The Shtiebel Siddur:
Kabbalat Shabbat Module
Instruction Manual
This siddur is an Instruction manual for the Kabbalat Shabbat Friday night module on the jOS
(The Jewish Operating System).
The manual contains a series of "apps." Each app is designed to perform a specific psychological, intellectual, physical, or spiritual function. These apps are best run in a communal setting, but individuals and families can certainly run them at home.
Each entry in this manual contains a statement of the function the particular app is meant to fill and the specifics of how it is run.
Lighting Candles
ברוך אתה יי אלוהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו להדליק נר של שבת
Function: To create a feeling of relaxation, peace, warmth and letting go of stress and tension.
Action: Light two candles meditatively. Slowly wave hands around the light, spreading it out in all directions.
Cover your eyes with your hands and say the following meditatively:
This is a blessing. The ability to light candles, take a deep breath and rest. Having the time to move beyond time and let go of my workday world and be together in comfort and peace.
(Take a deep breath)
Then say: thank you.
Welcoming the Messengers
שלום עליכם מלאכי השרת
Function: To reflect upon the messengers who have visited us this week and to discern the messages.
Action: According to legend, an angel accompanies each person to and from the synagogue on Shabbat evening, for protection and companionship. Angel in Hebrew is Malach which can mean both angel and messenger. Reflect on your week- the people and the situations you have encountered. Some may have been pleasurable, some challenging--these are your messengers. For each messenger reflect upon what they have come to teach you.
Take a deep breath. Chant or sing the following as you reflect:
(Chords: A to G)
Welcome among us, messengers of shalom,
angels of the Highest One,
from deep within us, Majesty of Majesties,
the blessed Holy One.
Come, then, in shalom,
blessing us with shalom,
leaving us with holy shalom,
from deep within us, Majesty of Majesties,
the blessed Holy One.
( by Burt Jacobson)
Ana Be-Koach: Untying the Tangles
אנא בכח
Function: Below is the first line of a magical prayer ascribed to Rabbi Nechuniah ben Hakanah. The whole prayer contains 42 words, the initials of which comprise the secret unpronounceable 42 letter name of God.
With this practice, we call on that aspect of the universe that moves through obstacles, dissolves resistance and opens the way forward for us. In Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) this aspect of the universe is called hesed (unbounded Love) and is depicted on the right side of the Tree of Life.
Action: Take a deep breath. Begin by asking yourself, “What are the obstacles (inner or outer) that are getting in my way?” Lay that obstacle lovingly on the altar of the song. Tap your foot to the rhythm. Listen to the melody. When you are ready, join the musicians in singing the song. As you sing, allow the power of hesed/unbounded love of the right side to move through you forcefully opening the way ahead and delicately untying the tangles within you.
Words/Chords:
Dm- C-Dm
Dm --C-Gm-Dm-C-Dm
Dm------
Dm ---C-----Dm-----C------Dm
We invoke the love
Of the right side
Get the tangles
to untie
May our joyous songs come to rise
Purify and untie open up the sky/mind.
Ana be-Koach gedulat yemincha, tatir tserurah, tatir tserurah, kabel rinat, rinat amcha, sagveynu tahareinu norah.
(By Rabbi Ben Newman)
Come my Darling: Feeling the Sacred
לכה דודי לקראת כלה פני שבת נקבלה
Function: To help one perceive the sublime in our physical mundane world.
Action: Take a deep breath. Listen to the music. Tap your foot to the rhythm. When you are ready, join the musicians in singing the song. Try to let go of inhibitions-hold off on being self-conscious about the sound of your voice. No one is judging you. Look at your physical surroundings. Try to find the spark of the Divine in everything you see.
Words/Chords:
C------F----C-----F----C----G----C
F-----C----G-----C
Chorus:
Come my darling to meet the queen
Around inside and in between
Come my darlings to meet the bride
Who dwells in worlds and inside
(Hebrew: Lecha dodi, likrat kallah, pnei shabbat nekabelah)
Verses:
“Protect” and “remember” in one word
When we listen the quiet voice is heard
Filling and surrounding the entire world
Every difference being blurred
To meet Shabbat let us go
It will hold us and let us know
Yah is one -feel the flow
As together we grow and glow and go
Wake up, wake up. A guest is coming
Get on your feet, dance and laugh and sing
Wake up wake up, that is our song
Get to your feet and come along
Spreading out to right and left
Yah is blessing Yah is blessed
Someday we know the time will come
So let's celebrate as the work is done
(stand up and face the door)
Come in peace crown of the sublime
I am yours and you are mine
We feel the joy of sacred time
[bow to the left and right]
Come queen come queen, on us do shine.
