Hashkiveinu
Question
Hashkiveinu Prayer at Maariv ends differently on weekday night
versus Friday night.
Weekday
Baruch ata Adonai Shomeir Amo Yisrael La-ad
Baruch ata Adonai eternal guardian of Your people Israel.
Friday night
Ufros aleinu sukkat shelomecha
Baruch ata Adonai … v’al kol amo yisrael v’al yerushalayim
May You spread over us your canopy of peace
Baruch ata Adonai … over all the people Israel, and over Jerusalem.
Please explain the differences and the reason that the prayer is different.
Answers
The commentaries explain that the end of the Brachah is slightly different on Friday night and Festivals because it reflects the peace and the harmony that the holiness of Shabbat brings with it. Shabbat and Yom Tov bring with them a dimension of tranquility that the weekdays do not possess, and the Brachah reveals that difference.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team