and the Jewish people alive forever.

This is the meaning behind a famous statement by the early Zionist writer Ahad Ha'am (1856-1927). He wrote, "More than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews." By observing Shabbat, we maintain our identity as Jews and sustain our relationship with the God of every Jewish generation.

Havdallah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to V'shamru
Click here to go forward to Eiliahu Hanavi

Havdallah (read)

Havdallah (sung)

Havdallah

Saying goodbye to a special friend that came to visit us, is as important as saying goodbye in a beautiful way. Havdalah is the ritual that takes place at the end of Shabbat, it ends the day and separates it (that is the literal meaning of the word) from the new week we are welcoming.

Havdalah usually takes place after sunset on Saturday when 3 stars can be seen in the sky – By waiting an additional hour or so after sunset and welcoming Shabbat before sunset on Friday we actually make Shabbat the longest day of the week, indicating how special it is for us.

The ritual involves a blessing over wine, spices and a special candle.

Eiliahu Hanavi

Eliyahu Hanavi

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Havdallah
Click here to go forward to Kiddush Evening

Eliyahu Hanavi (sung)

Eliyahu Hanavi

A song about Elijah the prophet is sung at the end of Havdallah. In Jewish tradition Elijah represents hope, we always invie Elijah into our homes when we seek hope, be it on Passover, at a bris welcoming a new baby or at the end of Shabbat as we prepare for a new week

Havdalah ends by greeting each other with the words “Shavua Tov” – a good week!

Kiddush Evening

Kiddush Shabbat Evening

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Eiliahu Hanavi
Click here to go forward to Kiddush Morning

Kiddish Shabbat Evening (read)

Kiddush Shabbat Evening (sung)

Kiddush on Friday Evening

The blessing we say over wine (or grape juice) is a reminder of the first thing God called Holy in our Torah. It was not a place, an object or a person, but rather the idea of time. The first thing God calls and makes holy is the Sabbath day – Shabbat. What a revolutionary idea! That time and not anything else, is the most important thing we have, that it is upon us to use the time we are given in this world to do the best and be the best we can.

The word Kaddosh, holy in Hebrew, means to separate. We are reminded to make Shabbat special and different from other days of the week. While traditional Judaism is heavily concerned with the idea of Shemirat Shabbat – keeping the Shabbat rules as they related to usage of electricity, carrying objects and other acts of creation (like writing or cooking) the Reform movement introduced the concept of Yechud Shabbat – separating the Sabbath day and making it special and different. A day that stands out in the week, a day in which we stop to think and reflect on our relationships – with God, the world and our families and friends. A day to express gratitude and focus on the many blessings we have. At Temple Judea we love the tradition of turning our “Oys to Joys” on Friday nights.

Kiddush Morning

Kiddush Shabbat Morning

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Kiddush Evening
\

Kiddush Shabbat Morning (read)

Kiddush Shabbat Morning (sung)

Misc.

B'NAI MITZVAH ORDER OF SERVICE

Candle Blessing

Modeh Ani

Mah Tovu

Nissim B'chol Yom

La'asok B'divrei Torah

Ashrei

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page. Click here to go back to La'asok B'divrei Torah Click here to go forward to Hall'luyah

Hall'luyah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page. Click here to go back to Ashrei Click here to go forward to Chatzi Kaddish

Chatzi Kaddish

Bar'chu

Sh'ma

V'ahavtah

Mi Chamochah

Avot V'imahot

G'vrot

L'dor Vador

Blessing for Taking Out the Torah

Blessing Before the Torah

Blessing After the Torah

Blessing Before the Haftarah

Blessing After the Haftarah

Aleinu

Ein K'Eloheinu

V'shamru

Havdallah

Eliyahu Hanavi

Kiddush Shabbat Evening

Kiddush Shabbat Morning

B'NAI MITZVAH
ORDER OF SERVICE

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to La'asok B'divrei Torah
Click here to go forward to Hall'luyah

Click here to return to the B'nai Mitzvah page.
Click here to go back to Ashrei
Click here to go forward to Chatzi Kaddish