Shabbat Morning
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PSALM 150

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​During morning service, the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-18) is read before the Blessings of the Shema. In the Sephardi tradition, on special days - notably Shabbat, Holidays, and Rosh Hodesh - the Song of the Sea is sung. The recording below reflects the melody as used in the Western Sephardi tradition (better known as Spanish and Portuguese) even though even between those congregations who follow this tradition, there are slight melodic differences.


​Each Shabbat, a portion (called the Parasha) of the Torah is read in synagogue.
Each Parasha is divided into seven parts, and seven people are honored to read such a part (or even symbolically by just saying the blessings before and after the reading). Here is a video explaining the order and the prayers for someone who gets called up to the Torah:


​After the reading of the Torah (the Parasha), a section is read from the prophetical scriptures (called the Haftara). The contents of this reading is often somehow connected to the Torah portion, but sometimes related to the pending holiday or to the Jewish calendar. 

Before and after the reading of the Haftara, special blessings are recited, which can be seen in the following video.
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​After the reading of Shabbat, when the Torah scroll is solemnly returned to the Hekhaal, the congregation sings Psalm 29 to the following melody:

Some congregations use the following melody:

After Shabbat morning services, Jews have a tradition in which they proclaim the Shabbat's sanctity (most commonly and traditionally over a glass of wine or grape juice), similar to the "Kiddush" of Friday evening (see "Shabbat Eve"). The exact words used in this ritual differ somewhat between communities, as well as, more significantly, the tune or melody in which it is chanted. This recording reflects the customs of the Western Sephardic Jews, more commonly known as "Spanish-and-Portuguese", although within this community there are also local variations.