317 I KABBAIAS SHABBOS LECHAH DOD I

>11"1 'Come my Beloved,' is recited responsively. In most congregations, the chazzan repeats each
verse after the congrC'gation. ln others the procedure is rev('rsed.
'"11"1 i'T::lr, Come my Beloved* to greet the bride-*
T ' The Sabbath presence, let us welcome!
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbath presence, let us welcome'
'Safeguard' and 'Remember'- in a single utterance
The One and Only God made us hear.*
HASHEM is One and His Name is One,
For renown, for splendor, and for praise.
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbath presence, let us welcome!
To welcome the Sabbath, come let us go,
For it is the source of blessing;*
From the beginning, from antiquity she was honored,
Last in deed, but first in thought.*
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbath presence, let us welcome'
W1j?l? 0 Sanctuaryof the King,* royal City-
Arise and depart from amid the upheaval,
Too long have you dwelled in the valley of weeping.*
He will shower compassion upon you.
Come my Beloved to gr;et the bride- The Sabbath presence, let us welcome-'
'111m;, Shake off the dust- arise!*
. . Don your splendid clothes, My people,*
Through the son of ]esse,* the Bethlehemite!
Draw near to my soul - redeem it!
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- Tl1e Sabbath presence, let us we leo mel
that all the weekday blessings and success come
as a result of the Sabbath's holiness (Etz Yosef);
to which lyun Tefi/lah adds the dlctum .of
Shabbos ll8a that whoever brings joy to the
Sabbath is rewarded with a boundless legacy of
blessing.
;,',nn - Last in deed, but first
in thought [i.e., the Sabbath was the final act of
Creation, but primary in God's purpose].
Whenever a great project is envisioned, a host of
preparations must be made before the goal can be
achieved. That there would be a day of holiness
in Creation was uppermost in thought, hut
the entire universe had to be created first.
l
1
7r.J lllJPY.l - 0 Sanctuary of tlw Kins [i.e ..
JerusalemJ. From this point until the last stanza,
the theme shifts from the Sabbath to Israel's
longing for redemption. This is a logic,;d
extension of our wekome of thf: Sabbath,
becaus" the Talmud (Shabfos 1!8b) teaches that
the will come if Israel observes two
Sabbaths properly (lyun Te,fillah).
PDY::l - The upheaval . in the
valley of weepir1g. Both are references to the
suffering and woe of exile. We are speaking to
Jerusdlem, for she too, as it were, grieves over the
ex1le of her children. May she rejoice again in the
ingathering of Israel.
'Y.llP '>>'ll1>T - Shake off the dust - arise'
The reference is to Isaiah52:2 where the prophet
addresses Jerusalem as if she were a woman
wallowing in the dust. He urges her to rise up,
dress in her finery, and her noble ways
(Avodas Yisrael).
,lll:J.7 - Don your splendid
clothes, My people. In a novel interpretation;
lyun Tefillah comments: 'Jerusalem- your most
splendid garment is Israel. Let the redemption
come so that they may inhabit you in holiness
once more.'
p- Tl1e son of ]esse. A reference to Messiah,
who will be a descendant of David, son of Jesse.
....,.....-
n'? M:nv M?::li' I 316
'111 n:,::> is recited responsively. In most congregations, the chazzan repeats each verse after the
congregation. In others the procedure is reversed.
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,,,, I Lechah Dodl
This beautiful and inspiring song to the
Sabbath was composed by the sixteenth century
Kabbalist Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz. He
was a brother-in-law and teacher of Rabbi
Moshe Cordovero, and was a leading figure in
the Safed group of scholars that included Ariza[
and Rabbi Yosef Karo, author of the Shulchan
Aruch. The author's name, '17;:t >Tr.J'?IV. Shlomo
HaLevi, is formed by the acrostic of the first
eight stanzas. Many similar poetic greetings to
the Sabbath were extant, but only this one
received the endorsement of Ariza!, with the
result that it has been adapted universally as part
of Kahbalas Shabbos.
The song is based on the Talmud's description
of the Sages' joyous greeting of the Sabbath
(Shabhos 119a); Rabbi Chaninah would wrap
in his cloak and say, 'Come, let us go and
greet the Sabbath Queen.' Rabbi Yannai would
don his garment and say, 'Enter, 0 bride! Enter,
0 bride''
,,, - Come my Beloved. Our 'Beloved' is
Cod Himself. We invite Him to join us in
ushering in the Sabbath (Anaf Yosef; R' Hirsch).
The bride. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah
11) teaches that Cod told the newly created
Sabbath, 'lsrac>l shall be your mate. Acc:ordingly,
every week, Israel greets the approaching
Sabbath like a groom awaiting his bride as she
advances to the wedding canopy (Etz Yosef).
Anaf Yosef, however, interprets bride, as
an allusion to the Shechinah, God's Presence,
which was withdrawn from man due to Israel's
sins. We ask Cod [',n. my Beloved] to join us in
greeting the Shechinah, signifying our prayer for
an end to the Exile.
