בואי בשלום עטרת בעלה גם ברינה ובצהלה
Bo’i b’shalom ateres baalah gam b’rinah u’be’tzahalah
Come in peace, crown of her husband, also in joy and gladness.
Until this point, the previous six stanzas of Lecha Dodi have dealt with the ir ha’meluchah, city of the king, bustling with anticipation, yearning for the moment when redemption will be realized. We begin with the theme of yom she’kulo Shabbos, a day that is entirely Shabbos, to facilitate our realizing our goal for the future: redemption and spiritual euphoria; peace and harmony that will be hallmarks of the advent of ish ben partzi, Moshiach Tzidkeinu, descendant of Peretz ben Yehudah. From where does the city of the king, ir ha’meluchah, draw the strength to hiso’reri, awaken, and to yamin u’semoel tifrotzi, burst forth right and left, to rejoice and exult (after so many years of exile)? It draws its inspiration and vigor from the power of Shabbos. Shabbos kodesh has the G-d-given power to unite all forces into a single harmonious whole. Two harmonies: the spiritual harmony of Yerushalayim ir ha’meluchah and the harmony in the dimension of time – Shabbos, with Shabbos ateres baalah, the crown of her husband, rising above as the symbol of supra-natural existence.
