3 — Friday-night Arvit: Shema and its blessings

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Part 3 of 26

The evening blessing

Blessed are You, Adonai, Our God, King of the Universe – that with His word – he brings forth nights – with wisdom. He opens the gates with understanding. He changes the time periods and exchanges the time schedules and sets in order the stars – in their watches in the heavens according to His will – he creates day and night. He removes light for darkness and [removes] darkness for light. He clears away day and brings night and makes a separation between day and between night. Adonai, Adonai of Hosts is His Name. Blessed are You, Adonai – that brings upon nights.

Everlasting love

With Eternal Love of the House of Israel – Your people – you loved – Torah & Mitzvot & decrees and ordinances – You taught us. Therefore, Adonai our God, upon our lying down and upon our rising – we will converse in your laws and rejoice and exult in the words of Your Torah's Teachings, and commandments and decrees forever more. For they are our lives and the length of our days, and with them we will delve day and night. And your love – do not remove from us forever – Blessed are You, Adonai, who loves his people – Yisrael.

Shema and its three paragraphs

(Concentrate on the Saying of this Shema to accomplish the Mitzvah of Oneness of God) [cover eyes when Shema is said & think of Oneness of God]

HEAR, O ISRAEL, Ado·nai Is Our G·D, Ado·nai Is ONE

(Silently) Blessed be His Name & glorious sovereignty forever.

And you shall love the Adonai, your God, with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house & when you walk by the way, when your lie down & when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house & upon your gates. (Devarim / Deut. 6:4-9)

And it shall be that if you hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you today, to love the Adonai your God & to serve Him with all your heart & all your soul, then I will send rain for your land in its proper time, the autumn rain & the spring rain, that you may gather in your grain, your wine & your oil. And I will give grass in your field for your cattle & you shall eat & be satisfied. Take heed to yourselves lest your heart be deceived, & you turn aside & serve other gods & bow to them. For then the Adonai's wrath will be kindled against you, & He will close up the heavens that there be no rain, & land shall not yield her produce, & you shall perish quickly from off the goodly land which the Adonai gives you. You shall lay My words, these upon your heart & upon your soul, & you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down & when you rise. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house & upon your gates. So that the Adonai will lengthen your days & the days of your children upon the land which the Adonai promised to give to your fathers, as the days of the heavens above the earth (Devarim / Deuteronomy 11:13-21)

And the Adonai spoke unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel & say to them to make for themselves a fringe on the borders of their garments, throughout their generations. And they shall place upon the fringe of the border, a thread of blue wool. And it shall be to you a fringe that you may look upon, & remember all the commandments of the Adonai & to do them. Then shall you not stray after your heart & your eyes whereafter you are wont to stray. So may you remember & do all My commandments & be holy for your God. I am the Adonai your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Adonai your God. (Bamidbar / Numbers 15:37-41)

(Repeat & Say) The Adonai, Your God is True.

Truth and faith

and [we have] Faith in all this – and it is established for us, for He is the Adonai Our God & there is none other than Him – and we are Yisrael, His people. [He is] The One Who redeems us from the hand of kings, Our King, Who Delivers us from from the hands of all tyrants, the God that avenges for us those that cause us pain, the One that will pay back all that was bestowed upon us to all the enemies of our souls, the One Who keeps our souls alive, and did not allow our feet to stumble, the One Who guides us upon the altars of our enemies. And who raises our countenance [horn] upon all our foes, the God that takes vengeance upon Pharaoh, with signs and wonders – in the land of the people of H'am, the One that Strikes with His wrath all the first-born of Egypt, & He Brings out His people, Yisrael from among them to eternal freedom. Who causes His children to pass between the splittings of the Sea of Reeds, & their pursuers & their foes He drowned in the depths. His children observed His might – & gave praise & lauded Him for His Name's sake – & His Kingship, they willingly, accepted upon themselves. Moshe / Moses & the Children of Yisrael answered with Song & great joy, & they all said “Who is like You among the mighty, Adonai. Who is like You supreme in holiness, [too] awesome [for] praises – Who does wonders. Your Kingship, Adonai, our God Your Children saw by the Sea, united all of them gave thanks and accepted Your Kingship and said “The Adonai will reign, forever more.” And it is said “For the Adonai redeemed Yaakov / Jacob & he saved him from the hand of one stronger than he.” (Jeremiah 31:10) Blessed are You Adonai, who redeems Yisrael.

Hashkivenu for Shabbat

Lay us down, our Father, in peace, and raise us up, our King, to a good life and peace. Spread over us the shelter of Your peace, guide us, our King, with good counsel from before You, and save us speedily for the sake of Your Name. Shield us and spread over us and over Jerusalem Your city the shelter of Your peace. Blessed are You, LORD, who spreads the shelter of peace over us, over all His people Israel, and over Jerusalem. Amen.

Keeping the Sabbath

The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. It is a sign for ever between Me and the children of Israel, for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased and rested.