Our communities include people who are not in long-term partnered relationships, whether by choice or circumstance. If this is you, take a moment to celebrate yourself this Shabbat with this blessing for the solo person. 

This Shabbat, amidst the growing twilight, 

I affirm myself in my full dignity, 

In my truth, 

And in my lived experience
 

I celebrate my resilience

And my wholeness, 

My fortitude and my strength
 

And I name and bless myself 

As a sovereign being

Under a canopy of stars

My aliveness is my own 

Enjoy these Purim cocktails created by Deborah Missel in honor of our favorite characters from The Megillah! 

The Queen Vashti

In a champagne flute combine:

1 TBSP plum jam

A pinch of edible gold glitter

1 shot plum brandy

Top off with prosecco 

The Queen Esther

In a cocktail shaker mix: 

Ice

1 spring of mint

1 spring of lemon verbena

2 squeeze of lemon juice to taste

2 shots of gin

1 shot apricot brandy

1/4 cup apricot nectar

Shake like a gragger 

Rim a martini glass with apricot jam and roll in crushed apricot hamantaschen 

Fill glass with ice

Strain drink out of shaker

Decorate with mint and lemon verbena

As the traditional Shabbat children’s blessings are gendered, here is an alternative blessing to use with children of any gender. 

We give thanks for the blessing that is you, 

Your being, 

Your becoming
 

Every day we witness your growth,

Your curiosity, 

Your persistence
 

And we give thanks

For every new lesson 

As you become, 

More and more each day, 

The person you are meant to be.

These Shabbat dinner rituals, cultivated by our ancestors, invite you to go deeper and connect with Divinity, queer community, and your highest Shabbat intentions. Just as the Shabbat evening service brings together multiple aspects of Divinity, you are here invited to gather in community, with chosen family, beloveds, or even with different aspects of your own self. 

On Shabbat, we let go of whatever has occurred in the past week, and open to all the possibilities of rest. It is said that Shabbat is a taste of Olam haBa, the world to come. May our rest revitalize us for queer resistance in the week to come, and may we also sample the queer joy of Olam haBa through these rituals. 

This booklet uses a gender-expansive Hebrew grammatical system developed by the Nonbinary Hebrew Project. For more information, please visit www.nonbinaryhebrew.com.

It is traditional for husbands to bless their wives after candle lighting, but this tradition doesn’t often resonate for queer couples, let alone straight couples who don’t necessarily fit standard gender roles. 

The following blessing can be used by couples of any gender, regardless of their marital status. 

Partner 1:

As day turns to night, 

And afternoon light fades into inky black, 

May we recognize the love bringing us together

Like the twin flames of the Shabbat candles,

Soft and luminous 
 

Partner 2:

May we appreciate and give thanks for this love, 

And for the blessings that accompany it, 

Just as fruit ripens on the vine 
 

Together:

May we remember, always, to listen 

To the music in ourselves and each other

That which points us towards harmony 

And may we continue forward on the path 

Of a beautiful and just future

For ourselves, for each other, and for the world.

When the world is upside down,
I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Grab hold of the narrative,
revolt against the same old story,
resist the riptide of history
despite grim odds,

the plot twist brought
to untwist this plot.

Thus begins every
inner rebellion.

I/Me/Us/We enter
the cold wetness
of the cave
made of echo-stone
to retrieve the oil
hidden in secret
and Maccabean shadow-folds
for generations.

When the world is upside down,
I/Me/Us/We must flip the script:

Watch the exalted letters
dance into all possible combinations,
account for every permutation,
precisely as numerous
as each luminous star
in the numinous field
of our milky and honeyed galaxy.

I/Me/Us/We reclaim our sovereignty
over the landscape
of our heavenly body,
shore up our borders,
draw constellations as boundaries,
rededicate the sacred space
in the center of us,
sanctify the nourishment
of moon and sun.

Let us rise elemental,
offer our/self as vessel,
four mothers to the left,
four angels to the right,

we long to be anointed, filled with
hyssop and frankincense,
spikenard and myrrh,
balsam and cassia,
jasmine and rose,
holy olive.

Pour in the gloaming
moment of every tiny brave blaze
thrown in stark relief

against the gift
of mysterious darkness.