In our Wednesday evening religious school program, we discussed “ritual.” There are all kinds of rituals we perform, not necessarily Jewish in nature. Some of our students are read to each night before going to sleep; some read to younger siblings. There are rituals of hygiene, rituals surrounding meals – even who sits where at the table – and rituals in food preparation itself.
Ours is a very ritualistic religion. As I pointed out last night the ritual of the Passover seder is not only one that has been in our homes for hundreds upon hundreds of years but is actually prescribed in the Torah itself. We are told in Deuteronomy to “…keep the Passover unto the Eternal your God,” and despite changes to the seder it has been a priceless ritual, a time when we can offer thanks for our freedom from slavery merely by ritualistically retelling the story generation to generation.
To me one of the most powerful rituals is Shabbat observance in the home. Lighting the candles, chanting kiddush, motzi over challah, these fulfill the mitzvah to “Observe the Sabbath,” and there is one more component as well. I have found that parents blessing their children at the Shabbat table is a ritual that stays in the minds and hearts of children far beyond their childhood. As a matter of fact, we still bless our adult children when they’re home for Shabbat. I will bless my grandchildren (but usually request their parents do so) at our table. I hope mom and dad bless their offspring when they are in their own homes (what happens within those walls, I do not know).
There are specific blessings involved.
For a girl:
Yuh-see-maikh Eloheem k’Sah-rah, Rivka, Rah-khel v’Lay-ah
May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, a daughter
loyal unto God and Israel.
For a boy:
Yuh-sim-khah Eloheem k’Ef-ra-yeem v’khee-Meh-nah-sheh
May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh, a son
loyal unto God and Israel.
You might want to conclude with the Birkat shalom, the blessing of peace. This is the English; if you’d like the Hebrew, I’d be glad to give it to you.
May God bless you and keep you. May God’s countenance shine upon you
and be gracious unto you. May God’s presence be with you and may God
bless you with peace.
And remember…. if you’ve got two or more children, bless each one individually,
for as I say and believe, a blessing for all is a blessing for none.