On Chol Hamoed Sukkot, when making Kiddush in the sukkah, add the following blessing.
Glance at the schach (sukkah covering) while saying the words לֵישֵׁב בַּסֻּכָּה.
Blessing on dwelling in a sukkah
Hebrew
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר
קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לֵישֵׁב
בַּסֻּכָּה:<sup>1</sup> (אָמֵן)
Sephardi
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher
kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leishev
basukkah:<sup>1</sup> (Amen)
English
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us to sit in the sukkah.<sup>1</sup> (Amen)
Before eating bread wash your hands: After checking that your hands are completely clean, pick up a filled cup of water in the right hand and pass it to the left hand. Pour three times on the right hand and then three times on the left hand, covering the entire hand to the wrist with water each time.
After washing, rub your hands together and recite the blessing of עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִם on page 165, then dry your hands and don’t speak until after saying הַמּוֹצִיא and eating the bread.
Before saying the blessing over the two loaves of bread, gently mark (but do not cut) one of them with your knife. Hold both loaves in your hands, make the blessing, then cut a piece and eat it.
If there are others present at the meal who are not saying a blessing over their own two loaves of bread, they should listen to your blessing and receive a piece from your bread. It is customary for them to say the blessing for bread over their own piece before eating it.
Place salt on the table, and dip the piece of bread into the salt before eating it. The Torah says that salt must be offered with every sacrifice, and we commemorate this law by having salt on the table, which is compared to an altar. According to kabbalah, you should dip the piece of bread into the salt three times.
SHABBAT ZEMIROT
A kabbalistic song about Shabbat
Hebrew
אֲזַמֵּר בִּשְׁבָחִין, לְמֵיעַל גוֹ פִתְחִין,
דְּבַחֲקַל תַּפּוּחִין, דְּאִנּוּן קַדִּישִׁין:
Sephardi
Azamer bishvachin, leme'al go pitchin,
devachakal tapuchin, de'inun kadishin:
English
I will cut away the evil spirits with songs of praise. With these songs I will enter through the holy gates of God’s Divine Presence, which is called Chakal Tapuchin.
Hebrew
נְזַמִּין לָהּ הַשְׁתָּא, בְּפָתוּרָא חַדְתָּא,
וּבִמְנַרְתָּא טַבְתָּא, דְּנַהֲרָא עַל רֵישִׁין:
Sephardi
Nezamin lah hashta, befatura chadta,
uvimnarta tavta, denahara al reishin:
English
We now invite the Divine Presence to the newly set Shabbat table, bringing with it God’s blessings, which are like a beautiful Shabbat candelabra shining over our heads.
Hebrew
יְמִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא, וּבֵינַיְהוּ כַלָּה, בְּקִשּׁוּטִין
אָזְלָא, וּמָאנִין וּלְבוּשִׁין:
Sephardi
Yemina usmala, uveinaihu kallah, bekishutin
azla, umanin ulevushin:
English
Shabbat is surrounded by weekdays on both sides, like a bride standing between people on her right and left, dressed with fancy decorations, jewels, and robes.
Hebrew
יְחַבֵּק לָהּ בַּעְלָהּ, וּבִיסוֹדָא דִילָהּ, דְּעָבֵד
נַיְחָא לָהּ, יְהָא כְּתִישׁ כְּתִישִׁין:
Sephardi
Yechabek lah ba'lah, uvisoda dilah, de'aved
naicha lah, yeha ketish ketishin:
English
Her husband, God, hugs her. Through this embrace—which brings her joy—the evil spirits in the world will be completely destroyed.
Hebrew
צְוָחִין אַף עָקְתִין, בְּטֵלִין וּשְׁבִיתִין, בְּרַם
אַנְפִּין חַדְתִּין, וְרוּחִין עִם נַפְשִׁין:
Sephardi
Tzvachin af aktin, betelin ushvitin, beram
anpin chadtin, veruchin im nafshin:
English
They cry and are hopeless; they become null and void. However, the faces of the Jewish Nation are renewed, as are their souls and spirits.
Hebrew
חֲדוּ סַגֵּי יֵיתֵי, וְעַל חֲדָא תַּרְתֵּי,
נְהוֹרָא לָהּ יִמְטֵי, וּבִרְכָאָן
דִּנְפִישִׁין:
Sephardi
Chadu sagei yeitei, ve'al chada tartei,
nehora lah yimtei, uvirkha'an
dinfishin:
English
Shabbat gives a person’s soul great happiness; double the happiness that it feels during the week. It gives the soul holy light and many blessings.
Hebrew
קְרִיבוּ שׁוּשְׁבִינִין, עָבִידוּ תִּקּוּנִין,
לְאַפְשָׁא זִינִין, וְנוּנִין עִם רַחֲשִׁין:
Sephardi
Kerivu shushvinin, avidu tikunin,
le'afsha zinin, venunin im rachashin:
English
Come, helpers of the bride—those who celebrate Shabbat—and make special preparations for it. Make many kinds of foods, fish as well as chicken.
