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.

Question
I am currently studying ancient religions and comparing them to what we read in the Torah. The result shows God is far more interactive than I ever imagined. I used to think the second commandment was merely about not making idols, but now I think it is part of one of the most tear-inducing messages of love. However, I need to know if what I think the verse means is what the verse truly means. At that time in Egypt, the concept of people loving their god or a god loving his people was nonexistent. You could feel joy or awe but love was not in the mix. Plus, gods were bound geographically. The farther they got from their city, the weaker they became. Oh… and they also wondered around like yard dogs, got lost and took naps at inconvenient times. So to get a god where you wanted… say, on a battlefield… and doing what you wanted… winning the war… you had to use an idol to act as a sort of leash to drag him along. Then through rituals and the use of his “true name”, you could force him to fight the other side’s god while your soldiers fought their soldiers. Although they had “sabbath” days, these were unlucky day, like Friday the 13th, and so people didn’t work and priests did rituals because bad things happen on these days. While I think I understand the rest of the verses, I need to understand if I understand the second commandment clearly. Not merely, do not make an idol, but rather, “Do not try to manipulate me or any other god you wish to turn to instead of coming to me.” In a world where all gods must be bribed and manipulated, God was building a personal relationship where He wasn’t going to play games. Am I understanding correctly or am a missing something?

Question
Hello Rabbi. Thank you for taking the time to listen and respond. I am torn between two worlds in many ways. First in my faith. I was raised Christian but things I have learned don’t line up when I study Judaism such as repentance and atonement . I was raised to believe that, in order to have salvation from sin, a sacrifice was necessary, and that is why the ancient priest performed animal sacrifices. Here is where the substitution of Messiah, spotless lamb is inserted as a sacrifice for atonement . My reading, for the last few years has shown that maybe the sacrifice wasn’t needed for atonement? I have seen where King David simply repented and didn’t sacrifice for atonement. How is atonement achieved in Judaism? I mean no disrespect. I really am ignorant concerning a Jewish perspective on these issues. If you could point me to study material concerning this, I would greatly appreciate it. I would also appreciate any teaching on remarriage after divorce and sex before marriage. Sincerely Asking,