Shalom!
Yesterday in class we finished up talking about Birkat Shalom. The main ideas to take away from this chapter are:
- They come at the end of the Amidah
- Are said to be called "the end of all blessings"
- Are about peace
- The 2 prayers in Birkat Shalom are Shalom Rav and Sim Shalom
We then introduced L'cha Dodi as our next prayer. First of all, we discussed that it is a poem! We also learned that Kabbalat Shabbat is the opening before Shabbat and it helps us bring in both Shabbat as well as our mental and spiritual state.
Although we did not have time to look too intensely into the structure, we did notice some interesting things.
- Rabbi Shlomo HaLevi 'signed' the poem by putting the letters of his name at the beginning of each verse of the poem.
- The poem has a chorus (lines 1 and 2) and is split up into 4-line verses.
- It is also divided into 3 sections with 3 themes: Shabbat, Jerusalem, and the Redemption.
The homework for next week is:
- Page 7 of L'cha Dodi packet (BOTH root analysis activities)
- Start working on the translation activity on p.8, but we will work on it as a class as well
- Review the structure of L'cha Dodi and try to find why the poem is split up into its 3 sections (find evidence)
Reading homework:
- Page 2 and 3 (L'cha Dodi)
- Page 6
- Back page of the packet (also L'cha Dodi but looks like it appears in the Siddur)
Have a great week!
B'shalom,
Arielle
