Every Friday night we sing a phrase that make my eyes wide and my heart expand. This phrase deviates from the normal Amidah. We call God “koneh shamayim va’aretz,” a twist from the more frequent “gomel chasadim tovim.” The new term comes from our Torah portion and it’s one that is given to God by a king of a different Land.
King Melchizedek of Salem blesses Avram saying, “Blessed be Avram of God Most High, Koneh Shamayim va’aretz- Creator of heaven and earth.”
Sforno elaborates on this verse saying that “heaven and earth do not have a will of their own as many believe.” They are not sentient. They do not deviate from a plan. They are part of a greater intricate and magnificent system, that is both diverse and unified at the same time.
Every time we recite that “God is One” in the Shema, we capture this essential idea. There is a great unifying connectedness in the world. There are disparate parts, but no aspect of creation is alone, disconnected. We are always part of the greater whole.
This is the concept of God that I explore when I look up into the heavens and both feel infinitely small and eternally connected. I am part of this great oneness, this great connectedness, both contained within my own skin and also unified with all aspects of creation.
This Friday evening we are given a chance to sink into connectedness. All week long we collide with one another, bouncing from place to place, but on Shabbat we pause and try and perceive the radiance of this interconnectedness. Don’t forget to look up this Shabbat and allow your mind to marvel in the wonders of the world we live in and connect to “koneh shamayim va’aretz.”
Friday 8:00 PM Kabbalat Shabbat Saturday 9:00 AM Nosh and Drosh 9:45 AM Shabbat with B’nei Mitzvah: Miriam and Samuel Feldman Sunday 9:00 AM Minyan Monday 6:30 AM Minyan Thursday 8:00 AM Minyan
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