Halakhah הֲלָכָה
Saying קִדּוּשׁ (kiddush) on Shabbat
The קִדּוּשׁ we say on Friday night begins with פְּסוּקִים from our parashah that describe how God rested on Shabbat after creating the world:
(א) וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכׇל־צְבָאָֽם׃ (ב) וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ (ג) וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ {פ}
1 The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. 2 On the seventh day God finished the work that God had been doing, and God stopped on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that God had done.
Why are these verses recited for קִדּוּשׁ?
When we are commanded to keep Shabbat in the Ten Commandments, the Torah says:
(י) וְי֨וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כׇל־מְלָאכָ֜֡ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָ֣͏ֽ־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ׃
For in six days God made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; that is why God blessed the Shabbat day, and made it holy.
Ramban (13th Century, Spain) understands that, since God’s rest on the seventh day of the creation of the world in our parashah is the reason for keeping Shabbat, that is why we quote our parashah when making קִדּוּשׁ for the first time on Shabbat.
More About קִדּוּשׁ
When the Torah introduces Shabbat in the Ten Commandments, it says as follows:
(ח) זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ׃
Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.
The Talmud (Pesahim 106a) teaches two things about this pasuk:
And another fun fact: In the book of Hoshea, the prophet uses the phrase, “זִכְר֖וֹ כְּיֵ֥ין לְבָנֽוֹן / your scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” See the connection between the root ז.כ.ר. (here referring to a smell) and wine? That may be a reason we fulfill the requirement of זכור by saying words over wine!
