Kabbalat Shabbat

Friday evening worship

As the day ends on Friday, we greet the Shabbat with great oneg (joy) as we enter the period of k’dusha (holiness) that will last until the end of the day on Saturday. Though in our worship on Shabbat evening we focus on oneg (joy), we already anticipate the opportunity for much needed m’nucha (rest) that will come at our Shabbat dinner table and in our time with family and friends.

At 6:30 p.m. most Fridays (on the 2nd Friday of each month we worship at 8:00 p.m.), we welcome Shabbat with the liturgy of Kabbalat Shabbat. This hour-long service features a collection of Psalms and the liturgical poem L’cha Dodi, as compiled by the mystics of Sefad, which help us express our joy at the coming of Shabbat. We sing the Psalms and L’cha Dodi with much energy and joy as we welcome the Sabbath bride. We acknowledge the holiness of Shabbat with Shabbat’s anthem, V’shamru, and then provide time with the silent Amidah for personal prayer and the beginning of Shabbat rest.