(By Rabbi Ben Newman)
Psalm 92: Relaxing into the Shabbat Vibe
תהילים צ"ב
Function: To inspire feelings of relaxed celebration and the joy of gathering in community for a break from our workaday week. Also to open the channels in our psyche to let creativity flow.
Action: Take a deep breath. Listen to the music. Tap your foot to the rhythm. When you are ready, join the musicians in singing the song. Lose yourself in the music.
Words/Chords:
Bm, F#, G, D, F#
A ballad, a Song, a ditty for shabbat.
An anthem, a chorale, some funky rock.
A hymn a chant, and a lullaby
As the shabbos day is drawing nigh
It is good to give thanks to Yah our God
To sing to your exalted name
How great are you works Adonai
How deep are your thoughts oh one on high
The righteous will blossom like a palm,
Grow like the cedar of Lebanon
Their gray hair shall be their crown
; New and ripe their songs will sound.
Showing that Yah is constant
My rock the One who is no nonsense.
(By Rabbi Ben Newman)
Barchu: Calling Out Together
ברכו
Function: To connect us with each other as together we call on the Source of Inspiration and Creativity.
Action: Take several deep breaths and try to clear your mind. Imagine your mind as an empty field or a blank slate. Take a moment and look at the faces of the people around you. Then begin to join in the call and response chant. As you sing notice what appears in the empty space you have created in your mind.
Words/Chords:
C Dm C Dm
Bar-----chu (2x) Dear One (2x)
Dm C C Dm
Shechinah (2X) Holy Name (2X)
Dm C Dm
When I call on the light of my soul I come home. (2x)
(By Lev Friedman)
Shma: Listening for Oneness
שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלוהֵינוּ, ה' אֶחָד
Function: To inspire a feeling of unity, oneness, and love.
Action: Take a deep breath. Imagine the boundaries that separate you with the rest of the world falling away as you join in the song.
Words/Chords:
A-----D ( REPEAT)
(bridge) Bm -----D----A
The stone that the builder refused
Will always be the head cornerstone-
The stone that the builder refuse
Will always be the head cornerstone
Maybe you’re a builder,
Maybe you’re a stone
'Cause the things people refuse
Are the things they should use
Do you hear me?
Hear what I say!
Even ma’asu habonim
Haytah le-rosh pinah
Even ma’asu habonim
Haytah le-rosh pina
Here I am baby
I am, a builder's stone!
Don't you pick and refuse me, listen
The things people refuse
Are the things they should use
Do you hear me
Hear what I say
Shma Yisrael Adonai eloheynu
Shma Yisrael Adonai echad
Shma Yisrael Adonai eloheynu Adonai echad
(by Bob Marley, King David, Deuteronomy 6:4, and Rabbi Ben Newman)
Who is Like You?: Clearing a Path to Redemption
מי כמוך
Function: To create a sense of hope for a situation where someone is stuck between a rock and a hard place. This can be a personal problem, a family or community issue, or even a national or global issue.
Action: Take a deep breath. Imagine the scene of the Israelites at the Sea. The have just fled Egypt and the Egyptian soldiers are riding after them in chariots. They are stuck between an oncoming enemy and the Red Sea. Moses gets on his knees and prays. God say to Moses, now is not the time for prayer, now is the time for action. One of the Israelites, Nachshon ben Aminadav starts walking into the sea. Once the water reaches his mouth, the sea begins to part. He has combined hope and action to get through this obstacle. Think of a hopeless situation in your life. As you sing the words, see if any solutions present themselves. What concrete actions can you take to remedy the situation? Breathe into your fears and breathe out hope.
Words/Chords:
Dm-----C---Dm---C---Dm
Dm-----C------Dm------C-------Dm
Who is like You, Yah, among the mighty?
Who is you, Yah, glorious and holy;
Fearful in praises, and working wonders?
