It’s Official!
Kiddush is a blessing over wine. Its how we bring Shabbat into our home.
Ever heard someone say, “Make it official!”? That’s what kiddush does for Shabbat.
Although Shabbat begins with shkiah (sunset), when we make kiddush, we formally announce that Shabbat has arrived.1 Just like a witness verbally testifies in front of a court what he witnessed, when we say kiddush, we are testifying that Hashem (God) created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. On Friday night, kiddush starts with the words, “Yom Hashishi.” It includes the pesukim (verses) of Vayechulu, about Creation. We then make a brachah (blessing) on the wine.
On Shabbat morning, kiddush is shorter. We start with other pesukim about Shabbat. We say “Zachor et Yom Hashabbat l’kadisho – remember Shabbat to make it holy,” and then make a brachah on the wine.
Double But Not The Same
We make kiddush twice on Shabbat: once on Friday night and once on Shabbat day. But they’re not repeats! Friday night kiddush is a mitzvah from the Torah that welcomes Shabbat with holiness and joy. Shabbat day Kiddush is a d’rabbanan, (a mitzvah added by the rabbis) to show that this is more than an ordinary meal and to remind us to honor Shabbat day.
In fact, the seudah (meal) of the day is the more important meal of Shabbat!2 The word kiddush comes from kodesh, which is translated as holy, and means something that is separated and different from the mundane. This is the magic of Shabbat. We don’t escape the physical world; we elevate it from the mundane and use it for a higher purpose. On Shabbat, food, family and pleasure become ways to connect with Hashem. That’s real holiness!
Holy Spirits
Wine holds a unique place in Judaism. It is considered an elevated drink, unlike any other. Even grape juice, which is not fermented and alcoholic, is considered special. That’s why we use wine or grape juice for kiddush. It serves as a symbol of celebration and sets the tone for the special day.3 The Gemara tells us about a great tanna who became wealthy and lived a long life, all because he made kiddush properly, even when wine was expensive and hard to find!4
The Gemara5 tells us “Even the individual who prays alone on Erev Shabbat must say Vayechulu and the Torah considers him as if he has become a partner with God in the act of creation.”
An Honorable Partnership
When Hashem created the world, He sanctified the seventh day as Shabbat, a day of rest and holiness. But when we make kiddush, we’re not just remembering history. We are actively joining Hashem in declaring the holiness of Shabbat, becoming partners in the world’s creation! What does that mean? How could man, who was only created after the rest of the world, ever be considered a partner in creation? And how could something as simple as saying a few words accomplish something so enormous? Maybe saying Vayechulu is a holy act, but a partner in creation?
The answer lies in the words of the Aseret Hadibrot (ten commandments). When the Torah mentions Shabbat, it says, “Six days Hashem created the heavens and the earth.”6 The Ohr HaChaim explains that this means Hashem literally created the world with the ability to exist for only six days. But He also created a seventh day on which He would renew the world’s ability to continue. Shabbat is what allows the world to go on. And Shabbat itself depends on us, because without someone keeping Shabbat, the world cannot exist.7 This is what Chazal (our Sages) meant when they said one who is mekadesh (sanctifies) the Shabbat and recites Vayechulu becomes a partner in creation.
Keeps The World Going
One who keeps Shabbat helps “create” the day through which Hashem sustains the coming week. The world cannot exist without someone upholding Shabbat. From the very beginning, there was always at least one tzaddik (righteous person) holding up the world by keeping Shabbat.
Adam was a shomer (keeper of) Shabbat, and so was his son Sheit, and so on. Even in Mitzrayim (Egypt), there were hidden shomrei Shabbat holding up the world and continuing that holy partnership.8
A Story to Illustrate:
The power of this partnership is illustrated by a story from World War II. As the Nazis approached Eretz Yisrael (Israel), the Jews were terrified. Rabbi Shlomo of Zhvill was unaware of the threat until Friday night, after he had already recited kiddush. When someone informed him, he became distressed. “Why didn’t you tell me before kiddush?” he asked. “That was the moment I could have partnered with Hashem and davened with more strength!” He explained that when we declare Vayechulu, we stand as Hashem’s partner, and partners can influence one another! That moment of partnership is an especially powerful time to plead with Hashem for help.
A Declaration!
Vayechulu is a testimony. When we recite it, we stand up and testify that Hashem created the world and sanctified Shabbat. Like all testimonies, it is meant to be given by two people standing together, which is why, when it is recited in Shul (synagogue), it is said standing, together with someone else.9 Next time you make kiddush on Friday night and say or hear Vayechulu, take the moment to tap into the incredibly powerful moment of being a partner with Hashem!
The paragraphs right after Shema (in Shacharit – the morning prayers), Veyatziv V’Nachon, talk about the same two ideas as kiddush on Shabbat: Briat Ha’olam – that Hashem created the world, and Yetziat Mitzrayim – that He took us out of Egypt. These parts of davening (prayer) remind us that Hashem is in charge of everything, both in nature and in history.
“אֶֶמת אַתּה הּוּא ראׁשֹׁוֹן ואַתּה הּוּא אַחֲרֹוֹן”
True! You are the First and You are the Last.
This pasuk declares that the existence of Hashem is eternal and He was King even before Creation and surely after. Another pasuk we say reminds us of the miracles Hashem did for us in Egypt when He redeemed and saved us.
“מִּמצְריִם גְאַלתנו ד‘ אֱֱלֹקֵֹינוּ”God took us out of Egypt and redeemed us from the house of slavery.
Imagine a servant locked in prison, desperate to get out. One day, the king himself appears. He asks the desperate man, “If I rescue you from here, will you serve me loyally?” Of course, the servant ecstatically agrees! Later, whenever the king would give a command to this servant, he would remind him how he rescued him, and the servant would respond by eagerly doing as the King requested, filled with joy and appreciation. That’s what Hashem does. He saved us from Egypt, and we get a reminder of our salvation every Shabbat as we make kiddush, which helps us serve Him with joy and gratitude.10
Excerpted from Oorah’s Torah Nuggets
Zachor Et Yom Hashabbat: Kiddush – Sources:
1 Pesachim 105a
2 Pesachim 105a
3 Meiri and Ra”n, Pesachim 106a
4 Shabbos 119a
5 Shabbos 119b
6 Shemos 20:11
7 Shabbos 151b
8 Shemos rabba, 1:28
9 Mishna Berura 268:19 , Taz, O.C. 268:5
10 Aruch Hashulchan 297:1
