Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis Rabbinic Seminar Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies Session II – Lifecycle Workshop – November 15, 2016

Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d and king of the world, who opens [the eyes of] the blind.

Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d and king of the world, who clothes the naked.

Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d and king of the world, who releases the bound.

Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d and king of the world, who straightens the bent.

(2) There are those who say that if he betrothed her with something for which there are no experts able to appraise its value and sometimes people make large mistakes [in its appraisal] such as precious stones and pearls, and he said to her: Become betrothed to me with this stone worth fifty zuz", it needs to be appraised, for she cannot be assured [as to its value]. And there are those who say that even if he betrothed her with a stone and didn't say that it was worth fifty zuz, that it must be appraised. This is why the custom is to betroth with a ring in which there is no stone.

Behold, God is my deliverance; I am confident and unafraid.

Adonai is my strength, my might, my deliverance.

With joy shall you draw water from the wells of deliverance.

Deliverance is Adonai’s; You will bless Your people.

Adonai tz’va-ot is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Adonai tz’va-ot, blessed the one who trusts in You.

Help us, Adonai; answer us, O Sovereign, when we call. Grant us the blessings of light, of gladness and of honor which the miracle of deliverance brought to our ancestors.

I lift the cup of deliverance and call upon Adonai. Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates fruit of the vine. Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates fragrant spices. Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates the lights of fire. Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has endowed all creation with distinctive qualities, distinguishing between sacred and secular time, between light and darkness, between the people Israel and other peoples, between the seventh day and the six working days of the week. Praised are you, Adonai our God, who distinguishes between sacred and ordinary time.

(1) From when does the period of mourning begin? From when he is buried and the filling of the grave with dust is finished, immediately the period of mourning begins and he wraps his head, but he does not take off his shoes until he arrives at his home. And now the practice is to take off shoes immediately after the closing of the burial slab as is [discussed] in Siman 376. Gloss: If he thought that the grave was closed and began to mourn and afterwards he it became known to him that there was a mistake, he returns and begins mourning anew.