Για να το διαβάσετε στα Ελληνικά, κάντε κλικ εδώ
G-d ordered us to remember the day of Shabbat. Our Sages explain that this means to express this remembrance in words, i.e bless G-d for the Shabbat. We do this through the Kiddush.
We recite the Kiddush in the evening (Friday) and in the morning (Shabbat), but it is not exactly the same text, as we will see below.
Our Sages instituted to say this blessing over a cup of wine. We first say the blessing on the wine, then the blessing of the Kiddush and then we drink the wine.
Why wine?
One of the reasons is that every song and praise is said with wine, like in the Temple, when the Levites recited their daily song while offering wine. Thus, we also recite the blessing of the Shabbat with wine.
The wine—which is a celebratory beverage—also serves to show that the meal we are about to eat isn’t just another regular meal, but a special, joyous and festive one. (See more reasons here)
The best is to recite the Kiddush with wine. It is not necessary to have sweet wine (the so-called Kiddush wine), but it must be Kosher wine. If one does not have Kosher wine, he can say the blessing of Kiddush with bread. In this case, he will first wash his hands with the blessings …al netilat yadayim (as every time before eating bread). Then he will recite the Kiddush, saying instead of the blessing of the wine, the blessing of the bread. The essential part in the Kiddush is the blessing on the Shabbat, which remains the same.
We recite the Kiddush before the meal, and we refrain from eating from sunset until we make the Kiddush.
In the evening, we introduce the Kiddush with verses from the Torah describing the first Shabbat of the world, when G-d “rested” from the Creation of the world (Yom Hashishi vayechulu hashamayim vehaaretz vechol tsevaam…). Then we say the blessing of the wine (… bore peri hagafen), and then we say the blessing of the Kiddush (Baruch ata… asher kideshanu bemitsvotav veratsa banu… mekadesh hashabbat) (see full text and translation here).
In the morning, there is no special blessing for the Kiddush, because the base for the Kiddush is to remember the Shabbat when it enters, in the evening. So, for the meal of the day, we simply say the blessing of the wine (or the bread). Nevertheless, we say before the Kiddush verses of the Torah which speak about the keeping of the Shabbat (Veshameru beney Israel et hashabbat…).
Shabbat Shalom,
Arie from the Yeshiva
