תוך אמוני עם סגולה ,באי כלה באי כלה
Toch emunei am segulah, Boi kallah, boi kallah
The climax of the Lecha Dodi piyut welcomes Shabbos Kodesh with joy and splendor. According to the Sifrei Kaballah, Shabbos represents the Shechinah, Divine Presence, descending into this mundane world. This descent symbolizes the unification of the physical world with the Heavenly spheres. The Kabbalists -- of whom Rav Shlomo Alkabetz, Lecha Dodi’s author, was one -- would go out to the fields prior to Shabbos, thus mirroring Chazal’s (Shabbos 119A) account of the sages greeting Shabbos like a queen.
In conclusion, Lecha Dodi is much more than a liturgical song. It is, in fact, a spiritual declaration, a reminder of Creation and its Creator, a glimpse of the Final Redemption and its Facilitator, a call to enter Kedushas Shabbos amid joy and love. Yehi Ratzon that we all merit the spirit of Redemption speedily in our days. Until then, may we exalt in the joy and splendor of the Shabbos experience.
With this last installment, I have, b’siyata diShmaya, completed 25 years of Vaani Tefillah. It was an undertaking of love l’iluy nishmas my mother, גליקא בת אברהם אלטר ע"ה, which I hope to continue through the medium of an alternate venue.
