Berach Dodi Vol II

ברך דודי

Booklet – David Guedalia. January 26, 2004

The following essays were delivered in part between Minha and Ma’ariv Friday night

Shabbat Hazon (Dvarim) through Rosh Hodesh Ellul, 5763. The structure and

interpretation of the poem Leha Dodi throughout the essays follows an analytical analysis

of Rabbinic sources, such as the Talmud, in light of an inner interpretation, e.g.

Kabbalistic, as found in several Sfardic and Hasidic sources.

An interpretation is offered for the main theme of each stanza of the poem based on the

commentaries of our Rabbis, most notably Rabbi Moshe David Valle, Rabbi Hayim

Yosef David Azulai (Hida), Rabbi Yosef Hayim (Ben Ish Hai) and Rabbi Yehuda Leib

Ashlag (Ba’al HaSulam). The success and failure of this interpretation is my own and

does not reflect on the original intent of our Rabbis.

Poetry provides an ‘imitation’, to use Aristotle’s term, of a reality. The poet describes in

succinct terminology a reality that may be indescribable with less brevity. This paradox,

describing more with less, succeeds for the same reason a visual image, such as a picture,

is worth a thousand words. A poet evokes latent imagery through the utilization of

imitations, references to a reality hopefully available to the reader. Thus the key to

understanding a poem, such as Leha Dodi, is to appreciate the images being evoked.

Each stanza and almost every word, as far as I could tell, throughout Leha Dodi refers to

a biblical or rabbinic source. I have attempted to locate and understand these sources in

light of the aforementioned Rabbis and through these sources and their interpretation to

gain a fuller understanding of the poem as its author intended.

Lastly an essay is not a religious experience if it does not provide a connection with The

Divine. We must not only appreciate what the author wrote, but how this can help us in

our relationship with God. Thus each essay concludes with a short summary of a

particular point within the essay, yet as always, the more written the less said.

לך דודי לקראת כלה פני שבת נקבלה‘Go my love towards the bride Shabbat we shall accept her.’

בואי בשלום עטרת בעלה גם בשמחה ובצהלה תוך אמוני עם סגולה בואי כלה בואי כלה

‘Come in peace the husband’s crown, also in joy and happiness, through the faith of the

chosen nation, come my bride come my bride.’

Leha Dodi is framed by two similar stanzas in which we greet the bride and invite her in.

Who is this bride? Why do we greet her?

A source for the language in these two stanzas is the following Talmudic passage quoted

in Shabbat and Babba Kama:

שבת פרק טז מסכת

קיט,א גמרא דף לבישחנינא מיעטף וקאי אפניא דמעלי שבתא אמר בואו ונצא לקראת שבת המלכה רבי ינאי רבי

מאניה מעלי שבת ואמר בואי כלה בואי כלה

בבא קמא פרק ג מסכת לב,א גמרא דף מפניוא פטור בן יהודה אומר רץ חייב מפני שהוא משונה ומודה איסי בע"ש בין השמשות שה איסי…

רץ ואחד מהלך פטור בד"א בע"ש בין השמשות אבל בחול אחד רץ ואחד מהלך אחד … שרץ ברשותאפי' בחול פטורין אמר מר ומודה איסי בע"ש בין השמשות שהוא פטור מפני שרץ רציןחייב שניהם

ואמרי לה ונצא לקראת כלה מלכתא בואו "ש מאי ברשות איכא כדר' חנינא דאמר ר' חנינאבעברשות כלה בואי כלה בואילקראת שבת כלה מלכתא רבי ינאי מתעטף וקאי ואמר

In the case where Reuven and Shimon are in a public area and Reuven runs into a

standing/walking Shimon, Essa Ben Yehuda rules that Reuven is obligated to pay

damages since he is ‘strange’. However should Reuven have been running during the

twilight of Friday, as the Sabbath is entering, Reuven is free of payment, since he is

running with permission (ברשות).

What is at the root of this Halaha? Why should a Reuven ever be absolved of his

obligation to pay for damages incurred?

Perhaps we can discern between two perspectives in removing obligation from the

damager. If Reuven ran into Shimon while Shimon was running as well, both Reuven

and Shimon are free from damages. Either because Reuven never injured Shimon,

Shimon injured himself as Tosafot explain (perhaps predicting Newtonian physics) and

self-injury is not a cause of culpability for others. Or alternatively we may say that

Shimon injured Reuven, however since Reuven was ‘strange’ in that he was running

Shimon is absolved from paying damages.

