Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with thy commandments, and commanded us to light the Sabbath lights.
Candle lighting time is 5:59
Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who createst the fruit of the vine.
Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
Psalm 92
There is a different prayer that we are to recite each and every day of the week, and on Sabbath the prayer we recite is Psalm 92. It is one of my favorite psalms and can be found on page 420 of our Birnbaum siddurs.
Here is the text:
A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to they name, O Most High; to proclaim thy goodness in the morning, and thy faithfulness at night, with a ten-stringed lyre and a flute, to the sound of a harp. For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad through thy work; I sing for joy at all that thou hast done. How great are thy works, O Lord! How very deep are thy designs! A stupid man cannot know, a fool cannot understand this. When the wicked thrive like grass, and all evildoers flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever. But thou, O Lord, art supreme for evermore. For lo, thy enemies, O Lord, for lo, thy enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be dispersed. But thou hast exalted my power like that of the wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil. My eye hast gazed on my foes, my ears have heard my enemies’ doom. The righteous will flourish like the palm tree; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall yield fruit even in old age; vigorous and fresh they shall be to proclaim that the Lord is just! He is my stronghold and there is no wrong in him.
What wonderful words! I especially love the ending, “to proclaim that the Lord is just! He is my stronghold and there is no wrong in him.” Isn’t this the very essence of our faith? Isn’t this the kind of love for God that the Shema is referring to when it tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” ?
The Evil Eye
This tidbit of interest by Elizabeth Halpern from Jewniverse, a portion of my jewishlearning.com
The 3 Most Important Jewish Words
If you’ve never heard the Yiddish/Hebrew phrase, “kein ayin hara,” get ready to meet your new favorite saying. Literally, these words translate as “no evil eye.” Together, they function as a Jewish “knock on wood.”
The origin of the phrase is the superstition that talking about one’s good fortune attracts the attention of the evil eye, which loves to mess things up.
Uses for this phrase are many:
“My daughter’s more beautiful every day! Kein ayin hara.”
“It looks like we’ve avoided the bed bug infestation happening upstairs! Kein ayin hara.”
Despite its undeniable utility, the phrase hasn’t yet achieved the mainstream success of “schlep, putz, or kvetch.”
Perhaps the secret to bringing “kein ayin hara” into the spotlight is educating the masses about its pleasurable postscript: a glorious spitting that sounds like “pu pu pu.” According to Jewish grandmothers everywhere, this action provides additional protection against the evil eye. It also makes saying “kein ayin hara” extra fun.
So next time you’re thinking about knocking on wood, it might be worth saying “kein ayin hara—pu pu pu!” instead. Because who needs a crucifix when you can just spit in Yiddish?
LESSONS FROM KRISTALLNACHT:
Maintaining Jewish Life, Culture, & Vibrancy in the “Ghetto”
Sunday, November 10
6:30 PM
Charity Randall Theatre
Stephen Foster Memorial | University of Pittsburgh
Forbes Avenue & Bigelow Blvd. at the Cathedral of Learning
Featuring Speakers:
Herman Snyder, “Memories of Vilna”
and Keynote Speaker Menachem Kaiser
Author, Fulbright Scholar to Lithuania
This program is free and open to the public; however, seating is limited, so we
ask for reservations. PLEASE RSVP BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4.
Free transportation will be available for Holocaust Survivors (leaving from the
JCC at 5:45 p.m.) – transportation reservations MUST be made by Monday, November 4 by calling Zac Zafris at the Holocaust Center (412-421-1500).
This program is underwritten by Sandy & Edgar Snyder
*This is a non-solicitation event*
Questions? Please contact Zac Zafris at 412- 421-1500 or zzafris@jfedpgh.org.
You have brought back so many memories with the “kin ahora”.
My mother and grandparents used it as an everyday part of life.I seem to recall that the “older ” folks ,especially those from Eastern Europe or strong European ties used the phrase more than Americanized Jews.
I can’t recall the last time I heard it uttered. Unfortunately another forgotten piece of Yiddush/ Hebrew life
Thanks for recalling some great old,emotional memories
thanks for your kind words. glad you enjoy the blogs