Edward Feld, senior editor of Siddur Lev Shalem, offers some guidance for using the siddur.

Kabbalat Shabbat

The Kabbalat Shabbat service has historically been one of the most fluid components of Jewish prayer, as well as an inspiration for great creativity. The six psalms entered the siddur quite late; even the Tz'fat community which incorporated L’kha Dodi into the service did not recite Psalms 95-99. Our Movement reflects this long tradition of creativity, with Friday night practices varying widely from congregation to congregation.

Siddur Lev Shalem is designed to both retain the now-familiar liturgy, while at the same time facilitating a continuation of the creative tradition surrounding Kabbalat Shabbat. It incorporates the very early tradition of reciting portions of Shir Ha-shirim in the service, as well as other songs and poems. It offers a variety of resources for organizing a Kabbalat Shabbat service. Congregations might want to consider varying services from week to week. 

Here are some suggestions as to how different services might be put together. 

  1. Begin with a kavannah
    You can use one of the meditations printed for candelighting (p. 4-5) or the Har Shefi poem p. 8 or even the Marge Piercy poem on p. 11 (though congregants will then have to turn back)
  2. Open with Shir Ha-shirim (p. 7)
    One person might chant the trop in an undertone while another reads the English, or one might choose a meditative melody to chant a particular verse, or a portion of it.
  3. L’khu n’ran’nah
  4. The passage of the Song of Songs (p. 11) emphasizes the yearning and the vicissitudes of the attempt at meeting described in the opening psalm. Each stanza may be read alternately by two voices or as a responsive reading. 
  5. One might end psalm 97 singing "or zarua…" and between rounds read the Rivka Miriam poem (p. 16).
  6. We’ve arranged the invitation ‘barukh bo'eikh Shabbat’ (p. 20) so that it can be easily done as a responsive reading in English.
  7. Having begun with a passage of Shir Ha-shirim one might read the last passage we’ve included from Shir Ha-shirim (p. 23) – it can be read with alternate voices or as a responsive reading. There is also a very beautiful melody for the opening verse.
  8. After singing psalm 29 in full voice, one may want a moment of quiet before L’kha Dodi. There is an especially nice tune for the ibn Gabirol passage Atah Or Olam (p. 25). Alternatively, the translation of Ana B’kho'ah is arranged for reading aloud.
  9. L’kha Dodi
  10. Mizmor shir l’yom ha-shabbat
  11. The alternative translation of Psalm 93 (p. 32) might be read aloud.

At different times one might want to pace the service differently. Sometimes, you might want to joyously move from one song to the next. At other times, you might want to think about alternating song and quiet davening or English readings. There are times when you might want to move from a more meditative service and build towards an exuberant L’kha Dodi, then back down again to a more meditative rendition of Psalm 93. Siddur Lev Shalem allows you to shape the service in these variety of ways. 

Study

There is a long-standing custom of studying about Shabbat in the synagogue on Friday night. Many siddurim include the second chapter of Mishnah Shabbat which concerns itself with candelighting – a natural teaching for this time. We have included a variety of ways to teach about Shabbat, and leaders of services might want to teach different sections on different weeks. First there is a collection of halachic sources on Shabbat – many congregants may not be aware of the range of halachic texts and this is a wonderful teaching opportunity. We’ve also included a more aggadic approach to Shabbat with a series of teachings about the n'shamah y'teirah (additional spirit). Here one can follow the way an idea gets expounded in Talmud, developed in Zohar, takes on new dimensions in Hasidic hands, and is reinterpreted by a modern theologian.

  1. The passage about the blowing of the shofar before Shabbat is especially beautiful and a wonderful meditative intro for arvit. (p. 34, bottom)
  2. You might choose to read the Zohar passage beginning with "k’gavna" – one voice in reading the Aramaic in an undertone, another reading the English aloud (p. 42). K’gavna can also serve as a meditation on the theme of oneness and unity on Shabbat.

Arvit

  1. Here again we have presented some of the liturgical variety found in traditional sources. Some weeks you might want to begin with Italian arvit (p.46). Other weeks you might want to do English of the regular first b’rakhah (p. 45) which reads especially well.
  2. Following the Sh’ma you might want to do the Italian arvit as a responsive reading (p. 52).
  3. Before to the singing of V’shamru and the Amidah, any one of the kavannot opposite Hashkiveinu (p. 53) or V’shamru (p. 54) provide a quiet moment of contemplation.
  4. One may want to introduce Kiddush with the Halevi poem (p. 64).
  5. We’ve offered a variety of ways of ending the service – You might want to try the famous Bialik poem – here published with its less well-known, second stanza. It can be sung in both Hebrew and English (p. 69).