FRIDAY NIGHT JUST BEFORE SUNSET IS WHEN I LIGHT THE TWO TRADITIONAL EREV SHABBAT LIGHTS WHEN I CAN GO AND GET THE CANDLES.
THE LIGHTS OF SHABAT TEND TO BE WARM AND A SOURCE OF PEACE AND COMFORT. AND OTHER WOMEN ARE ALSO LIGHTING CANDLES. I DON'T KNOW THEM & THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T LIKE ME ANYWAY BUT I LIKE SEEING THE CANDLES.
I COVER MY HEAD BEFORE I LIGHT THE CANDLES AND IF I CLOSED MY EYES LIKE SOME DO I WOULD PROBABLY SET MYSELF AND THIS OLD APARTMENT BUILDING ON FIRE SO I LIGHT THEM IN THE KITCHEN SINK --AFTER IT IS CLEAN OF COURSE.
I SAY THE FOLLOWING PRAYER AFTER I LIGHT MY CANDLES.
"Ba'ruch ah'tah Ah'do'nai, Eh'lo'hay'nu melech ha'o'lam, ah'sher kidishanu b'mitz'vo'tav v'tzee'vanu l'hahd'leek nayr shel Shabbat."
Which Translates to:
"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has made us holy through His commandments, and has commanded us to light the Sabbath light."
I do what I can.
All the nights I was in protective services,I imagined lighting candles and said the prayer.I learned in the army that talking about Jewish services was not the thing to do so I wrote my night prayers into my clipboard. If I had asked for religious services or holy days off, I would have been fired and blacklisted as a troublemaker. So I remained silent and watched.
In Hebrew,the prayer look like this,read from right to left. I learned to read it late in life since women in my father's family were not encouraged to learn Hebrew and there were no bat mitzvahs.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה י־י אֱ־לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר
קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת
Bet looks like a bird with the "eye' in the middle.
Resh to me looks like a grain cutter
the next letter up high, I pronounce like "oo"
And so it goes...
I wish you a Blessed Shabat.
The Watchers will be observing.
Psalm 121:4 "Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps..."
THE LIGHTS OF SHABAT TEND TO BE WARM AND A SOURCE OF PEACE AND COMFORT. AND OTHER WOMEN ARE ALSO LIGHTING CANDLES. I DON'T KNOW THEM & THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T LIKE ME ANYWAY BUT I LIKE SEEING THE CANDLES.
I COVER MY HEAD BEFORE I LIGHT THE CANDLES AND IF I CLOSED MY EYES LIKE SOME DO I WOULD PROBABLY SET MYSELF AND THIS OLD APARTMENT BUILDING ON FIRE SO I LIGHT THEM IN THE KITCHEN SINK --AFTER IT IS CLEAN OF COURSE.
I SAY THE FOLLOWING PRAYER AFTER I LIGHT MY CANDLES.
"Ba'ruch ah'tah Ah'do'nai, Eh'lo'hay'nu melech ha'o'lam, ah'sher kidishanu b'mitz'vo'tav v'tzee'vanu l'hahd'leek nayr shel Shabbat."
Which Translates to:
"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has made us holy through His commandments, and has commanded us to light the Sabbath light."
I do what I can.
All the nights I was in protective services,I imagined lighting candles and said the prayer.I learned in the army that talking about Jewish services was not the thing to do so I wrote my night prayers into my clipboard. If I had asked for religious services or holy days off, I would have been fired and blacklisted as a troublemaker. So I remained silent and watched.
In Hebrew,the prayer look like this,read from right to left. I learned to read it late in life since women in my father's family were not encouraged to learn Hebrew and there were no bat mitzvahs.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה י־י אֱ־לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר
קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת
Bet looks like a bird with the "eye' in the middle.
Resh to me looks like a grain cutter
the next letter up high, I pronounce like "oo"
And so it goes...
I wish you a Blessed Shabat.
The Watchers will be observing.
Psalm 121:4 "Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps..."