However this presents a difficulty with the case discussed in which Reuven was running

on the eve of Shabbat and Shimon was not running. Clearly Shimon did not injure

himself, since Reuven was in motion and he was not. And just as clearly Reuven should

not be absolved of culpability since Shimon was not acting in a strange manner, he was

walking. So why is Reuven not culpable? So what if he is running with permission? He

still is causing damage and Shimon is not doing anything extraordinary to incur that

damage? Someone caused the damage.

Essa Ben Yehuda uses the term רשות in contrast to משונה, ‘permission’ as opposed to

‘strange.’ However, in the same Gemara the term רשות is used to connotate

domain/location. Perhaps we can define a virtual/ethereal location that is in existence on

the eve of Shabbat. Thus, when Reuven is running on the eve of Shabbat, he has entered

a new domain. Shimon has placed himself in this domain as well. It is as if Shimon

entered Reuven’s house, with permission. Should Reuven injure Shimon, Reuven is not

culpable. (Reuven is only culpable for injuring Shimon in Shimon’s domain unless the

injury is caused with intent). [Perhaps this helps explain the opinion of the Bet Yosef,

hinging on a definition of ‘location’.]

To summarize, Reuven does injure Shimon. However, since Shimon is in Reuven’s

domain it is Shimon’s fault for putting himself in a situation in which he [Shimon] must

walk with special care so as not to be injured.

Perhaps with this is mind we may understand the continuation of the Gemara in Babba

Kama that concludes as follows: ונצא לקראת כלה מלכתא ואמרי לה לקראת שבת בואו מאי ברשות איכא כדר' חנינא דאמר ר' חנינא

כלה בואי כלה בואיכלה מלכתא רבי ינאי מתעטף וקאי ואמר

What is considered ברשות? Why is it that when someone runs on the eve of Shabbat they

are considered to be in their own domain?

Two opinions are cited. Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Yanai that seem to differ only slightly.

The Maharsha points out that Rabbi Hanina is actively seeking the King’s Bride while

Rabbi Yanai is passively awaiting Her arrival. Rabbi Hanina says: ‘Lets go out towards

the King’s Bride.” While Rabbi Yanai says: ‘Come Bride, come Bride.’

The Ben Ish Hai in BenaYahu further notes that Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Yanai also

differ in their preparation for Shabbat. Rabbi Yanai prior to welcoming the Bride מתעטף

covers himself. [This contrast is further enhanced by the fact that the Gemara in Shabbat,

which is virtually identical, employs the term מיעטף as well to describe Rabbi Hanina’s

preparation for Shabbat and מאניה מעלי שבת לביש for Rabbi Yanai].

Perhaps we can explain that there are two mechanisms by which one can enter the

domain of Shabbat. Either one must physically get up and go there, as Rabbi Hanina did.

Or one may clothe oneself in the aura of Shabbat.

We sing on Shabbat: הניח בברכה, ותכל כל העבודות, לא תעשו מלאכהלבש בגדי חמודות, ל

‘Wear attractive clothes, to place with the blessing, and conclude all work, do not

perform labor’

The clothes we wear prior to Shabbat reflect the attractiveness of Shabbat. What is this

attractiveness the poet is referring to? Where do we find Shabbat called attractive? We

say in our prayers on Shabbat: חמדת ימים אותו קראתה

What is the source for this ‘attractiveness?’ The Keter Shem Tob explains, based on Rashi in Sefer HaPardes, that the word חמדת is a

reference to the verse at the completion of creation: ויכלו השמים

That is interpreted in a manner similar to the word כלתה in Psalm 84: מה ידידות משכנותך...

נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי...God has created two dwelling the Psalmist tells us, and there exists a ידידות, a friendship

between them. Rabbi Ashlag explains (as quoted in Eben Sapir) that ידידות refers to a

distant relationship that is punctuated with passionate encounters as opposed to ריעות that

describes a continuous warm relationship. Thus these two dwelling are bound in a

passionate yet distant relationship. The Hida (Humat A’anah) explains that the two

dwellings are God’s heavenly Temple and His terrestrial Temple. Separated and distant

the two Temple’s have a relationship punctuated by passionate encounters; they are .ידידים

This relationship depicted by the Psalmist in Psalm 84 is a reflection of a similar

relationship that we have with Shabbat. Shabbat is the source of spirituality for the

world, and just like the six days of creation filled the terrestrial world so too Shabbat fills

the spiritual world. Our relationship with God is also one of ידידות. We spend six days

away from His spirituality. Distant our soul yearns for His companionship, increasing

the fervor of our encounter on Shabbat.

