Shabbat "The queen and bride"
"Leja Dodi, likrat calá, Penei Shabat nekabelá ..."
"Come, my Beloved, to meet the bride; the presence of Shabbat we will welcome ..."
"Leja Dodi" is the beautiful hymn that we sing at the arrival of each Shabbat. Today we will look at four reasons why Shabbat is compared to a bride and a queen ...
This beautiful hymn to the 16th century Shabbat "Lecha dodí" ("Come, my beloved ..."), we welcome the Shabbat like a bride and like a queen.
This concept goes back to the Talmud, where we read that Rabbi Chanina used to wear her special garments on Shabbat eve and said: “Come, and we will go out to say hello on the Sabbath, the queen ” . Another sage, Rabbi Ianai, wore his garments on Shabbat eve and said: “Come in, oh bride. Come in, oh, bride ”
So what is Shabbat? A bride or a queen? And who is her husband?
1. Married to Israel:
Rabbi Shmuel Eidels, known as the Maharsha (1555-1631), explains that this is based on the midrashic teaching that when Hashem created the world, on Shabbat he prayed to the Creator and he said: "Everyone else has a partner (for example, Sunday has Monday as a partner, Tuesday has Wednesday, etc.), but I have no one!" Hashem replied: "The community of Israel will be your partner."
Years later, when Israel stood in front of Sinai, the Creator said: “Remember that I have told on Shabbat that the community of Israel is his mate. This is what the verse 'Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy' means.
The Hebrew word for "sanctify" also denotes the concept of marriage. So, it is as if Gd said: "Remember my promise on Shabbat, and be sure to marry her."
he He then explains that the moment this marriage is consummated is when the sun sets on Friday afternoon. As the Jewish people are considered “son of royalty”, Shabbat is called queen, because she is the bride of a king.
2. The bride of Gd:
The verse from Bereshit says: “ And on the seventh day the Creator completed the work that he had made, and rested on the seventh day of all the work he had done ”. The Midrash notes that this verse seems contradictory. Did Gd finish her work on the seventh day? Or was she already resting, having finished her work before the beginning of the seventh day?
The Midrash explains that the Sabbath, the day of rest, was itself the creation of the seventh day. In the words of the Midrash: “This is comparable to a king who has already prepared the bridal chamber but is missing a bride. Similarly, the world was missing Shabbat. ”
An explanation for this Midrash is that the purpose of celebrating Shabbat is to always remember that Hashem, the King, is the Creator of the world . He created the world in six days and rested during the seventh. By celebrating Shabbat, we remember that Hashem is the Creator.
3. We become the bride:
Rabbi Iehuda Loewe, known as the Maharal of Prague (1525-1609), explains that the three terms, "shabbat", "Bride" and "queen", represent three different ways to honor Shabbat:
● We take a break from work. The word Shabbat means "rest."
● With special garments, just like a bride dresses up for the wedding.
● Permissive regarding special delicacies and pleasant activities, like royalty .
According to this explanation, it seems as if we ourselves become the bride on Shabbat.
4.The Kabbalistic Queen
Kabbalists explain that the seven days of the week correspond to the seven attributes of the Creator: chesed (goodness), gevurah (severity), tiferet (harmony), nétzach ( perseverance) hod (humility), yesod (the foundation) and malchut (royalty) So, the Shabbat corresponds to the last attribute: Royalty.
Just as we use the six days of the week to prepare for Shabbat, the malchut draws its energy from the previous six sefirot.
Think for a moment about royalty. It is true, they are beneficiaries, having received from their subjects the mandate to govern (and the wealth). But they must also give: lead, guide and inspire their people.
The same can be said of Shabbat. We spend six days preparing for Shabbat, but he then gives us the vitality to survive and prosper during the following week.
The attribute of malchut is also known as the shechina, the feminine aspect of Gd, which may explain why the Shabbat is a queen and not a king.
Our sages tell us that if all of us observe at least one Shabbat, we will deserve the ultimate redemption, an era referred to like the eternal shabbat. Let it happen soon, in our day!
The team of The Garden of Breslev in Israel wishes you a Shabbat Shalom humeburaj!
(Parasha of the Week: פינחס: כה "Pinchas" , Sefer Bamidbar - Numbers 25: 10-30: 1)
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