Three Basic Jewish Prayers
Deuteronomy 6:4 says “Hear O Israel, the Lord Thy God, the Lord is One.”. Since the following verses speak of reciting these words when you lie down and when you get up, the Hebrew “Shema” prayer is said both morning and evening.
Jesus himself quotes this verse in the New Testamenet scriptures. He is asked, in the Gospel of Mark, what is the greatest commandment. He replies with the “Shema” - “Hear O Israel, the Lord Thy God, the Lord is One.”
Brachot, or blessings, are associated with almost every Jewish event. The sabbath begins Friday evening, when the “bracha” (blessing) is said over the lighting of two (or more candles). This is followed by a short blessing over a cup of wine, and then the bread.
Officially, the candle-lighting blessing should occur 18 minutes before sunset on Friday. The Torah forbids “kindling a fire” on the Sabbath, so the day is marked by lighting a candle immediately before it begins, and ends with lighting a candle at the Havdalah service (see below).
The Sabbath is often greeted by the singing of an ancient prayer called “Lecha Dodi”. The title of the song literally means “Come My Beloved”. In this ancient Kabbalistic song, the sabbath is referred to as “a bride”.
Havdalah is a brief ceremony that marks the end of the Sabbath. It comes from the word “l’havdil” which means to distinguish or separate. Three blessing are recited as part of this service: 1) The blessing over the wine, 2) the blessing of the spices, and 3) the blessings over the fire (a special multi-wicked Havdalah candle it lit).
The short Havdalah service includes three brachot (blessings). The first is over a cup overflowing with wine (or grape juice). The second is over spices, which remind us of the sweet smell of the Sabbath which is now departing till next week. The third is over the fire/light of a special multi-wicked candle-stick.
The brief Havdalah ceremony typically concludes with the song “Eliyahu HaNavi” (Elijah the Prophet). The song goes as follows: “Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah, Elijah, Elijah the Gileadite, Speedily and in our days, Come to us, With the messiah, son of David, With the messiah, son of David.