Shabbat was left unfinished during the days of creation (see Beresheet Vol I). Our job is

to complete the creation of Shabbat and realize this encounter of ידידות through our

bringing spirituality into this world, bridging the gap between God’s heavenly and

terrestrial dwellings.

We begin our spiritual job on Shabbat and we must prepare for it by clothing ourselves

appropriately. Hence the poet says. לבש בגדי חמודות להניח בברכה ותכל כל העבודות לא תעשו מלאכה

‘Wear the attractive clothes, to place with the blessing, and all the work concludes, do not

perform labor’

At the same time as we cease our material labor, we begin our spiritual work. During the

twilight of Friday we evolve, from material labor to spiritual work.

But the material clothing we wear is only symbolic of the spiritual garments that the poet

is referring to. How do we put on spiritual garments? And why do they help us bridge

the two domains, dwellings, of God?

What is this spiritual work that we speak of? Clearly we do spiritual work during the

week as well, don’t we perform commandments throughout the entire week?

The Ben Ish Hai continues and explains that although we have spiritual garments that we

wear during the week they have all been tainted by Adam’s sin. Only our garment of

Shabbat, which came after Adam’s sin, survived unscathed.

Following Rabbi Ashlag’s philosophy we can explain this as follows: All the actions,

even the commandments that we perform throughout the week are tainted by our self-

love and desire for self-fulfillment (Adam’s sin). We are incapable of a true spiritual act,

an action that transcends our ego. Only on Shabbat is there a special dispensation that

enables us to turn even our material actions into spiritual ones, we eat and sleep to give

pleasure to God (Oneg Shabbat). The poet continues: עונג קרא לשבת והשינה משובחת כדת נפש משיבת ולערוך כמה מינים...

This unique spiritual garment that we wear on Shabbat represents this special

dispensation. This unique garment enables us to overcome our predisposition towards

the evil inclination, our self-love and desire to receive pleasure for self-fulfillment (see

Rabbi Baruh Shalom Ashlag Mamrim IV – Ner Hanuka vs. Mezuza)

This idea is elegantly addressed in the poem Qaarat Kesef line 59-67:

נה אל נ .59 ש ת כ פ שרהב החקו ע ש ף גול ןן ת ך חקה ו ינם פ

ת א .60 פ ךמור לו א ה א כול וש מש יות א טב בל לא לה זר א הליו ל

ר ל .61 ב אם תג א ך נ ב ו ה והפש מ שול בה ו בירה ירהס מ מג

ע בו .62 לצות ת מח בל ב כי ב ו ר ק א בוש ה הה ר ו ב ג כבוד ל דר

עט שינות .63 נומותמ ע ט ת ני ומ ה ב עור ת דים ב חמ כ מה מ ו

לא טוב .64 שך ו נ ע נפ לות מ הירה ומעצ יות ז בל בה הרת א נמ ב

בין .65 ה חג הכון ל מי מועד ו רהד ב י ק ח רזיה ל ת צורך ו

כי לא נת .66 ש ה ד ל ב ע נו בל ש הב י יח ר מ ב ש ים ו ח ל רהין רק כ

נו גםו .67 ביעיכי יום מ זה ט חה יום ש סוד נ ע ו ת ם ו רהיפש י

Rabbi Ezobi in line 59,60 and 63,64 speaks of the two key instruments of the evil

inclination, food and sleep (note how those same two are described in the Shabbat poem

as praiseworthy). Lines 61,62 provide the necessary steps of conquering the evil

inclination. Defining a ‘mighty’ person as someone who conquers his evil inclination

(Mishna Abot 4:1?), Rabbi Ezobi instructs us that through garments we attain might to

rule the evil inclination and remove it from its master.

But Rabbi Ezobi adds another perspective, we are not to annihilate the evil inclination,

rather redirect its energy. After introducing the secret solution in lines 65, Rabbi Ezobi

continues in lines 66, 67 to instruct us to employ food on Yom Tov and sleep on Shabbat

to enhance the Nefesh Yetera.