Hebrew
לְמֶעְבַד נִשְׁמָתִין, וְרוּחִין חַדְתִּין,
בְּתַרְתֵּין וּבְתַלְתִּין, וּבְתַלְתָּא
שִׁבְשִׁין:
Sephardi
Leme'bad nishmatin, veruchin chadtin,
betartein uvetaltin, uvetalta
shivshin:
English
By making the Shabbat holy, we create extra holiness in the world. This extra holiness makes additional souls and new spirits and enables us to understand the thirty-two paths of wisdom and the three branches of the Tanach: Torah, Prophets, and Writings.
Hebrew
וְעִטּוּרִין שַׁבְעִין לָהּ, וּמַלְכָּא
דִּלְעֵלָא, דְּיִתְעַטַּר כֻּלָּא, בְּקַדִּישׁ
קַדִּישִׁין:
Sephardi
Ve'iturin shav'in lah, umalka
dile'ela, deyit'atar kulla, bekadish
kadishin:
English
Shabbat has seventy crowns, and God, the King above, is crowned with the holiest songs of praise. Shabbat exists in all the worlds—the spiritual worlds and the physical world.
Hebrew
רְשִׁימִין וּסְתִימִין, בְּגוֹ כָל עָלְמִין,
בְּרַם עַתִּיק יוֹמִין, הֲלָא בָּטִישׁ
בָּטִישִׁין:
Sephardi
Reshimin ustimin, bego kol almin,
beram Atik Yomin, hala batish
batishin:
English
Shabbat is engraved and marked upon all the worlds. God, Who is called Ancient of Days because He has existed forever, made the entire universe by combining four basic things: fire, water, air, and earth.
Hebrew
יְהָא רַעֲוָא קַמֵּהּ, דְּתִשְׁרֵיהּ עַל
עַמָּהּ, דְּיִתְעַנַּג לִשְׁמָהּ, בְּמַתִּיקִין
וּדְבַשִׁין:
Sephardi
Yeha ra'ava kameh, detishreh al
ammah, deyit'anag lishmah, bemattikin
udvashin:
English
May it be God’s will that His Divine Presence should rest upon the Jewish Nation, His people, who will enjoy sweet foods and honey in order to honor His name.
Hebrew
אֲסַדֵּר לִדְרוֹמָא, מְנוֹרְתָא דִסְתִימָא,
וְשֻׁלְחָן עִם נַהֲמָא, בִּצְפוֹנָא
אַרְשִׁין:
Sephardi
Asader lidroma, menor'ta distima,
veshulchan im nahama, bitzfona
arshin:
English
I place Shabbat candles corresponding to the Menorah in the Holy Temple that was in the south of the Sanctuary—with the hope that God will provide the Jewish Nation with spiritual candles—Torah knowledge. I set the Shabbat table with loaves of challah corresponding to the Shulchan in the Holy Temple that was in the north of the Sanctuary—with the hope that God will provide the Jewish Nation with the food they need.
Hebrew
בְּחַמְרָא גּוֹ כַסָּא, וּמְדָאנֵי אַסָּא,
לְאָרוּס וַאֲרוּסָה, לְהַתְקָפָה
חַלָּשִׁין:
Sephardi
Bechamra go kassa, umdanei assa,
le'arus va'arusah, lehatekafah
challashin:
English
The table is set with wine in the Kiddush cup, and twigs of fragrant myrtle for the bride and groom, to give strength to the weak.
Hebrew
נַעֲבִיד לְהוֹן כִּתְרִין, בְּמִלִּין יַקִּירִין,
בְּשִׁבְעִין עִטּוּרִין, דְּעַל גַּבֵּי
חַמְשִׁין:
Sephardi
Na'avid lehon kitrin, bemillin yakirin,
beshiv'in iturin, de'al gabe
chamshin:
English
We make crowns for all the worlds out of the precious words that we sing on Shabbat. Our words of praise on Shabbat are like seventy crowns, which are higher than the fifty levels of understanding.
Hebrew
שְׁכִינְתָּא תִתְעַטַּר, בְּשִׁית נַהֲמֵי
לִסְטַר, בְּוָוִין תִּתְקַטַּר,<sup>2</sup> וְזִינִין
דִּכְנִישִׁין:
Sephardi
Shekhinta tit'atar, beshit nahamei
listar, bevavin titkatar,<sup>2</sup> vezinin
dikhnishin:
English
May the Divine Presence be surrounded by the six loaves on each side of our Shabbat table; may these loaves correspond<sup>2</sup> to the two sets of six loaves that were on the Shulchan, and to the other things that were in the Holy Temple.