This community-centered blessing over the wine was composed by Machar: The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism. Typical of this movement, founded in 1963 by the late Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, the blessing omits any mention of God, as Humanistic Judaism enables people of any ethnic or religious background to cherish Jewish history, culture, and ethics without worshipping a supernatural being. This text was originally posted on Ritualwell, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that provides a platform for creating new Jewish practices and observances.
Kiddush: “Dedication” to being an open and caring community
Wine:
symbol of pleasure and sorrow,
symbol of passion and the blood of life,
symbol of plenty and of excess.
Let us bless our lives with community
by sharing our joy, our spirit, and our bounty,
by inviting visitors to join us,
by welcoming the stranger,
by caring for those in need.
Let us dedicate ourselves to creating a healthy community.
The fruit of the vine – with it, let us drink “To Life!”
All read aloud together and raise our glasses in a toast to life: “L’-Hayyim!”
Nakdish et atsme-nu livro kahal bari
P’ri ha-gafen – itto, nishteh “L’-Hayyim!”
נַקְדִּישׁ אֵת עַצְמֵנוּ לִבְרֹוא קָהָל בָּרִיא
פְּרִי הֲגַפֶן – אִתּוֹ נִשְׁתֶּה לְחַיִּים
“לְחַיִּים”