Blessing
Masculine:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Melech HaOlam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hit’ateif batzitzit.
Feminine:
B’ruchah Atah ShekhinahThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine., Eloteinu RuachLit. Spirit. Some new versions of blessings call God "Spirit of the World" (Ruakh Ha’olam), rather than "King of the World" (Melekh Ha'olam). haOlam asher kid’shatnu b’mitzvotehah vetzivatnu l’hitateif batzitzit.Â
Non-binary:
B’rucheh Ateh Havayah, Elot’heinu Ruach haOlam asher kid’shat’nu b’mitzvoteihe vetzivat’nu l’hitateif batzitzit.*
You’re invited to do any of the following:
Hold tallitA four-cornered garment to which ritual fringes (tzitzit/tzitzi'ot) are affixed. The knots in the fringes represent the name of God and remind us of God's commandments. The tallit is worn during prayer and can also be drawn about oneself or around the bride and groom to symbolize divine protection. overhead like a chuppah/canopy, spread it open like wings & flap, wrap it around you like a hug.
Recite the following:
Blessed are You, Divine Being, our G!d/G!ddUs,** Spirit of the Cosmos,
May your wings of Love and Light –
When we/I need to be held,
May they Hold us/me tight.
When we/I need a lift,
May they carry us/me along.Â
When we/I need reassurance,
Remind us/me that we’re/I’m strong.Â
May they ground us/me to You
When we/I need to feel connected.
May they shelter us/me with Your peace
When we/I need to feel protected.Â
And when our/my tears need to be wiped away,
Please, dry them with Your Love and Light throughout the night and day.
And let us say: Ken y’heh ratzon, so may it be! Amein v’amein, I have faith and believe!
*Non-binary Hebrew created by Lior Gross (they/them/theirs) and Eyal Rivlin (he/him/his) of the Nonbinary Hebrew Project. https://www.nonbinaryhebrew.com
**Term created by Ahava-Liba LilithIn the midrash (rabbinic story about the Torah story), Lilith is imagined as Adam's first wife. Because she wanted equality, she wss ultimately banished, and God provided Adam with a more obedient wife. Lilith, according to tradition, lives on as a kind of demon, causing men to have wet dreams and stealing infant boys from their cribs. Today, Lilith has been reclaimed by Jewish feminists as a symbol of women's equality. to refer to the Divine within all of us, all genders.
