PRIDE SHABBAT SERVICE
גאווה
Welcome
Welcome to our Pride Service. One of Humanistic Judaism’s core values is radical inclusion. Our Jewish communities are diverse, and we want to embrace variety as an integral part of who we are, because humankind is enriched by the multiple voices that are heard throughout the Jewish community.
Today, we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.
Let Us Say Together
Blessed is the strength within us which has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season with pride!
נְבָרֵךְ אֶת הַכּוֹחַ שֶׁבְּתוֹכֵנוּ,
שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ
לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה בְּגַאֲוָה!
Nevaréch hako’áḥ betochénu, shecheḥeyánu vekiyemánu, vehigi’ánu lazemán hazé bega’avá!
Behold, How Good and Pleasant
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, for people to dwell together!
הִנֵּה מַה־טּוֹב וּמַה־נָּעִים
שֶׁבֶת עַמִּים גַּם־יָחַד
Hiné ma-tov umá-na’ím shévet amím gam-yáḥad
Love Life with Happiness
Love, love life with happiness! Come, come into community with joy!
אֶהֱבוּ אֶת הַחַיִּים בְּשִׂמְחָה
בֹּאוּ לְקַהֵל בִּרְנָנָה
Ehevu et haḥayim besimḥa bo’u lekahel birnana
Words of Consolation
While we sing with joy we recognize that there are those present who may be in mourning, remembering those they have lost, and to them we say these words of consolation:
תִּמְצְאוּ בְּתוֹכְכֶם נֶחָמָה וּמְנוּחָה
Timtsú betochéchém neḥamá umenuḥá
May you find within you comfort and rest
A Song for the Sabbath Day
Sing a song for the sabbath day. It is good to be thankful for life and to express this with happy songs on this day. It is a time to develop our empathy from the morning and our loving-kindness by night. To play instruments of all kinds, and a time for solemn moments. Let our works be loving and great and our thoughts deep and mindful. The upright will bloom like the date palm, growing tall like the cedars of Lebanon, bearing fruit into their old age, full of sap and still green.
מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַׁבָּת
טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַחַיִּים וּלְזַמֵּר בְּשִׂמְחָה הַיּוֹם
לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֵּנוּ וֶאֱמִתוֹתֵנוּ בַּלֵּילוֹת
עֲלֵי־עָשֹׂור וַעֲלֵי־נָבֶל עֲלֵי־הִגָּיוֹן בְּכִנּוֹר
מַה־גָּדְלוּ מַעֲשֵׂי אַהֲבָה מְאֹד עָמְקוּ מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵנוּ
צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח כְּאֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּה
עוֹד יְנוּבוּן בְּשֵׂיבָה דְּשֵׁנִים וְרַעֲנַנִּים יִהְיוּ
Mizmór shir leyóm hashabbát tov lehodót laḥayím! Ulezamér besimḥá hayóm: Lehagíd babóker ḥasdénu ve’amitoténu balelót. Alé-‘asór va’alé-nável alé-higayón bechinór. Ma-gadlú ma’asé ahavá me’ód amkú maḥshevoténu: tsadík katamár yifráḥ ke’érez balvanón yisgé. Od yenuvún basevá deshením vera’ananím yihyú.
A World of Diversity
We look around and see a world of endless change and diversity.
As we rejoice in the variety of creation, we come to accept our own uniqueness; as we delight in our uniqueness, we appreciate all human diversity, and live at peace with ourselves and with all around us.
Listen, Yisra’el
Listen Yisra’el, We are all One And our purpose is One. Come let us work together to improve this world.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלָּנוּ אֶחָד וְיִיעוּדֵנוּ אֶחָד
הָבָה נַעֲבוֹד לְתַקֵּן אֶת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה
Shem’á Yisra’él Kulánu Eḥád Veyi’udénu Eḥád Havá na’avód letakén et ha’olám hazzé
And We Will Love Life
And we will love life with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all that we are. We place these words in our hearts and souls, binding them as a sign on our hands, and as a reminder between our eyes. We will teach them to the younger generations, and we will talk about them while sitting in our homes, walking on the road, lying down, and getting up. And we will write them on the doorposts of our houses and on our gates—and may our days and the days of our children be prolonged, for as long as the heavens are above the earth.
