קדושה Kedusha: As on weekdays, the core of the Kedusha is comprised of the two lines said by the angels in the mystic visions of Isaiah (“Holy, holy, holy”) and Ezekiel (“Blessed is the LORD’s glory from His place”), together with a line from Psalms (“The LORD shall reign for ever”). The connecting passages, however, are longer than on weekdays. The Kedusha is the supremely mystical moment in the prayers, and it may have had its origin in mystical circles in ancient times. So holy is it that in Israel until the era of the Geonim it was said only once a week, on Shabbat morning. In Babylon, however, it was said at every Leader’s Repetition of the Amida. During its recital we stand with our feet together, rising on our toes at key words, as if we were angels, striving upward.

יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה Moses rejoiced: As explained in the commentary for Friday night, the central blessings of the Shabbat evening, morning and afternoon services are different, forming a three-movement structure. This can be understood in three ways: (1) in terms of Jewish faith in creation, revelation and redemption; (2) in terms of eras: Shabbat past, present and future; and (3) as the three parts of a wedding: betrothal, marriage (marked by simḥa, rejoicing), and yiḥud, the coming together of bride and groom. The morning blessing fits all three patterns. It speaks about revelation – Moses bringing down the tablets of stone from Mount Sinai; about time present – the Israelites “observing the Sabbath throughout their generations”; and it speaks of joy – “Moses rejoiced.”

וְלֹא נְתַתּוֹ You…did not give it to the other nations of the world: Creation is universal; so is redemption, the time when “God will be Sovereign over all the earth.” Revelation, however, is particular – the unique covenant of love between God and His people – hence the emphasis on the special nature of the bond between Shabbat and the Jewish people.

אֱלֹהַי My God: A private meditation composed by the fourth-century scholar, Mar son of Ravina. It beautifully mirrors the opening meditation, “O LORD, open my lips.” Having asked God to teach us what to say in His pres- ence, we now ask Him to teach us what not to say in the presence of other human beings. We ask for help not to respond in kind to those who seek our harm. “The way of the righteous is to suffer humiliation but not to inflict it; to hear themselves insulted but not to reply” (Yoma 23a).