Your children saw your power
Splitting the sea
Moshe, Miriam, and Aharon
Taking them to safety
This is the God in which I believe
The Possibility of Possibility
Just when hope seems lost to me
A strong wind comes parting the sea
______________________________________
The leader chants:
This is a blessing.
To recognize the miracles that surround us
And to feel the possibility of redemption.
(By Rabbi Ben Newman)
Amidah: Standing in Silence
עמידה
Function: To provide alone time with however the individual conceives of the Divine. For those who do not believe in “God” per se, this is time to connect with their inner voice, to have a silent conversation with yourself about your hopes, dreams, concerns and challenges.
Action: Stand in silence. Take some deep breaths. Have a conversation in your head. Speak about your hopes and dreams, your concerns and challenges, and whatever else might be on your mind at the moment. Listen for an responses, answers, or more questions. When you are finished, please sit down.
Davar/Word: Reflection and Discussion.
דבר
Function: To inspire creative and critical thinking. To provide the individual with inner wisdom that arises from their encounter with the teaching, story, poem. To help the individual form meaningful constructs and frames for engaging the world.
Action: Listen reflectively to the teaching, story, or poem. When the presenter opens up the floor for discussion, participate in the discussion. Try to really listen to what others are saying rather than just thinking about what you are going to say when it is your turn. Try to formulate pertinent responses to the comments of others.
Aleinu/One Day: A Call to Action
עלינו
Function: To call to mind the brokenness of the world, and inspire us to dedicate ourselves to repair it.
Action: Take a deep breath. Think about some of the problems facing our communities, country, and world today. Think about what small steps you can take to help. Remember that one person can make a difference. As the rabbis said, “it is not up to you to finish the work, but neither may you desist from it.”
Sing:
(Chords: C-G-Am-F-C)
Sometimes I lay Under the moon And thank God I'm breathing Then I pray Don't take me soon 'Cause I am here for a reason. Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down. So when negativity surrounds I know some day it'll all turn around because… All my life I've been waiting for I've been praying for
For the people to say That we don't wanna fight no more There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [6x]
It's not about Win or lose 'Cause we all lose When they feed on the souls of the innocent Blood-drenched pavement Keep on moving though the waters stay raging
In this maze you can lose your way (your way) It might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you, no way (no way) Sometimes in my tears I drown (I drown)
But I never let it get me down (get me down) So when negativity surrounds (surrounds) I know some day it'll all turn around because...
All my life I've been waiting for I've been praying for For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more There will be no more wars And our children will play. One day [6x]
One day this all will change Treat people the same Stop with the violence Down with the hate One day we'll all be free And proud to be Under the same sun
Singing songs of freedom like, heyo….
One day [2x] All my life I've been waiting for I've been praying for For the people to say That we don't wanna fight no more There will be no more wars And our children will play One day [6x]
Ve-Ne’emar Ve-Haya Adonai, le-melekh al kol ha aretz, bayom ha-hu bayom ha-hu, yihiei adonai echad, u-shmo, u-shmo, u-shemo, echad.
(By Matisyahu)
Zikaron Phone/Wind Telephone
קדיש
Function: To connect the individual to loved ones and ancestors who have died.
Action: Sit down at the phone. Think of someone who has died that you wish to call. Pick up the receiver. Dial their number- either their old number from when they were alive or another number that comes to you. Talk to them. Listen in your mind and heart for what they say back to you. Jot down anything you want on the paper by the phone. Remember to take the paper with you.
Kaddish
Hebrew
Transliteration:
Yitgadal v’yitkadash sh’mei raba b’alma di-v’ra chirutei, v’yamlich malchutei
B’chayeichon uvyomeichon uvchayei d’chol beit yisrael, ba’agala
uvizman kariv, v’im’ru: “amen.” Y’hei sh’mei raba m’varach l’alam ul’almei almaya.
Yitbarach v’yishtabach, v’yitpa’ar v’yitromam v’yitnaseh, v’yithadar v’yit’aleh v’yit’halal sh’mei
d’kud’sha, b’rich hu, l’eila min-kol-birchata v’shirata, tushb’chata
v’nechemata da’amiran b’alma, v’im’ru: “amen.” Y’hei shlama raba min-sh’maya v’chayim aleinu
v’al-kol-yisrael, v’im’ru: “amen.” Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu
v’al kol-yisrael, v’imru: “amen.”