Shabbat Eve (Part 2): Shabbat Angels—Blessings or . . .
Jan 9, 2014 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
“Shalom aleikhem” is a traditional greeting exchanged upon encountering a friend or acquaintance, and also the opening phrase of the familiar song chanted around the Shabbat table before Friday night kiddush (Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat, 13, 309).
Read More
Shabbat Eve (Part 1): Metaphors of Marriage
Dec 16, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Many are familiar with the custom of chanting the last chapter of Proverbs (Eishet Hayil; A Woman of Valor) as part of the ritual for those gathered around the table for Shabbat dinner on Friday night.
Read More
God’s Service: Atarah (Crown) or Tircha (Burden)?
Dec 12, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Rabbinic sources deal not only with the texts of Jewish liturgy, and the occasions and times at which they are to be said. Our Sages from the earliest times engaged with what we might call “ritual process” or, more informally, the experience of “sitting in shul.” From most ancient times until the day before yesterday, there has been debate and discussion about how to go about this—where to sit, in what language to pray, how many people to “call up,” how long should the Torah reading be, and how long is “too long”—even for the most beautiful and soulful worship?
Read More
Texts and Songs—“First Fruits” Journey into Shabbat
Dec 4, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Let us look at the journey of Shabbat liturgy, a journey of text and music. The formal liturgy of Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat, the Friday evening service) begins with a series of six psalms (Pss. 95–99 and 29) followed by Lekha Dodi. A generation ago, almost all siddurim and services began with “Lekhu neranena . . . ” (the opening of Psalm 95), perhaps preceded by a reading or devotional prayer.
Read More
First Word: “Thanks—Modeh”
Nov 27, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
I recall learning Hebrew at the breakfast table from my polyglot father, who spoke 10 languages, saying “todah” (thanks) or “todah rabbah” (thank you very much) as occasion demanded—which in England it did a lot. The formality of prayerful English kept hidden from me the extent to which giving thanks (thanksgiving) fills our liturgy, literally from the very first word.
Read More
Study of Ritual—Study as Ritual (Part 2)
Nov 20, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
Last week, we looked at the three blessings recited traditionally each day, affirming that the study of Torah is a mitzvah, a source of beauty for all generations, and that God is (continually) giving Torah (Siddur Sim Shalom for Weekdays, 4). Today we explore an unusual type of textual engagement that follows these blessings, both immediately and through the unfolding cycle of the siddur. The blessings are followed directly by three texts (ibid., 5): the birkat kohanim (Priestly Blessing, Num, 6:24–26); a selection from the Mishnah (Pe’ah1:1); and a selection from the Talmud (BT Shabbat 127a). Each of them is intriguing.
Read More
Study of Ritual – Study as Ritual
Nov 13, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
We do not study Torah primarily to find out what God wants us to do, and we certainly do not study our sacred texts to learn history, or medicine. The act of Talmud Torah, the studying of Torah, is itself a mitzvah, a command. As with many commandments (eating matzah, putting on tefillin, etc), there is a berakhah, a blessing, that precedes the act. In Siddur Sim Shalom: A Prayerbook for Shabbat, Festivals, and Weekdays (4), we find three linked blessings about Torah.
Read More
The Anomaly of the Night: Fear, Power, Divine Presence (Shekhinah), Part 2
Nov 6, 2013 By Samuel Barth | Commentary
To the human heart and soul, night and morning are profoundly different, even though an astronomer would see them as equivalent observed consequences of the orbit of the earth around the sun. The first blessing of the evening service (Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat, 28) praises God for establishing the natural cycles: “You roll away light as darkness sets in, and darkness as the light dawns.” The morning service offers a tight structure of two blessings before, and one after, the Shema’ on the themes of Creation, Revelation, and Redemption (to be explored here in a future essay). Although the texts are a little different in the morning and the evening, the themes are identical.
Read More
