עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ לַאֲדון הַכּל.
לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית.
שֶׁלּא עָשנוּ כְּגויֵי הָאֲרָצות.
וְלא שמָנוּ כְּמִשְׁפְּחות הָאֲדָמָה.
שֶׁלּא שם חֶלְקֵנוּ כָּהֶם
וְגורָלֵנוּ כְּכָל הֲמונָם:
עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְּךָ יי אֱלקֵינוּ
לִרְאות מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶרֶת עֻזֶּךָ.
לְהַעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן הָאָרֶץ.
וְהָאֱלִילִים כָּרות יִכָּרֵתוּן.
לְתַקֵּן עולָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי.
וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶךָ
לְהַפְנות אֵלֶיךָ כָּל רִשְׁעֵי אָרֶץ.
וְנֶאֱמַר. וְהָיָה יי לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ.
בַּיּום הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יי אֶחָד וּשְׁמו אֶחָד:
It is upon us to praise the Sovereign of the universe, and proclaim the greatness of the Creator who has set us among the other families of the earth, giving us the opportunity to see the world through Jewish eyes.
Let the time not be distant, O God, when all shall turn to You in love, when all the brokenness in our world is repaired by the work of our hands and our hearts, inspired by Your words of Torah. O may all, created in Your image, become one in spirit and one in friendship, forever united in Your service.
Therefore we bow in awe and thanksgiving before the One who is Sovereign over all, the Holy One of Blessing.
This prayer comes at the end of every service.
1. What do you think it means?
2. What does it ask us to do?
3. What are some specific ways we can "become" this prayer?
Hiddur Mitzvah, literally meaning, “the beautification of a mitzvah,” are actions that glorify, or beautify, the observances and celebrations within Jewish tradition, in particular Shabbat and the holidays. The source text for this mitzvah is found in Exodus 15:2, which states: “This is my God and I will glorify Him.” In other words, this value challenges us to think about not simply following a mitzvah, but doing so with intentionality, purposefulness, and thoughtfulness.
As such, rabbinic sources have provided instructions for Jews to effectively execute a practice and fulfill a commandment. There are specific ways in which we should light Shabbat candles, or how we should place the chanukiah on our window sill, or how we should construct a sukkah for Sukkot. These instructions exist not to restrict our observance, but to enhance its meaning and glorify our relationship with G-d.
In a modern context, while many of our observances and celebrations have been modified for the purposes of meaningfulness, the changes implemented still embody the value of hiddur mitzvah: glorifying a mitzvah as a demonstration of our commitment to G-d.
Questions for Reflection
1. Think about a ritual that you do with your family. What do you do? How do you do it? What can you do to make it as meaningful and as impactful an experience as possible?
2. How does the value of hiddur mitzvah help us enhance our relationship with Judaism and/or G-d?
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See more at: http://www.jewishlearningmatters.com/AC1-Beautify-(Hiddur)-Mitzvah-1191.aspx#sthash.WBXY4yS7.dpuf
A Sacred Story
Rabbi Isaac Luria (15341572), also known as The Ari, was a rabbi and mystic in Safed. His teachings are referred to as Lurianic Kabbalah. He taught the following story:
Before God created the world, the entire universe was filled with a holy presence. God took a breath to draw back and make room for the world. From that first breath, darkness was created. And when God said, “Let there be light,” lightness was created filling vessels with holy light. God sent those vessels to the world, and if they had each arrived whole, the world would have been perfect. But the holy light was too powerful to be contained, and the vessels split open sending sparks flying everywhere. Some of God’s holy light became trapped inside the shards of the vessels.
It is our job to release and gather the sparks. When enough sparks have been gathered, tikkun olam, repair of the world will be complete. How do we gather sparks? By doing mitzvot, tzedakah and acts of gemilut hasadim (loving kindness).
According to the story in Genesis, on the first day of creation, God created light and darkness. On the fourth day of creation, God created the sun, moon, and stars.
What light did God create on the first day?
Does Rabbi Luria's story help explain this or not?