We have seen (in Parshat VaYikhal and Parshat Tetzave) that the extra soul received on

Shabbat is not so much a second soul as much as a increase in our soul, an additional

spirituality that descends from above and fills the vacuum created by our cessation of

work. The extra soul of Shabbat is contingent on this relationship of ידידות, the contrast

of the six work days of the week and the seventh of rest.

Thus Rabbi Ezobi is teaching us to contrast our inactivity and control of appetite during

the week with the requirement to fulfill Oneg Shabbat as the poet said. Note that Oneg is

defined as a revelation, wherein The Lord descends (see Parshat Bo and the Ramban).

Hence by following through lines 61, 62, conquering the evil inclination and wearing a

new garment, we convert the evil inclinations Nega to an Oneg.

So how do we get this spiritual garment? One way is to greet the Shabbat. The simple

reason we go out to greet the Shabbat is that to honor the Shabbat כבוד שבת. Similarly

we may adorn ourselves with special Shabbat clothes to honor the Shabbat (see Talmud

Shabbat 119a and Maimonidies Hilhot Shabbat). But why should honoring the Shabbat

help us acquire this spiritual garment?

Rabbi Yitzhak Weinberger of Kew Gardens in his book Bet Yitzhak explains that honor

increases ‘fear of God’ as the verse says ‘And you shall honor the face of the elderly, and

you shall fear your God.’ And through fear of God do we increase our ability to hold

Torah (see Mishna Abot 3:?? – fear precedes knowledge). Hence Rabbi Zeira when he

found it difficult to learn more, went and stood at the entrance of the Bet Midrash to

fulfill the commandment of standing up before the elderly and wise.

However there is also another interpretation as described in the Gemara in Babba Kama.

Through transition to this new domain, as Rabbi Hanina did, we create this garment (as

Rabbi Yanai was able to do). Rabbi Baruh Ashlag (Letters No. 4 pg. 20) explains that on

Shabbat even though ‘strange thoughts’ exist, i.e. thoughts of selfish pleasures, they are

incapacitated and unable to affect us. These thoughts are strange to us on Shabbat,

should we bring them out to the open for all to see we would violate the basic principle of

Shabbat, maintaining sanctity of a domain. Just as the Halaha prohibits us from

transferring an object from one domain to another so too we must maintain the sanctity of

the virtual domain created by Shabbat.

Shabbat comes, whether we are prepared for it or not. The sanctity imposed upon us, the

definition of the domains exists. Should we not honor this sanctity we run the risk of

injuring ourselves. It is not that we get dressed to honor the sanctity of Shabbat, but that

we get dressed to protect ourselves from the danger of forgetting the sanctity of Shabbat.

אחד השמיענו אל המיוחד ה' אחד ושמו אחד לשם שמור וזכור בדבור ולתפארת ולתהלה

“Keep and remember in one speech, The Unique Almighty made us hear, The Lord is one

and His Name is one, for the name and the beauty and the praise.”

The theme of the second phrase in Leha Dodi is clearly ‘oneness/uniqueness.’ The word

Ehad (one or unique) appears four times in this single phrase. Yet the phrase ends with

three separate expressions of glorifications: name, beauty and praise. How can we

reconcile the oneness of The Lord with the three different expressions?

What is the connection between the fact that Shamor and Zahor (keep and remember)

were said together with the discussion of the unique unity of The Lord? Did the fact that

The Lord is one and His name one help Him speak ‘keep’ and ‘remember’

simultaneously?

One source for the Leha Dodi we saw earlier was from Rabbi Hanina who would ‘Go out

toward the bride, Shabbat’ (Talmud Shabbat 119 & Babba Kama 31). Yet the term ‘dodi

(my love)’ is not found in Rabbi Hanina’s statement. There is a second source to the

Leha Dodi that can be found in the end of the seventh chapter (verse 12,13) of the Song

of Songs. Solomon says:

פרחה הגפן פתח הסמדר, -נראה אם--, לכרמיםנשכימה יג דודי נצא השדה, נלינה בכפרים. לכה יב

די, לך.-הרמונים; שם אתן את הנצו ד

Lets go out, my love, to the field, to sleep in the villages. We will rise early to go to the

vineyards and we will see if the grapes have flowered and the Semadar opened, if the

pomegranates have opened their buds there I will give my love to you.

