Amida

Amidah

עֲמִידָה

Visible layers

Gen. 2

Hebrew

וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל־צְבָאָם׃
וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה
וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ
כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת׃

Sephardi

Vayechulu hashamayim veha'aretz vechol-tseva'am:
Vayechal Elohim bayom hashevi'i melachto asher asah
Vayishbot bayom hashevi'i mikol-melachto asher asah:
Vayevarech Elohim et-yom hashevi'i, vayekadesh oto
Ki vo shavat mikol-melachto, asher-bara Elohim la'asot:

English

Then the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their array. With the seventh day, God completed the work He had done. He ceased on the seventh day from all the work He had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it He ceased from all His work He had created to do.

Hebrew

יִשְׂמְחוּ בְמַלְכוּתְךָ שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת וְקוֹרְאֵי עֹנֶג.
עַם מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי, כֻּלָּם יִשְׂבְּעוּ וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ
וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי רָצִיתָ בּוֹ וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ
חֶמְדַּת יָמִים אוֹתוֹ קָרָאתָ, זֵכֶר לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית.

Sephardi

Yismechu bemalchutecha shomrei Shabbat vekorei oneg.
Am mekadshei shevi'i, kulam yisbe'u veyit'anegu mituvecha
Uvashevi'i ratzita bo vekidashto
Chemdat yamim oto karata, zecher lema'aseh vereshit.

English

Those who keep the Sabbath and call it a delight shall rejoice in Your kingship. The people who sanctify the seventh day shall all be satisfied and take delight in Your goodness, for You favored the seventh day and declared it holy. You called it "most desirable of days" in remembrance of Creation.

Hebrew

אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ.
קַדְּשֵׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ, וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ
שַׂבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ, וְשַׂמַּח נַפְשֵׁנוּ בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ
וְטַהֵר לִבֵּנוּ לְעָבְדְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת.
וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ, יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ
וְיָנוּחוּ בָהּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁמֶךָ.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת.

Sephardi

Eloheinu veilohei avoteinu, retze na bimnuchatenu.
Kadsheinu bemitsvotekha, veten chelkeinu betoratecha
Sabeinu mituvecha, vesamach nafsheinu bishu'atecha
Vetaher libeinu le'avdekha be'emet.
Vehanachilenu, Adonai Eloheinu, be'ahavah uveratzon Shabbat kodshecha
Veyanuchu vah kol Yisrael mekadshei shemecha.
Baruch atah Adonai, mekadesh haShabbat.

English

Our God and God of our ancestors, find favor, please, in our rest. Make us holy through Your commandments and grant us our share in Your Torah. Satisfy us with Your goodness, grant our souls joy in Your salvation, and purify our hearts to serve You in truth. In love and favor, LORD our God, grant us as our heritage Your holy Sabbath, so that all Israel, who sanctify Your name, may find rest on it. Blessed are You, LORD, who sanctifies the Sabbath.

Commentary

וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ And declared it holy: This is the first time the word "holy" appears in the Torah, indicating that time, not just space, is holy. The sages noted the similarities between Shabbat and the Sanctuary (mishkan) constructed by the Israelites in the wilderness. The thirty-nine categories of work performed in the building of the Sanctuary are the same as those forbidden on Shabbat. Shabbat is thus a "sanctuary in time," and Israel, the "eternal people," is the nation called on to sanctify time.

… young. It also uses the word "sanctified," the key word of the betrothal declaration under the bridal canopy.

וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ Then the heavens and the earth were completed: These three verses conclude the biblical account of creation. They contain thirty-five (5x7) words. The entire creation narrative (Gen. 1:1-2:3) is constructed in multiples of seven. The word "good" appears seven times, the word "God" thirty-five times, and the word "earth" twenty-one times. The opening verse contains seven words, the second fourteen, and the complete text 469 (7x67) words. From the very outset, seven dominates, as if to signal from the beginning that the seventh day was the culmination and purpose of creation: "last in deed, first in thought."