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The first cup of wine is poured and the Kiddush is recited. When the festival occurs on Shabbat, start here: Prepare the meal of the supernal King. This is the meal of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah. When the festival begins on a weekday begin here: Attention Gentlemen: Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, G-d, our G-d, King of the universe, who has chosen us from among all people, and raised us above all tongues, and made us holy through His commandments. And You, G-d, our G-d, have given us in love (On Shabbat add the shaded words:) Shabbaths for rest and festivals for happiness, feasts and festive seasons for rejoicing this Shabbat-day and the day of this Feast of Matzot and this Festival of holy convocation, the Season of our Freedom in love, a holy convocation, commemorating the departure from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us from all the nations, and You have given us as a heritage Your holy Shabbat and Festivals in love and favor, in happiness and joy. Blessed are You, G-d, who sanctifies the Shabbat and Israel and the festive seasons. When the festival falls on Saturday night add the following: Blessed are You, G-d, our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the lights of fire. Blessed are You, G-d, our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion. Drink the cup of wine while seated, reclining on the left side as a sign of freedom. |
בְּשַׁבָּת מַתְחִילִין וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי. וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאָם. וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה. וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אוֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת. בַּחוֹל מַתְחִילִין: סַבְרִי מָרָנָן וְרַבָּנָן וְרַבּוֹתַי בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל עָם וְרוֹמְמָנוּ מִכָּל לָשׁוֹן וְקִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו. וַתִּתֶּן לָנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה (בְּשַׁבָּת: שַׁבָּתוֹת לִמְנוּחָה וּ)מוֹעֲדִים לְשִׂמְחָה, חַגִּים וּזְמַנִּים לְשָׂשׂוֹן, אֶת יוֹם (הַשַּׁבָּת הַזֶה וְאֶת יוֹם) חַג הַמַּצּוֹת הַזֶּה, זְמַן חֵרוּתֵנוּ (בְּאַהֲבָה), מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ, זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאוֹתָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, (וְשַׁבָּת) וּמוֹעֲדֵי קָדְשֶךָ (בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן,) בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְשָׂשׂוֹן הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, מְקַדֵּשׁ (הַשַּׁבָּת וְ)יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַזְּמַנִּים. בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת מוֹסִיפִין: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מְאוֹרֵי הָאֵשׁ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחֹל, בֵּין אוֹר לְחשֶׁךְ, בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַמִּים, בֵּין יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. בֵּין קְדֻשַּׁת שַׁבָּת לִקְדֻשַּׁת יוֹם טוֹב הִבְדַּלְתָּ, וְאֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִשֵּׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה קִדַּשְׁתָּ. הִבְדַּלְתָּ וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ אֶת עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּקְדֻשָּׁתֶךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ הַמַּבְדִיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְקֹדֶשׁ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶה. שׁוֹתֶה רֹב כּוֹס הַיַיִן בְּהַסָבָּה. |
What
Kadesh refers to the recitation of kiddush. Holding a glass of wine, we begin the formal Seder by reciting three blessings: on wine (borai pri ha’gafen), on the holiness of the people of Israel and time (m’kadesh Yisrael v’hazmanim), and on life (she’hecheyanu).
Why
It is the mission and function of Jews to recognize and increase the world’s kedushah, its holiness or sacredness (“holy” and “sacred” are synonyms — holy, of German origin; sacred, of Latin origin). This is done through words and deeds. Reciting kiddush at liminal moments, such as on Shabbat and biblical holidays, connects us to the kedushah of time.
The text of the Kiddush is as follows:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל-עָם, וְרוֹמְמָנוּ מִכָּל-לָשׁוֹן, וְקִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וַתִּתֶּן-לָנוּ ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה (שַׁבָּתוֹת לִמְנוּחָה וּ)מוֹעֲדִים לְשִׂמְחָה, חַגִּים וּזְמַנִּים לְשָׂשׂוֹן אֶת-יוֹם (הַשַּׁבָּת הַזֶה וְאֶת-יוֹם) חַג הַמַּצוֹת הַזֶּה. זְמַן חֵרוּתֵנוּ, (בְּאַהֲבָה,) מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ, זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאוֹתָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל-הָעַמִים. (וְשַׁבָּת) וּמוֹעֲדֵי קָדְשֶׁךָ (לשבת בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן) בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְשָׂשׂוֹן הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מְקַדֵּשׁ (הַשַׁבָּת וְ)יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַזְמַנִּים:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה:
Understanding Kedushah
For Jews, reality can be seen in three interconnected domains: time, objects in space, and people. Kedushah, the dimension of the sacred, is present in all three domains. Kedushah is that which is of God, devoted to a higher purpose, separated from the ordinary, and designated as unique and special. Significantly, the first moment of the Seder is devoted to making kiddush: making holy that special time, space, and the people present.
Creating Holy Time
Judaism views sacred time as falling into two categories: the already holy and the not-yet holy. The classic example of already holy time is Shabbat. Shabbat is sacred because God made it so, as the Torah tells us: “God blessed the seventh day and made it kadosh [holy]” (Genesis 2:3). To think that this holiness is of God, and that time is (or is potentially) kadosh, places us in God’s presence continuously. Psalm 16:8 furthers this idea when it teaches: “I have set [shviti] God before me always” (this is the source for the Sephardic amulet called a shviti). The psalm reflects the idea that all time is potentially kadosh and that it is up to the individual to make it so.
The biblical holidays and Rosh Chodesh are examples of not-yet, or rather, potentially holy time. How is this determined? Our ancestors’ first movement towards redemption was in controlling time. As slaves, they possessed no time of their own. Because of this, the first commandment given to the community of Israel while still in Egypt was to bless the new moon, symbolizing the new Jewish month, the movement and newness of time, and consequently, when the holidays would fall. This commandment continues today when we bless the new month on the Shabbat that precedes it.
In Temple times the declaration of the new month was even more dependent on human agency. Witnesses of the new moon and a court were needed to declare its beginning, and without the witnessing, no declaration could take place. This empowerment was — and continues to be — an invitation to humanity to sanctify time. Simply put, people participate in making the not-yet holy, holy.
We transform the not-yet and potentially holy to holy in how we mark time, how we speak about time, how we live within time, how we value our time and respect the time of others, and how we imbue our time with kavannah (intentionality and thoughtfulness). These movements are fundamental in our journey towards being free, redeemed human beings.
Four Cups of Wine
Kadesh is not only its own commandment, but is also the first of four cups of wine that serve as a structure for the Seder. The Mishnah in Tractate Pesachim describes the structure as follows:
First cup: Kiddush
Second cup: Narrative (Maggid)
Third cup: Blessing after the Meal (birkat ha’mazon)
Fourth cup: Hallel
The number four also appears in the Passover Seder with the four questions and the four children. In Jewish lore, multiples of four denote completeness: four corners of the earth (as a metaphor for everywhere), forty days of the flood, forty days of Moses on Mount Sinai, forty years of wandering in the desert, four hundred years in exile (from Isaac to the Passover Exodus). What aspects of completeness are included in each of these?
In Light of the Video...
- What do you think the video is trying to tell us about holy time?
- In the video, how do you relate to the family’s imagined biblical Seder? How does your own experience of the Seder connect you to your and your people’s history?
- In your life, what words, rituals, and acts foster a sense of holy time? How can you begin to create holy time?
- Why do you think kiddush is of such importance that all Seders for the past two thousand years have begun with it?