If you’re excited about the idea of Shabbat and want to bring the spirit of Shabbat into your home, it’s worth asking: «How, exactly, do we celebrate Shabbat?» Everyone is sitting around the set table, waiting. What do we do now? Where do we start? What comes next? Of course, Shabbat evening is a time of joy and fellowship. But it’s best to begin by observing certain traditions that will help us enter into the peace of Shabbat together and set this time apart from the previous week.

The Shabbat liturgy consists of various elements (ritual acts, prayers, blessings), the order of which may vary slightly from one Jewish community to another. In our family, we’ve gotten into the habit of following this short and simple order for the Shabbat liturgy, which takes no more than 15 minutes and flows smoothly into the Shabbat dinner and fellowship.

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Actually, Shabbat automatically begins at sunset on Friday and continues until sunset on Saturday. This fact cannot be changed. However, to help us mentally enter the rest of Shabbat, we symbolically mark the beginning of this time by the traditional lighting of candles 18 minutes before sunset. Usually, a woman performs this ritual, covering her head with a scarf. In her absence, a man may also light the candles.

Traditionally, two candles are lit 18 minutes before sunset, but it’s also acceptable to light them a little earlier. Shabbat candles are usually plain white, but if those aren’t available, any candles will do. It is important to ensure fire safety and to light the candles well before sunset, since kindling a fire on Shabbat itself is strictly forbidden by the Torah:

«do not light a fire in all your dwellings on the Sabbath.»

(Shemot/Exodus 35:3)

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A traditional Jewish blessing:  

«Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to light Shabbat candles.»

Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Shabbat candles.

ברוך אתה יהוה אלהנו מלך העולם אשר קדשׁנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר שׁל שׁבת

Please note: By lighting the Shabbat candles, you have entered Shabbat!

After lighting the Shabbat candles and blessing the Lord, a series of blessings is recited by all those present:

א - First of all, they wish peace and greet the ministering angels, who bring us the peace of Shabbat with the traditional song «Shalom alaichem malakhei asharat». For karaoke of this song, click HERE.

ב - Next, the children approach their parents (usually their father) who place their hands on their head and bless them:

Blessing of the boys:

«May the L-rd liken you to Ephraim and Menashe.»

Yesimha Eloim kEfraim kekeMenashe.

ישׂימךָ אלהים כאפרים וכמנשׁה

Blessing of the girls:

«May the Lord make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.»

Yesimeh Eloim keSarah, Rivka, Rachael, veLa'ah.

ישׂימךְ אלהים כשׂרה רבקה רחל ולאה

Blessings over all the children:

ג - After the blessing of the children follows. wife's/housewife's blessing of the house from the book of Proverbs. It is usually said by the husband:

«How to find a good wife? She is more precious than any gems, her husband's heart is sure in her, he will not remain without profit with her, she pays him good and not evil all the days of her life. Whether it is wool or linen, her hands are looking for work. She is like a merchant ship, she gets her sustenance far away. It is still night, and she is already up, so that she has something to feed her family and keep her maids busy. She will look for a field and buy it, she will plant a vineyard, she will get the means by labor. Her thighs are girded with power, power is in her hands. She sees that trade is going well, and her lamp does not go out in the night; her hands reach for the spinning wheel, and her fingers do not let go of the spindle; her palm is open for the beggar, her hand is extended to the unfortunate. The snowfall is not terrible for her family - the whole family is clothed with double cloth; she makes clothes for herself, she is dressed in purple linen and wool. Her husband is known at the city gates, he sits among the elders of his land. She sews shirts for sale, belts for the merchants of Canaan. She is clothed in strength and dignity and rejoices in the coming day; she has a word of wisdom on her lips, good instructions on her tongue; she watches how things are going at home, and does not eat her bread in vain. Her children rise up and praise her; her husband will not praise her: «There have been many worthy women, but thou hast surpassed them all!» Charm is deceitful and beauty is empty, but praise the wife who fears the L-rd, give her what she deserves, and at the gates of the city praise her deeds!»

ד - Well, now the wife can bless the husband with words from Psalm 111:

«AllaLuYa! Blessed is the man who fears the L-rd and loves His commandments. His seed shall be strong in the earth; the lineage of the upright shall be blessed. Abundance and wealth shall be in his house, and his righteousness shall abide forever. In darkness the light rises to the upright; good is he, and merciful and righteous. A good man is merciful and lends; he will give firmness to his words in judgment. He will not be shaken forever; he will be righteous in eternal remembrance. He will not be afraid of bad tidings: his heart is steadfast, trusting in the L-rd. His heart is established: he shall not fear when he looks upon his enemies. He hath wasted, he hath distributed to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. The wicked shall see this and be vexed, he shall gnash his teeth and fade away. The desire of the wicked shall perish.»

