The Accidental Talmudist posted this video the “Maccabeats Lead Havdalah - Partners In Torah Shabbaton 2014.” For those who may not speak Hebrew or understand what is being said, the video distraction provided a nice guide to understand what is going on.
We bid goodbye to Shabbat and welcome the new week with wine, spice, light, and their blessings: Hinei El yeshuati, evtach velo efchad, ki ozi vezimrat yah, Adonai vayehili liyeshuah. Ushavtem mayim besasson mima’anei hayeshuah. La'Adonai hayeshuah, al amcha virchatecha, selah. Adonai tzeva'ot imanu, misgav lanu, Elohay Ya'akov, selah. Adonai tzeva'ot, ashray adam botayach bach. Adonai hoshi'ah, hamelech ya'anaynu veyom koraynu. Layehudim hayetah orah vesimcha vesason vikar. Kain tehiyeh lanu. Kos yeshuot esa uveshaym Adonai ekrah.
Behold, G-d is my savior, I will trust G-d and not be afraid, for my strong faith and song of praise for G-d will be my salvation. You will draw water joyously from the wellsprings of salvation. Salvation is the G-d's; may Your blessing rest upon Your people. G-d of the heavenly armies is with us; the Lord of Ya'akov is a fortress protecting us. G-d of the heavenly armies, happy is the individual who trusts You. G-d, redeem us! The King will answer us on the day we call G-d. The Jews had light, happiness, joy and honor; may we have the same. I will raise the cup of salvation and call out in the name of the G-d.
It is fairly easy to remember God when the sun is about to start on Friday and on Shabbat in the early morning and during the day when we are surrounded by others also focused on worship. It is also easy to quickly forget about the point of whatever we learned during the Shabbat if we have other things on our mind that take priority over the ways of God. The Bible warns about this tendency to separate our spiritual beliefs from our actual life choices throughout the week and turn religious events into a mere routine.
“Listen, you who swallow the needy and destroy the poor of the land! You say, ‘When will Rosh-Hodesh be over, so we can market our grain? and Shabbat, so we can sell wheat?’ You measure the grain in a small eifah, but the silver in heavy shekels, fixing the scales, so that you can cheat, buying the needy for money and the poor for a pair of shoes, and sweeping up the refuse of the wheat to sell!’” (Amos 8:4-6).
We need to remember God during and after the Shabbat and allow our remembrance of God fill every aspect of our lives instead of just allowing our profession of faith to just be a surface level thing.
