[HANASHIR:3509] Re: Lecha Dodi

[GurevitzR <GurevitzR...>]

I don't know if there are halachic or reasons of minhag (tradition) for not 
doing Lecha Dodi on Shabbat morning, but there is something very beautiful 
and special about its place in Kabbalat Shabbat that make it feel 
inappropriate on Shabbat morning.  Whether you are present for it or not, 
Shabbat begins on Friday evening, and the Kabbalat Shabbat service is a 
beautiful and magnificent ritual for welcoming it in.  In addition to the 
more widely known symbolism of the Shabbat Queen, it is also very rich and 
amazing in kabbalistic terms.  Too much to provide full details here (and I 
am still just at the beginning of learning about the wonderous richness of 
this), but a few snippets here.

Kabbalat Shabbat traditionally consists of psalms that reflect on the days of 
the week, culminating in Shabbat and Lecha Dodi.  Before Lecha Dodi we also 
welcome in the presence of the angels (Ana B'Koach).  If you read closely the 
words of Lecha Dodi you might notice that they don't make a great deal of 
sense if, indeed, you were welcoming in an actual bride.  However, if you 
take the kabbalistic (and, later, chassidic) interpretation, they make a lot 
of sense if you are calling to the holy sparks.  These are the sparks that 
were scattered when the holy vessels were shattered when God created the 
world.  Some people describe these as the sparks that exist at the core of 
everything in God's creation, and they are also referred to in a different 
context as the aim of Tikkun Olam - healing the world (bringing the sparks 
together).  In Lecha Dodi, we call for the sparks to rise up, rise up! (kumi, 
kumi!) and come together again.  This coming together will bring holy union 
between Shechinah (feminine divine presence that dwells among us - the 
Queen/the bride) and God (the king/bridegroom).  The two together in union 
(if everyone celebrated Shabbat fully for 2 Shabbats in a row, according to 
one rabbinic teaching) can bring about the Messianic era.  (NB: original 
kabbalistic language and symbolism was entirely heterosexual in imagery, but 
you can take the essence of the Shechinah and Melech without having to keep 
the anthropomorphic gendered notions that go with them, rather than throwing 
the whole imagery out altogether).

So I guess that's gone off the point of whether it is ok to say it on Shabbat 
morning or not, but I'm so excited by these wonderous and beautiful Torah 
teachings that are relatively new to me that I wanted to share them.  And, 
for me, understanding their role at the very beginning of Shabbat causes a 
jarring if they were not given voice until Shabbat morning.  It doesn't quite 
feel like doing Shabbat to me.

Hope you've all had a holy and joyous Shabbat!

Rachel

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