Question: Why does the conclusion of Hashkivenu change during Friday-night Arvit, and why do we then recite Veshameru? What do these prayers teach us about the protection and peace associated with Shabbat?
RAMI: The change in Hashkivenu expresses our entry into the sanctity of Shabbat. Throughout the week, the blessing concludes by praising G‑D as the One who guards His people Israel for ever. On Friday night, its conclusion instead praises Him for spreading a shelter of peace over us, over His people Israel and over Yerushalayim. The prescribed Shabbat wording should therefore be followed in accordance with one’s established communal nusach.
In the Sephardi text, the closing section includes the request:
The words “ופרוס עלינו ועל ירושלים עירך סוכת שלום” — Ufros alenu ve’al Yerushalayim irach sukkat shalom — ask G‑D to spread a shelter of peace over us and over Yerushalayim, His city.
The blessing then concludes with praise of G‑D as “הפורס סוכת שלום עלינו ועל כל עמו ישראל ועל ירושלים” — the One who spreads that shelter of peace over us, over all His people Israel and over Yerushalayim.
The underlying teaching is that Shabbat itself brings spiritual protection. The Holy Zohar describes the arrival of Shabbat as a time when harmful spiritual forces withdraw and Israel comes beneath the shelter of peace. Our prayer gives expression to that changed spiritual condition: we enter the rest of Shabbat with confidence in G‑D’s presence and care. This teaching appears in the Holy Zohar, Volume II, 205a.
That protection must never be understood as permission to disregard danger. The obligation to preserve life continues on Shabbat; indeed, the Gemara teaches that saving life overrides Shabbat restrictions (Yoma 85b). The spiritual assurance expressed in Hashkivenu belongs alongside responsible action.
The passage beginning “ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת” — Veshameru Benei Yisrael et haShabbat — comes from שמות (Shemot) 31:16–17. These Pesukim describe Israel’s observance of Shabbat as an enduring covenant and identify Shabbat as the sign between G‑D and His people, recalling His creation of heaven and earth.
Its place after Hashkivenu connects the shelter of Shabbat with our responsibility to honour its covenant. We have just praised G‑D for spreading peace over Israel; we now declare our obligation to observe the holy day through which that relationship is expressed. The passage calls for faithful observance, extending beyond the words recited in the synagogue.
There is also a connection to redemption. The Gemara teaches that if Israel were to observe two Shabbatot properly, redemption would follow immediately (Shabbat 118b). Veshameru therefore joins the themes of covenant, Shabbat and redemption.
The position of these prayers deserves care. The Gemara explains that Hashkivenu forms an extension of the blessing of redemption and consequently does not interrupt the connection between redemption and the Amidah (Berakhot 4b). Veshameru is an established Friday-night custom in Sephardi and many other communities; its inclusion provides no licence for unrelated conversation at this point in the service.
Together, these prayers express both trust and commitment: we seek shelter beneath G‑D’s peace, and we undertake to sanctify Shabbat through the way we live.
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RAMI Q&A is a regular Jewish Dispatch column addressing questions on Torah, ethics, faith, culture, and the practical challenges of modern life. Each response is grounded in Jewish thought, clarity of reasoning, and fidelity to first principles, offering considered answers rather than opinion or sentiment. To submit a question, email ask@ramibenzeev.org.
Rabbi Rami ben Ze’ev was previously known as Ram ben Ze’ev. The addition of the letter י represents a personal step of spiritual refinement and deeper alignment with Torah, expressing humility, growth, and a strengthened commitment to the service of G-D. All teachings and writings are now published under this name.