Beth Ami

Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

Blessings 

Home
About Us
Jewish Cultural School
Adult Education
Calendar
Services
Newsletter
Photo Gallery
Member Information
Links
What's New!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Up Blessings Beth Ami Shabbat Holidays

The Beauty of Humanistic Judaism’s Shabbat Blessings

Nothing defines and exemplifies Humanistic Judaism better than its blessings, which replace the traditional Hebrew prayers for candle lighting, blessing the wine, and blessing the bread:

Ba-rookh ha-or ba-olam,
Ba-rookh ha-or ba-adam,
Ba-rookh ha-or ba-Shabbat.

Radiant is the light of the world,
Radiant is the light of humanity,
 Radiant is the light of the Shabbat.

Ba-rookh ha-aretz,
ha-she-mesh, v’ha-ge-shem,
Bo-ray p’ri ha-gafen

Radiant is the earth,the sun,
and the rain,
which brings forth the fruit of the vine.

Ba-rookh a-mal ka-pay-nu,
Ba-rookh cha-zon ha-adam,
Ba-rookh ha-motzi min ha-aretz.

Blessed is the work of our hands,
Blessed is the vision of our minds,
Blessed is the bread of the earth.

When we say these blessings during our Friday evening Shabbat get-togethers, we are making very positive statements about the beauty of the world we live in, our inner strength, and our own role to improve our lives.

The Sh’ma, the central prayer of Jewish orthodox observance, is transformed and updated as well:

Sh’ma Yis-ra-el,
E-chad a-men-oo,
A-dam e-chad.

Hear, O Israel,
Our people are one,
Humanity is one.

And finally, our blessing for peace does not appeal to a god for intervention, which has been used through the ages by so many as a call to arms in the name of  “peace.” Humanistic Judaism’s blessing for peace extends to all of humanity and to the entire world:

Sha-lom Yis-real,
Sha-lom la-a-dam,
Sha-lom la-o-lam.

Let there be peace for the Jewish People,
Let here be peace for all humanity,
Let there be peace for all the world.

These are our blessings, which help us appreciate life, our good fortune, and the beauty of our world, while acknowledging our own role in bringing about positive change.

These few blessing demonstrate our core beliefs. They provide guiding wisdom for us today.


 Send mail to webmaster@bethami.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 11/05/06