1l)!'r.Jili>T ,IJK - 'Safeguard' and
'Remember' - ir1 a single utterance ... made us
hear. The Talmud (Shavuos 20b) teaches, when
He gave the Ten Commandments, He
miraculously caused Israel to hear simultaneous-
ly the two complementary aspects of the Sabbath
commandment. Safeguard (Deut. 5:12), is
the injunction to avoid the desecration of the
Sabbath, while Remember (Exodus 20:8), is
the commandment to keep the Sabbath in our
minds and hearts, and give verbal to
holiness. Although the Torah writes these
commandments separately, Cod combined them
at Sinai so thdt Israel would know they are
insepcHable. To observe the 'spirit of the
Sabbath' while ignoring its practi<.-e, and vice-
versd, is a (R' Hirsch).
11pn .K,il .. T1KJp7- To welcome ... For
it is the source of blessing. The Zohar teaches
319 I KABBALAS SHABBOS
,,413,1n:"1 Wake up!* Wake up!
For your light has come, rise up and shine;
Awaken, awaken, utter a sorzg,
The glory of HASHEM is revealed on you.
LECHAH DODI
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabhath presence, let us welcome'
'Wtln xr, Feel not ashamed, be not humiliated,
. ' .. Why are you downcast? Why are you disconsolate?
In you will My people's afflicted find shelter
As the City is built upon its hilltop.
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbath presence, let us welcome'
,,01 May your oppressor be downtrodden,*
Arzd may those who devoured you be cast far off.
Your God will rejoice over you
Like a groom's rejoicing over his bride.
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbath prese11ce, let us welcome'
Rightward and leftward, you shall spread out mightily,*
And you shall extol the might of HASHEM,
Through the man descended from Peretz,*
Then we shall be glad and mirthful.
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbath presence, let us welcome
1
Rise and face the rear of the synagogue to greet the Sabbath Bride. When saying the words
'Enter, 0 bride,' bow and turn, as if to acknowledge the entrance of the Sabbath.
'X1"\1 Enter in peace,* 0 crown of her husband,*
Even in gladness* and good cheer,
Among the faithful of the treasured nation
Enter, 0 bride! Enter, 0 bride!
Come my Beloved to greet the bride- The Sabbatl1 prese11ce, let us welcome'
During the week of shivah, mourners enter the synagogue at this point and are greeted by the
leaders of the congregation, whereupon the congregation offers these words of consolation:
t11j''?lJ May the Onmiprese11t console you among the other moumers
of Zion and Jerusalem.
:-TI)DivJ. Evrn i11 gladness. Not only in peace,
but in gladness (/yw1 Tefillah).
Cli'J?OJ I The Mourners Enter
Because the Sabbath begins with the recital of
the next psalm (92, see below) and public observ
ance of the regulations of mourning are not
permitted on this sacred day, mourners during
the shivah week now enter the synagogue to
pray with the congregation. In many congrega-
tions it is customary to mark this interruption of
mourning with a brief ceremony. The leaders of
the congregation invite the mourners to enter the
whereupon they are welcomed with
the traditional formula of consolation:
DnJ\ May the Omnipresent console you
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Rise and face the rear of the synagogue to greet the Sabbath Bride. When saying the words >N13,
bow and turn, as if to acknowledge the entrance of the Sabbath.
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During the week of shivah, mourners enter the synagogue at this point a11d are greeted by the
leaders of the congregation, whereupon the congregation offers these words of consolation:
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''1'11)1n;, - Wake up! The poet addresses
Jerusalem again, exhorting her to rise from the
spiritual sluggishness of exile and exhibit the
brilliance that once made her great. The stanza
closes by declaring that God's glory has returned
- as if the redemption has already taken place.
TQKili ;JQiliY.l':> 1'iJ1 - May your oppressors be
downtrodden. Messianic times will bring a
turnabout. Those who delighted in oppressing
Israel will be dealt with measure for measure. But
as for Israel, their erstwhile victim,'Your God
will rejoice over you .
':>Kililil rn:- Rightward and leftward, you
shall spread out mightily. With the redemption
will come fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that
jerusalem will overpower its antagonists to the
right and left (Etz Yosef).
p ili'K - The man descended from Peretz.
An allusion lo Messiah, a descendant of David,
whose line began with Judah's son Peretz.
m':>lq::l 'Kl::l - Enter in peace. At this point, the
holiness of the Sabbath enters and with it the
;J')n' ;lJ?lql, additional soul, which enables a jew
to appreciate and benefit from the enhanced
holiness of the day. Along with the Sabbath, the
Shechinah comes among us. [For this reason, the
congregation turns to face the rear of the
synagogue, as if to welcome the Queen as she
makes her entrance.] Therefore, this stanza
should be said with intense joy and devotion
(Yesod V'Shoresh HaAvodah).
;,'?)l::l n'1t.?<J- 0 crown of her husband. Since the
Sabbath and Israel have been designated as
mates, the Sabbath is given the title Solomon
bestowed upon a 'woman of accomplishment'
[Proverbs 12A] (Etz Yosef).