Psalm 111

Our family also has a tradition where, after these blessings are finished, we offer spontaneous prayers of thanksgiving and petitions for one another, for our relatives, friends, neighbors, our community, Israel, and the world.  

It is time for the Shabbat Kiddush. The father of the family or Shabbat leader pours wine/grape juice for everyone, takes a glass in his right hand, supports the bottom of the glass with his left hand, and reads the Torah passage (Breishit / Genesis 1:31-2:3) about Shabbat at the creation of the world:

«And there was evening, and there was morning: day six. Thus were the heavens and the earth and all their host perfected. And G-d completed by the seventh day His works which He did, and rested on the seventh day from all His works which He did. And G-d blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His works which G-d had done and created.»

Vayi'i erew vayi'i boker yom ashishi. Waiַַַַ.аhulu ashamayim ve'ah-aretz v'ekol tzvaam. Vayahal eloim bayom ashvi'im ashvi'im melachto asher asa. Vayishbot bayom ashvi'im ashvi'im mikol melachto asher asa. Vayivareh eloim et yom ashvii, vayikadesh otos. Ki vo shavat mikol melachto asher bara Eloim leasot.

ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום השׁשׁי. ויכלו השׁמים והארץ וכל צבאם. ויכל אלהים ביום השׁביעי מלאכתו אשׁר עשׂה. וישׁבת ביום השׁביעי מכל מלאכתו אשׁר עשׂה. ויברך אלהים את יום השׁביעי ויקדשׁ אתו. כי בו שׁבת מכל מלאכתו אשׁר ברא אלהים לעשׂות

Next are G-d's blessings for the symbols of His care and prosperity in our lives: wine or grape juice and halu (a sweet, woven loaf). First they bless G-d for the fruit of the vine, a symbol of joy:

«Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine»

Baruch Ata, Adonai Eloheinu Melech aolam boreh pri agafen.

ברוך אתה יהוה אלהנו מלך העולם בורא פרי הגפן

«Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and favored us, and gave us as our inheritance His holy Shabbat, commemorating the Creation of the World. It is the first of the holy feasts, commemorating the coming out of Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us out of all the nations, and You have given us Your holy Shabbat, out of love and kindness, to inherit. Blessed are You, O L-rd, who sanctifies the Shabbat.»

Baruch Ata, Adonai Eloheinu Melech aolam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav v'eratsa vanu veshabbat kodsho be'ah ava uvratzon inhilanu zikaron lama-asei brashit. Ki u yom teila lamikraei kodesh zechar litziyat mitzrayim. Ki vanu baharta veotanu kidashta mikol a-amim veshabbat kodsho ba-ava uvratzon inhaltanu. Baruch ata Adonai, mekadesh ashabbat.

ברוך אתה ה’ אלהינו מלך העולם אשׁר קדשׁנו במצותיו ורצה בנו ושׁבת קדשׁו באהבה וברצון הנחילנו זכרון למעשׂה בראשׁית. כי הוא יום תחלה למקראי קדשׁ זכר ליציאת מצרים. כי בנו בחרת ואותנו קדשׁת מכל העמים ושׁבת קדשׁך באהבה וברצון הנחלתנו ברוך אתה ה׳ מקדשׁ השׁבת

Everyone responds in agreement, «AMEN!».

Now everyone drinks from their cup, and the Lord’s blessing over the challah (braided loaf) follows. The head of the household or the Shabbat leader lifts the challah (traditionally two challahs, because the Lord provided us with a double portion of manna on Shabbat when He led us out of Egypt— Shemot/Exodus 16:4-5), salts it (as a symbol of the everlasting covenant with G-d- Shemot/Exodus 31:16-17) and says the following brachu (blessing):

«Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who sprouted bread from the ground.»

Baruch Ata, Adonai Eloheinu Melech aolam amotzi leham min a-aretz.

ברוך אתה יהוה אלהנו מלך העולם המוציא לחם מן הארץ

Everyone eats a piece of challah and greets each other on Shabbat with handshakes, hugs and familiar words Shabbat shalom! («peaceful Shabbat» in Hebrew) or—in Yiddish— Gut Shabbes! («a good Shabbat»).

In conclusion «Shabbat Shalom» and other Shabbat songs., and then we can move on to Shabbat dinner and fellowship.

Shabbat shalom - Have a wonderful Shabbat!