There are four prayer services over the course of the Jewish day of rest- Shabbat.
On Friday evening there is the Kabbalat Shabbat and Evening Prayers. Although they are not really one set of prayers, Kabbalat Shabbat is regarded an addition to the Evening Prayers.Kabbalat Shabbat (means “Receiving the Shabbat”) is based on the custom of the Kabbalists in Tzfat who used to go out into the fields on Fridays at sunset and recite psalms and hymns in honor of Shabbat and nature.
Kabbalat Shabbat is generally recited no later than a half hour after sunset. The psalms and hymns are sung slowly and with great devotion reflecting the change in pace that the Shabbat day brings about.
The main Psalm of Kabbalt Shabbat is undoubtedly Lekhah Dodi, a hymn that compares the reception of the Shabbat to that of a queen and the Psalm reached its climax when the entire congregation arise and bow in the direction of the door in order to welcome the Shabbat Queen.
The Evening Prayers are recited after Kabbalat Shabbat and are fairly similar to the regular Evening Services but petitions in the Amidah prayer are omitted and in their place are recited blessings in honor of Shabbat.
On Saturday morning (Shabbat day), before the family lunch, morning prayers are held. On Shabbat, since there is more time to devote to prayers, they are lengthier than weekday prayers. Additional Psalms are recited in the preliminary prayers section of the service. The Songs of Praise section is fairly similar to that of the weekday but there are some additions such as the Nishmat prayer which expands on the theme of that part of prayer- the miracles that accompanied the Exodus. The Silent Standing Prayer (the Amidah) is actually shorter on Shabbat than the weekday because the sections of personal request are omitted on Shabbat as it is deemed inappropriate to make personal requests on Shabbat. A blessing extolling the greatness of Shabbat is added to the Amidah.
After the morning prayers, the weekly Torah section is read from a platform.
After the Torah is read, the additional Musaf Prayer is recited which details the additional sacrifices offered up in the Temple on Shabbat as well as prayers for the speedy rebuilding of the Temple so that we can resume this service.
After the family meal at lunch, there is Mincha, the afternoon prayer, a fairly short prayer service that includes a prelude of next week’s Torah reading as well as an Amidah prayer that is special for Shabbat.
When the sun sets on Saturday the Shabbat day ends and the Aravit Prayer that is recited before the Havdallah Ceremony which accompanies the Shabbat day as it departs is the weekday Aravit prayer because the next day, Sunday has already begun.
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they are not really one set of prayers, Kabbalat Shabbat is regarded an addition to the Evening Prayers.Kabbalat Shabbat (means “Receiving the Shabbat”) is based on the custom of the Kabbalists in Tzfat who used to go out into the fields on Fridays at sunset and recite psalms and hymns in honor of Shabbat and nature.
the regular Evening Services but petitions in the Amidah prayer are omitted and in their place are recited blessings in honor of Shabbat.