AMIDAH
please rise in body or spirit
Let us regard as holy our commitment to ethics, to justice, to truth, and to human dignity. Let us sanctify life through our choices, and dedicate the everyday to acts of compassion and integrity. Blessed are we when we bring holiness not by ritual alone, but through deeds of justice. We give thanks for life, for community, for family, for our loved ones, and for our freedom. In a world of scarcity, we pause to appreciate what we have. In a culture of constant dissatisfaction, we engage in the fundamental practice of gratitude. Blessed are we when we recognise the abundance in our lives and give thanks for all that we have received. We will work together to build a world of human dignity, recognising the bond that links all human beings and every nation. We will pursue peace within ourselves, in our relationships, in our communities, and between nation and nation. Blessed are we when we become makers of peace and builders of bridges over all that divides us.
May I Guard My Tongue
May I guard my tongue from evil, and my lips from speaking deceit, and to those who curse me, let my soul be silent, and let my inner being be calm and my heart open.
אֶשְׁמְרָה לְשׁוֹנִי מֵרָע וּשְׂפָתַי
מִדַּבֵּר מִרְמָה, וְלִמְקַלְלַי נַפְשִׁי
תִדֹּם, וְנַפְשִׁי תִּהְיֶה שְׁקֵטָה לַכֹּל
וְלִבִּי יִפָּתֵחַ
Eshmerá leshoní merá’, usfatái midabér mirmá, velimkalelái nafshí tidóm, venafshí tihyé sheketá velibí yipaté’aḥ
PAUSE FOR SILENT REFLECTION
Let Us Make Peace
Let us make peace in the world. Please, let us make peace for us, for all Israel, and for all humanity, and we say Amén.
נַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם נָא נַעֲשֶׂה
שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל
וְעַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל: וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן
Na’asé shalóm ba’olám na na’asé shalóm alénu ve’ál kol Yisra’él ve’ál kol yoshvé tével: venomár Amen.
For Healing
We now turn our minds and hearts toward those who need our love, who are ill, who are lonely, who suffer pain or who have been wronged.
Please call out their names.
May there be a complete renewal for those who are sick a renewal of spirit, a renewal of body. And we say Amén.
יִהְיֶה נָא רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לַחוֹלִים,
רְפוּאַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וּרפוּאַת הַגּוּף.
וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן
Yihyé na refú’a shelemá laḥolím, Refú’at hanéfesh urefú’at hagúf. Venomár Amén.
End of Amidah
please be seated
QUEER PRIDE
a reading by Kaiden A Ward
Growing up in a culture where you are not supposed to exist, you become accustomed to the generosity of people trying to fix you, to force you into a shape they can understand.
I did not know how exhausting it was, trying to remain elastic in a world that demands us to be static, trapping us in binary boxes where we wilt in our confinement…
…but, against societal expectations, we refuse to suffocate ourselves for your comfort.
Together, we will stand in the light, heads held high with unmatched pride, for we have fought too long and too hard for our right to be here to live silently with our heads bowed low any longer.
— Kaiden A Ward
Time for Sharing
local LGBTQ+ experiences
May It Be So
May it be so that this Pride bring us joy and celebration, and a long life:
- a life of safety
- a life of healing
- a life of financial stability and housing
- a life of love and support
- a life of blessing and sharing of gifts
- a life free of shame and reproach
- a life of friendship, partnership, and love in the ways we wish to give and receive it
- a life with dreams of the future
May we join with all those who have moved from oppression to freedom.
May we learn the wisdom to know our liberations are entwined together with all marginalised peoples.
May we experience liberation, us, and the entire world, Venomar, and we say, Amen.
In Memory
PLEASE STAND AS ABLE
We turn our hearts and minds to honour the lives that have been tragically lost to homophobia, transphobia, interphobia and racism.
