Communal
Searching for a way to mark a special moment in your community's life? Here you will find articles about rituals, teachings, and blessings to help you enhance these significant moments.
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Celebrating a New Community Building…
How shall we celebrate the sacred space we have worked together to image and build? When the holy work of creating the sacred space of the tabernacle, God’s dwelling place, the Mishkan, was completed by all the children of Israel, Moses marveled at their work and offered his blessing. According to the Midrash, these are the words of Moses’ blessing:
Yehi ratzon shetishreh shekhinah b’ma’aseh y’dei-chem Va-y’hi noam Hashem eloheinu aleinu uma’aseh yadeinu.
May it be God’s will for the Shekhinah, Divine presence, to abide in the work of our hands, hearts and minds and let the graciousness of God be upon us.
Meditation:
All of us here, each in different ways, have participated together in creating this sacred space. Let the doors of this building be wide open, so all may enter to explore, finding shelter, finding ourselves, finding community. May we know God’s presence here, and may our care for this building be Avodat hakodesh, sacred work, as we tend to the details of maintaining this building and attending to the people who enter it.
Ritual:
Maggid: Tell the story of how this building came to be. Tell the story of the name it has been given and what it means. Invite all who have come to celebrate the completion of this building are asked to write down their greatest dreams for this building: all the hopes, visions and ideals. Share aloud the dreams of representatives of different parts of the community. Collect all these dreams, and guard them as promises to be kept.
Hang a mezuzah on the doorpost.
Blessing:
The following blessing is recited after you affix the mezuzah.
Barukh atah Hashem eloheinu melech ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu likbo-a mezuzah.
Blessed are you Gracious One our God, the sovereign of all worlds, who makes us holy with your mitzvot and commands us to affix the mezuzah.
Barukh atah Hashem eloheinu melekh ha-olam shehechianu v’ki’manu v’higianu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, the sovereign of all worlds, who gives us life, and keeps us strong and has brought us to this time.
Teaching:
"May all who enter be blessed in the name of God."
(Psalm 118)
"And Solomon sent to Hiram saying…I propose to build a house in the name of
God; as God gave word to my father David – saying your son that I will give your
throne will build a house in my name."
(I Kings 5:19)
And all the work of creating the mishkan, a meeting place, was done by the children of
Israel. Each part of it was created according to God’s guidance of Moses. That is how
they did it.
(Exodus 39:32)
Bayit ne'eman b'yisrael
A true house of Israel.
(CLAL Faculty)
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