[HANASHIR:3512] Re: Lecha Dodi

[Roslyn Schwartz <rs4...>]

To Rachel & any others who can offer suggestions,

I would like to include in our service some readings about the mystical
meaning of L'Cha Dodi, as described in Rachel's letter (attached).  Can
you suggest some appropriate sources?

Thanks for your help,

- Ros Schwartz

GurevitzR (at) aol(dot)com wrote:
> 
> 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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