We recall the individuals whose love was taken from us, and we hold their memories close, vowing to continue the fight for justice, equality, and acceptance.
Zichronám livrachá
We recall those who are no longer with us. If you are remembering anyone at this point in time please say their names aloud.
MAY THERE BE A GOOD REMEMBRANCE, and compassion, and kindness, and love from all the world, upon our honourable loved ones who are no longer present. Let us make a place in our hearts to remember their good names, and let us honour them with good deeds. May their memory be a blessing. Amen.
יְהֵא נָא זִכְרוֹן טוֹב
וְחֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים וְאַהֲבָה מִכָּל הָעוֹלָם
לִכְבוֹד אֲהוּבֵינוּ שֶׁאֵינָם עוֹד
הָבָה נִנְצוֹר בְּלִבֵּנוּ אֶת שְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם
הַטוֹבִים וְנוֹקִירָם בְּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים
זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה אָמֵן
YEHÉ NA ZICHRON TOV veḥésed veraḥamím ve’ahavá mikól haˁolám lichvód ahuvénu sheˁénam od. Havá nintsór belibénu et shemotéhem hatovím venoḳirám bemaˁasím tovím. Zichronám livrachá Amén.
PLEASE BE SEATED
Kiddush
And we, humanity, keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. “For six days they worked, and on the seventh day they rested and were refreshed.” Therefore, let us bless the Sabbath day and sanctify it. Blessed is the light in life, and blessed is the fruit of the vine. To life!
וְשׁוֹמְרִים בְּנֵי־הָאָדָם אֶת־הַשַׁבָּת
לַעֲשֹׂות אֶת־הַשַׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם בְּרִית עוֹלָם
כִּ־שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשֹׂוּ מְלָאכָה
וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבְתוּ וַיִּנָּפְשׁוּ
עַל־כֵּן נְבָרֵךְ אֶת יוֹם הַשַׁבָּת וַנְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ
בָּרוּךְ הָאוֹר בַּחַיִּים וּבָרוּךְ פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן: לְחַיִּים!
Veshomrím Bené Ha’Adám et-haShabbát, la’asót et HaShabbát ledorotám berít olám. Ki shéshet yamím asú melachá, uvayóm hashevi’í shavtú vayinafshú. Al-ken nevaréch et yom hashabbát vankadshehú. Barúch ha’ór baḥayím uvarúch perí hagéfen. Leḥayím!
Motsi
If we can eat and drink together we can live and love together, So let us bless those that bring forth bread from the earth.
אִּם־נוּכַל לֶאֱכֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת יַחְדָּו, נוּכַל
לִחְיוֹת וְלֶאֱהֹב יַחְדָּו. לָכֵן נְבָרֵךְ אֶת
הַמּוֹצִיאִים לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ.
Im nuchál le’eḥól velishtót yaḥdáv, nuchál liḥyót vele’ehóv yaḥdáv. Al-ken nevaréch et hamotsi’ím léḥem min ha’árets. Amen
Closing
LEADER: With a spirit of healing and wholeness, let us open our eyes to the gifts and blessings we offer and receive from each other; let us open our hearts to welcome each other fully and truly; let us open our hands to embrace, to support, to lift each other begilah, bereenah, beshalom, u’verei’ut — with joy, with song, with peace, and with deep friendship.
ALL: Today, as we celebrate renewal, Pride, and community, let us walk together with courage, strength, and compassion to live our stories openly, proudly, and joyfully.
May This Shabbat
May this Shabbat bring you its light, joy, and peace.
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁשַׁבָּת זוֹ
תַּשְׁרֶה עָלַיִךְ אוֹרָה
שִׂמְחָה וְשָׁלוֹם
Yehí ratsón sheshabbát zo tasheré aláyich orá, simḥá veshalóm.
HAG GA’AVAH SAME’AH! HAPPY PRIDE!
חַג גַּאֲוָה שָׂמֵחַ
