Kabbalat Shabbat

Prayer is not just another item on Shabbat’s task list; it’s part of the day’s definition. Without the pressures of the workweek, we become more contemplative and focused—just the state required for real prayer.

Four contributions from the Kabbalists of Tzefat to enhance the Shabbat experience

Question: I regularly attend Friday night services. When we sing the beautiful song, "Lecha Dodi," everyone turns around for the last verse. My 10 year old son asked me why, but I didn't have an answer. Answer: We turn around for the verse in which we wel...

Another violent blow landed on my other cheek. “You are still praying?” the Blockelteste asked. Her face was crimson, contorted from fury, her eyes bloodshot. A sudden Jewish pride arose within me, like a pillar of smoke rising from a chimney . . .

After the Shabbat candles (see candle lighting wizard) have ushered in the Shabbat holiness, we welcome the Shabbat bride with the evening prayers, which include the L'cha Dodi song ("Come, my beloved, to greet the bride, let us receive the presence of th...

The Friday night "Shabbat greeting" prayers have been legendary throughout the ages for their poetry and haunting and joyful melodies

Mystical hymn to Shabbat

Song of Songs on Friday evening in the little Moroccan shul on Shimshon Street in Jerusalem is a string of multiple solo performances.

The Fourth of the Ten Commandments is: “Remember the Shabbat day to keep it holy ... for G‑d created the world in six days and rested on the seventh” [Exodus 20:8].