86 - Erev Shabbat

March 29, 2001

I confess that I'm not usually accurate about candle-lighting time. Certainly I have a calendar that tells me when I'm supposed to light them, but I like to wait until my husband is home. Usually, I strike the match just before we sit down to dinner. I think we all need a moment to decompress at week's end, to shift gears, to let the peace of Shabbat embrace us.

Two Hundred Thirteen

Erev Shabbat

We cast off the glow of the setting sun,
And hesitate in this moment before darkness
As we empty the pockets of our week's cares
And shake out the wrinkles of our worries.

Beloved Creator, You fashion Shabbat
As an elegant garment to draw around us;
We hang aside the moments of our daily life
And close the closet door of routine.

We pause before the darkness swarms
And draw in the sweet aromas of Shabbat-to-be.
Then, with a shuddering sigh,
We are as children freed from unhappy dreams.

Beloved Creator, You fashion Shabbat
To refresh us, to clear us of our daily turmoil,
To return us to You
As we calm our hearts before You.

We gather the candles' light in our hands
As we praise Your Name,
Even as our mothers praised You from before,
As their murmured words detailed their blessings.

We gather the candles' light in our eyes
As we bless Your Name,
Even as our fathers blessed You from before
And rested smiles upon our faces.

Beloved Creator, You fashion Shabbat
And wrap around us the light of Your peace,
Even as we praise You,
Even as we bless Your Name.

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