When the sixth day came to an end,
God ceased the work of creation,
though the depths of tehom
had not yet been tamed
and chaos not fully vanquished.
Then God blessed the seventh day and said:
we don’t have to struggle on without end;
let this day fill our souls, that we may, with joy,
glimpse the world complete.
Blessed are you, our Creator of the fruit of the vine.
And blessed is this day that you have set apart with love,
inviting us to cease the work of a week now past,
that we may dwell in a world reborn,
that we may taste the sweetness of our liberation.
Blessed are you, who inspires us
with the possibilities of a world yet to be
on this sacred day of Shabbat.
