Personally Connecting to the M’ein Sheva

The M’ein Sheva “on one foot”:

The M’ein Sheva is a mini-repetition of the Shabbat evening Amidah on Friday nights.

How Did the M’ein Sheva Come to Be?

There were daily sacrifices in the Temple every morning and afternoon, and any leftovers had to be burned in the evening. Because the daily prayer services replaced the daily sacrifices of the Temple, it was clear that the morning and afternoon services were obligatory. The evening service was less obvious. To mark the fact that it was not based on a daily sacrifice, but rather only on sacrificial leftovers being burned (Brachot 26b:10), it was decided that the evening service would only have a silent Amidah without a repetition (though some think that at one time every evening Amidah had a repetition).

According to Rashi, in Babylonia, people who came late to Shabbat evening services had to walk home alone in the dark because they finished later than everybody else. To avoid this, the M’ein Sheva was put in place as a mini-repetition so that everybody could finish together. This mini-repetition also makes Shabbat different from the other days of the week where there is no recapitulation of the themes of the evening Amidah.

The Prayers

Vayechulu

Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Genesis (2:1-3), describing the 7th day of Creation in the first Creation story. It is the first time that Shabbat is mentioned in the Torah. The Rabbis changed the vowels of the word “Vayechulu” (“they were completed”) to read “Vayechalu” (“they completed”) in order to teach that people are partners with G-d in completing Creation (Shabbat 119b:2).

Vayechulu is included in the Shabbat Ma’ariv Amidah, and repeated in the M’ein Sheva because it is so important (Abudarham, 1300s Spain, says that it’s important to repeat the Vayechulu so that all Israel has heard and joined in it, regardless of gender or age). According to the Babylonian Talmud, it is important to say Vayechulu out loud (Shabbat 119b:2-3) as a testament to Shabbat and to G-d’s creation; because testimony in a Jewish court is offered while standing, this part is said while standing (and usually the rest is said standing too).

Things that are holy are different from those that are ordinary. How do you make Shabbat different from the rest of the week?

Context: This is one of the most common tunes for Vayechulu. Vayechulu ends at 0:47; the rest of the video shows how on Friday evening Vayechulu leads into the Friday evening Kiddish. Technically, they are only linked when doing Kiddish at home -- at synagogue there's the rest of the M'ein Sheva and the Kaddish Shalom between them. However, some Reform synagogues do Vayechulu before the Friday evening Kiddish at the end of the Friday evening service.

Context: This is the other most common tune for Vayechulu. It was written by Louis Lewandowski (1821-1894), who composed many other tunes that are used today (like the Friday evening Kiddish, Tzaddik Katamar, and Unetaneh Tokef). You can see this tune used in a Brazilian (or Portuguese) setting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG5JXWIecAM

Context: This is a Latin beat version of Vayechulu (and the next paragraph of the service also), either written by Teddy Horowitz or by Cantor Norman Falah.

Context: Schlock Rock is a Jewish band that does a lot of parody songs. Here they have set "Vayechulu" to "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles.

Magen Avot

Context: This is the Magen Avot prayer. It encapsulates the 7 blessings of the Shabbat Amidah into one prayer. Note that the traditional nusach mode for this section of the service is called “Magen Avot”. This prayer requires a minyan (10 adult Jews) because it is like a repetition of the Amidah. Passover is considered a time when G-d is extra watchful over the Jewish community, so we don’t recite this paragraph then (since it starts by describing G-d as a shield). On Shabbat Shuvah (between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), we replace “ha-eil hakadosh” (holy G-d) with “haMelech hakadosh” (holy Sovereign).

The introductory paragraph before “Magen Avot” starts the same way as the Avot (first) paragraph of the Amidah. It deviates after “Eil elyon” by going straight to “konei shamayim va’aretz” instead of “gomeil chasadim tovim v’konei hakol”. This is a more faithful quote from Gen. 14:22 (“Eil elyon konei shamayim va’aretz”) and connects back to the Vayechulu prayer which also references “shamayim” and “aretz” (heaven and earth). By doing this, the prayer makes the point that Shabbat is the culmination of the creation of the heavens and the earth (and everything in/on them).

Additionally, like the first blessing of the Amidah, the first part of "Magen Avot" is a quilt of quotes from the Bible. For instance, "Elohei Avraham, elohei Yitzchak, v'elohei Ya'akov" ("G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d of Jacob") comes from the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:15) when G-d tells Moses to tell the Israelites that this is who sent him. The question could be raised why the Torah doesn't save words by saying "The G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"; one answer is that each of them had their own relationship with G-d (like cousins might have their own relationship with a grandparent), so it was like different gods.

It is worth noting that there are two versions of the words for “Magen Avot”. Most texts use “mei-ein habrachot”, meaning “like the blessings” (as in “not the full blessing but something like them”). There was a version found in the Cairo Geniza that has “m’ohn habrachot”, meaning “Source of blessings”. This is probably the original version.