The AR”I is said to have been inspired by these verses to go out to the field literally

every Friday night and welcome Shabbat. Though the Talmud (Eruvim) explains in a

more figurative note that these verses in The Song of Songs relate to a conversation

between Knesset Yisrael and The Shehina [IS IT SHEHINA OR KODASH BARUH

HO?]. Knesset Yisrael sees the pain the exile has caused The Children of Israel and

attempts to hasten the redemption by inviting The Shehina to join him in a survey, a visit

to the exiled.

Rabbi Moshe David Valle explains that by inviting the Shehina down to the people, the

people are then given an opportunity to elevate themselves. This follows along the line

of Rabbi Moonson as explained by the Hida (see Leha Dodi).

There are two aspects of God: that which is close and understandable to us, and that

which is distant and incomprehensible. In the creation of the world, God created the will

to receive (Rabbi Ashlag – Introduction to the Zohar). We all understand the desire to

receive benefits, self-preservation, is a very primitive characteristic of all of God’s

creatures. This is known as ‘His name’ (Rabbi Ashlag Talmud Eser Sefirot 1:20 pg, 32).

Yet there is also another aspect of God, that which is distant from us, the will to bestow.

Our nature is such that we have no will to bestow unto others, yet God wishes only to

bestow goodness to his creations. This is known as ‘The Lord’. The AR”I says that prior

to creation The Lord and His name were one, the will to receive and the will to bestow

co-existed, the vessel was full yet empty at the same time, a concept that is

incomprehensible to us.

These two aspects are mirrored in many Jewish themes. The Mabit (in Bet Elohim)

explains along these lines why benedictions are composed of two parts, a first part in

which we address God in the first person and a second part in which we address God in

the second person, as if God is hidden from us. The Mabit first asks, by what right to we

presuppose that we are entitled to bless God? Typically we think that he who blesses his

neighbor is giving something to his neighbor, what can we give to God? The Mabit

explains that since each individual has a piece of the divine inside him (the divine soul),

then the soul is capable and entitled to bless God. Thus our blessing take two forms, first

we address God who is close to us, inside us. Then we address God who is distant from

us, hidden from us (see footenote 2)

Thus the second phrase of Leha Dodi starts by listing the two extremes Positive, ‘Keep’,

Negative, ‘Remember’ and The Lord, ‘Giving’ and His Name ‘Receiving’. But what do

the three terms found at the end of the second phrase have to do with the first part.

לשם ולתפארת ולתהלה

‘for the name and the beauty and the praise’

Can be found at the very end of chapter 26 in Devarim 26: המשפטים; ושמרת ועשית אותם, -ואת--האלההחקים -אלהיך מצוך לעשות את ', ההיום הזה טז

לך לאלהים וללכת בדרכיו, ולשמר חקיו להיות האמרת, היום: 'ה -את יז נפשך.-ובכללבבך -כלב , ולשמרלך; -ברהיום, להיות לו לעם סגלה, כאשר, ד האמירך 'הו יח ולשמע בקלו.--ומשפטיותיו ומצו

רתהגוים אשר עשה, -כל עלעליון, ולתתך יט תיו.מצו-כל ם ולתפא ה, ולש 'קדש לה-עם ולהיתך; לתהל .אלהיך, כאשר דבר

[JPS translation]

16 This day the LORD thy God commandeth thee to do these statutes and ordinances;

thou shalt therefore observe and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. 17 Thou

hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and that thou wouldest walk in His

ways, and keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and hearken

unto His voice. 18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be His own treasure, as

He hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments; 19 and to

make thee high above all nations that He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in

glory; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the LORD thy God, as He hath spoken.

The biblical section opens with the injunction, Rashi explains, that we must view each

day as if we just received the commandments, ‘This day The Lord commanded us’ is

applicable each and every day. How are we to fulfill this injunction?

