Erev Shabbat

[PrinceMyshkin]

Friday evenings, the onset of the Sabbath,
my mother would lay a white tablecloth
on the dining-room table,
set out our best dinnerware,
the Sabbath candle-holder with tall
white candle, place a doily on her head and,
her hands covering her eyes, would recite:

Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu,
melekh ha'olam,
asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav
v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat

(Blessed are Thou, Lord our God,
King of the universe,
Who has made us holy through His commandments
and commanded us to kindle the Sabbath light).

“We need to have something to celebrate,”
she told me once, “otherwise
every day would be the same....”

__________________________________________________ ______________

Erev Shabbat=The Sabbath Eve. Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before

[andave_ya]

:) flashbacks to Fiddler on the Roof. The Jewish culture, Prince, is really a fine one. I love the way you've captured the tradition, and I love that you put in the Barukh Atah prayer in it. The Hebrew really adds to the flavor of the poem.

[PrinceMyshkin]

:) flashbacks to Fiddler on the Roof. The Jewish culture, Prince, is really a fine one. I love the way you've captured the tradition, and I love that you put in the Barukh Atah prayer in it. The Hebrew really adds to the flavor of the poem.

Thank you for that. I was late to learning Hebrew but when I did, I felt as if my tongue were already shaped for it, was somewhat liberated by it. Toda Raba!