אַשְׁרֵי Happy are those: As on weekdays, the Minḥa Service begins with Ashrei as a prelude to prayer. The addition of two verses from other psalms at the beginning, and one verse at the end mean that the prayer, as we say it, begins with the word Ashrei, the first word of the first psalm, and ends with Halleluya, the last word of the last psalm. It thus stands, in miniature, for the book of Psalms as a whole.

וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן גּוֹאֵל A redeemer will come to Zion: The proper place for this prayer, as on weekdays, is in the morning service. However, since the Shabbat morning prayers are already long, it was moved to the afternoon. Another possibility is that, since it was usually said after a period of study, it may testify to the custom of communal study before the afternoon prayer. The passage is composed of the following elements: (1) two consecutive verses from Isaiah about redemption; (2) the Kedusha, together with an Aramaic translation; (3) a collection of verses about faithfulness to God; (4) a blessing thanking God for the Torah and praying for the ability to fulfill the commandments; (5) a further collection of verses, about trust in God.

וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי־לְךָ As for me, may my prayer come to You: In the previous verse of Psalm 69, King David says, “I am the taunt of drunkards.” The Midrash interprets this as a contrast between those who drink and carouse, and those who, in the midst of their celebrations, remember God. Thus we say this line on Shabbat afternoon, turning from our celebratory meal to pray (Abudarham).

READING OF THE TORAH The custom of reading the opening section of the coming week’s Torah portion on Shabbat afternoon is undoubtedly of ancient origin. It is attributed in the Talmud (Bava Kama 82a) to Ezra after the return of Jews from Babylon.

אַתָּה אֶחָד וְשִׁמְךָ אֶחָד You are One, Your name is One: As mentioned before, Shabbat is unique in that the central section of the evening, morning and afternoon Amida prayers is different on each occasion. There are three related explanations: (1) the prayers chart the movement from creation to revelation to redemption; (2) they speak of past, present and future; and (3) they describe the three stages of a wedding: betrothal, rejoicing and yiḥud, the coming together of bride and groom. The afternoon prayer fits this pattern closely. It speaks of redemption and the future, when “God shall be One and His name One,” and of yiḥud, when the oneness of God joins the uniqueness of the Jewish people in perfect union. A Midrash teaches: “God, Israel and the Sabbath all testify to one another; God and Israel testify to the holiness of the Sabbath; Israel and the Sabbath testify to the creative and redemptive power of God; God and the Sabbath testify to the uniqueness of Israel.” תִּפְאֶֽרֶת גְּדֻלָּה Splendor of greatness: As the day reaches its greatest intensity, the emphasis shifts to the experiential quality of the day itself. The word menuḥa, “rest, serenity,” appears seven times in this one paragraph, together with an idyllic description of a world at peace with itself: “a rest of love and generosity, a rest of truth and faith, a rest of peace and tranquility, calm and trust.” אַבְרָהָם יָגֵל Abraham will rejoice: a reference to the future, when the patriarchs will rejoice that their descendants have found peace and “the day that is wholly Sabbath.”

צִדְקָתְךָ צֶֽדֶק לְעוֹלָם Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness: Three verses vindicating God’s justice. Their recitation at this point in the prayers dates back to the period of the Geonim, who explained them by reference to Joseph, Moses and David who, according to tradition, died on Shabbat afternoon. Like words we say at a funeral, they are an acceptance of loss as God’s just decree. Because of these sad associations, the verses are not said at celebratory times of the year when Taḥanun is not said.