Judaism (340-20300 & 344-20300) Spring 2006

Lekha Dodi - "Come, my beloved."

"Observe" and "Remember" in a single utterance, the Unique God made known to us.1
God is one and His name is one, for renown, splendor, and praise.

Come, my beloved, to meet the bride, let us welcome the Sabbath.

Come, let us go to meet the Sabbath, for She is the source of blessing.2
From the beginning, of old, it was ordained - (She is the) last in creation, (but) first in (God's) thought.

Sanctuary of the king, the royal city - arise! Come forth from the ruins.3
Long enough have you resided in the valley of sorrow - but He will show you mercy.

Shake off your dust, arise! Put on your garments of splendor, my people.
Through the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, draw close to my soul and redeem her.4

Awaken! Awaken! Your light has come! Arise and shine!
Awake, awake, utter a song - the glory of the Lord is revealed on you.

Do not be ashamed or confused. Why are you downcast? Why do you moan?
In you my poor people will be sheltered - and the city will be rebuilt on its ancient site.

Those who despoiled you will become a spoil, and all who would devour you will be far away.
Your God will rejoice over you like a groom rejoices over his bride.

Spread out to the right and the left, and revere the Lord.
Through the coming of the son of Peretz we will be glad and exult. 5

Come in peace, crown of Her husband, with song, with joy, and with exultation.
Among the faithful ones of the chosen people, come, O bride, come, O bride.

Come, O bride, O Queen Sabbath.

Come, my beloved, to meet the bride, let us welcome the Sabbath.

To hear a variety of melodies from around the world for Lekha Dodi, click here.

Footnotes

1 The wording of the Sabbath commandment is different in Exodus and Deuteronomy. In Exodus 20:8, it reads, "Remember the Sabbath day," and in Deuteronomy 5:12, it read, "Observe the Sabbath day." According to the Talmud (b. Shevu'ot 20b), both words, "remember," and "observe," were pronounced by God simultaneously.

2 The Sabbath - meaning the seventh day of rest - here refers also to the Shekhinah, God's feminine presence on earth, among human beings. The poem invites the worshippers to go and welcome God's presence into their midst at the beginning of the seventh day, in the evening as the sun is setting.

3 The rest of the poem refers to many things - the sanctuary (Temple) that was destroyed, the city of Jerusalem ("the royal city"), the bride, crown of God - all of which are also names for the Shekhinah. According to Kabbalistic (Jewish mystical) ideas, God's feminine presence has been exiled from her divine husband. She returns to him on the Sabbath when Jews welcome her and urge her to come and celebrate with them and with her divine husband. In the Kabbalah, God is both male and female, and all of the sin and disaster of the world are caused by the separation of the male from the female. On the Sabbath, a day which is considered to be a taste of the world to come, the male and female divine potencies are united when the people of Israel observe and celebrate the Sabbath.

4 The "son of Jesse" is a reference to the Messiah, son of David, son of Jesse. This line asks God to redeem the people by bringing the Messiah.

5 The "son of Peretz" is another reference to the Messiah. Peretz was one of the ancestors of King David.

Last revised January 8, 2006