”Magen Avot” ends with “zeicher l’ma’aseh v’reishit”, “a memorial to Creation”. Abudarham points out that while Shabbat is also associated with the Exodus from Egypt (per the Deuteronomy version of the Ten Commandments), the most fundamental meaning of Shabbat is a commemoration of Creation. Creation came before the Exodus, and it’s also in the first version of the Ten Commandments (the Exodus version).

1. Magen Avot bidvaro - The first time the Torah describes G-d as “magein” (“shield”) is in Genesis 15, when Abraham is concerned about his legacy. What do you hope your legacy is?

2. M’chayei Meitim b’ma-amaro - One way that the dead get life is through how they are remembered. Who is somebody you knew that has died, and what do you remember about them?

3. Ha-el hakadosh she-ein kamohu - If G-d is holy and we are supposed to “walk in G-d’s ways” (Deut. 30:16), then what are holy actions that you can take as you interact with the world?

4. HaMeini-ach l’amo b’yom Shabbat kodsho - Shabbat is considered the Day of Rest. What are restful things that you could do on Shabbat?

5. L’fanav na-avod - One way that we can serve G-d is by making G-d’s world a better place. There are many ways to do that — which ones call to you?

6. V’nodeh lishmo - A Big Idea in Judaism is having “an attitude of gratitude”. Who are 3 people who have done something for you this week?

7. Adon HaShalom - Peace between people is often built on relationships. Whom has it been too long since you were in touch with them?

Context: Samuel Goldfarb (composer of “I Have a Little Dreidel”), or maybe Israel Goldfarb (composer of "V'shamru" and "Shalom Aleicheim") wrote one of the most common tunes for “Magein Avot” and it was published in 1918 in a book of music for Shabbat evening services that the brothers Goldfarb put together (Shirei Yisrael li-Lel Shabbat). You can find the original music for “Magein Avot” here: https://archive.org/details/fridayeveningmel00gold/page/66/mode/1up. Here's another version from a service (slightly arranged from the original): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lL5cdPIBHM.

​​​​​​​Context: This is the other main tune for "Magein Avot". Here Cantor Brian Shamash is showing it, possibly with text from Tefillah Trainer (from Kino Software, worked on by Cantor Neil Schwartz)

Context: This is Hazzan Moshe Koussevitzky (yes, related to the conductor Sergei Koussevitzky), who lived from 1899-1966. He was the oldest of 4 brothers (Moshe, Jacob, David, and Simcha) who were part of the Golden Age of Chazzanut.

Context: This is a tune for "Magein Avot" from Mexico. Note that in Ladino the "ch" sound is written with a "J", so the album this comes from would be "Shira Chadasha", "A New Song".

Context: This is from a Chabad in Brazil (or some other Portuguese-speaking place). It sets "Magen Avot" to Carlebach's "Eili Ata" from Hallel.

Eloheinu Veilohei Avoteinu

Context: This prayer is in the Shabbat Ma’ariv Amidah (and the other Amidahs for Shabbat) and it is repeated in the M’ein Sheva section. It starts with the same words as the Avot paragraph (first paragraph) of the Amidah, and ends with the “theme phrase” of the Shabbat evening Amidah - “m’kadeish haShabbat” - “G-d makes Shabbat holy”.

Shabbat is described as an inheritance. Who passed on Shabbat to you (actual or spiritual parents), and/or who have you passed it on to (actual or spiritual “children”)?

Context: This is the tune meant for the M’ein Sheva section of the service. It was written by Solomon Sulzer, an Austrian composer and Hazzan (1804-1890), who is best known for his tune for the Shema (it’s the only one most people know).

Context: This is Richard Tucker (1913-1975), singing a cantorial version composed by Sholom Secunda. This recording was released in 1956 on his record album “Welcoming the Sabbath”. Richard Tucker was the leading tenor at “the Met” (New York Metropolitan Opera) for 30 years (1945-1975), but also a High Holiday cantor who kept a Jewish home (see here for his visit to Anshe Emet Synagogue and other Jewish Chicago appearances: http://chicagojewishhistory.org/media/825/CJH-3-2014.pdf). Sholom Secunda was a Jewish composer (1894-1974) best known for “Bei Mir Bist Du Shein” and “Donna Donna”.

Context: This is a recording of Hazzan Jacob Koussevitzky (1903-1959), the middle brother between Moshe and David (and Simcha) Koussevitzky. They all were part of the Golden Age of Chazzenut.

Context: This is a common tune for this prayer. It is more appropriate for the repetition of the Shabbat Shacharit and Musaf Amidot than for the M’ein Sheva. Note that usually the part at 0:55-0:56 is done with something similar to the tune at 0:27-0:29.

Appendix A: The M’ein Sheva in the Talmud

Appendix B: The M’ein Sheva in the Shulchan Aruch