מ,ב גמרא דף -- ברכות פרק ו מסכת' פת ויין אפיאתמר רב הונא אמר חוץ מן הפת ומן היין ורבי יוחנן אמר כולן אם אמר שהכל וכו': ועל

כמה נאה ואמרנימא כתנאי ראה פת ואמר כמה נאה פת זו ברוך המקום שבראה יצא ראה תאנה שטבעו חכמים ממטבעומר כל המשנה תאנה זו ברוך המקום שבראה יצא דברי ר' מאיר ר' יוסי א

כר' מאיר אמר לך רב הונא דאמרבברכות לא יצא ידי חובתו נימא רב הונא דאמר כר' יוסי ור' יוחנן היכא דקא מדכר שמיה דפת אבל אלאאנא דאמרי אפי' לר' מאיר עד כאן לא קאמר ר' מאיר התם

אמר לך אנא דאמרי אפילו לרבי יוסי ןיוחנהיכא דלא קא מדכר שמיה דפת אפילו ר' מאיר מודה ור' דלא תקינו רבנן אבל אמר שהכל נהיה בדברו ברכהעד כאן לא קאמר ר' יוסי התם אלא משום דקאמר

דתקינו רבנן אפילו ר' יוסי מודה …

השם אינה ברכה ורבי יוחנן אמר כל ברכה שאין בה מלכות הזכרתגופא אמר רב כל ברכה שאין בה דרב מסתברא דתניא )דברים כו( לא עברתי ממצותיך ולא שכחתי לא כוותיהיי אינה ברכה אמר אב

שכחתי מלהזכיר שמך עליו ואילו מלכות לא קתני ור' יוחנן תני ולא שכחתי ולאעברתי מלברכך ומלכותך עליו: שמךמלהזכיר

Talmud Brahot 40b

Three disagreements are brought down in succession in the Talmud. First a disagreement

between Rav Yohanan and Rav Huna (a student of Rav) can a person recite the

benediction ‘that everything (ShHakol)’ on bread and wine. Rav Yohanan says yes, Rav

Huna no. Next there is a disagreement between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yosi is a person

absolved of his obligation to recite a benediction if he saw bread and said: ‘how pleasant

is this bread; blessed is He that created it’. Rabbi Meir says yes, Rabbi Yosi says no. The

third disagreement is between Rav Yohanan and Rav, is a Jew required to say His Name

or also a reference to His Kingship when reciting a benediction. Rav Yohanan requires

both His Name and His Kingship and Rav only requires His Name.

Abayee in the Talmud cites a source for this requirement from the verse in KiTavo: ‘I

have passed over your commandments and I have not forgotten.” (see footnote 3)

Why should Rav Huna say that ShHakol does not cover bread and wine? Bread is

important so what? We have seen that Rabbi Yehuda’s opinion requiring individual

blessings for each type of fruit (‘Baruh Hashem Yom Yom’) has not been accepted. Why

should bread not be covered by ShHakol

What is the disagreement between Rav Huna and Rav Yohanan? What is a blessing?

A blessing is a request for bounty to descend to the individual. We acknowledge that

God is the source (Braha – see Netziv?) of bounty and request to receive some of this

bounty. Taking without permission is akin to stealing from God.

Rabbi Valle (Likutim) however explains that taking without permission is stealing from

The Children of Israel. For when we recite a blessing a spiritual bounty flows from God

to the entire nation. By not reciting a blessing we deny the rest of Israel this spiritual

bounty. [ This goes back to the discussion of Kol Yisrael Araavim Ze LaZe – see essay

on SheHyanu ]

To request a bounty, first we must recognize our need for this bounty. I am thirsty, hence

I have a need for a drink of water, I am now able to recite a benedictions. Maimonidies

indeed legislates that if I am not thirsty I may not recite a blessing. If there is no need to

fulfill there is no logic in requesting to fulfill it, worse one is incapable of requesting to

fulfill that which is not lacking.

Rav Huna says that we must first acknowledge our need for the object (Heftza). We need

the bread or wine. One must describe the greatness of the object to describe the need that

we have for this object. Bread and wine are uniquely important and hence to request

their benefit we must acknowledge the status. We must describe the bread in order to

create the reciprocal need inside ourselves deserving of such a benefit. Hence we may

not just say ShHakol, for by doing thus we do not create the requisite need fitting of such

a great object. Thus the Talmud explains Rav Huna in light of Rabbi Meir:

היכא דקא מדכר שמיה דפת אבל אלאאנא דאמרי אפי' לר' מאיר עד כאן לא קאמר ר' מאיר התם

היכא דלא קא מדכר שמיה דפת אפילו ר' מאיר מודה

Rabbi Meir absolved someone who recites ‘how pleasant is this bread; blessed is He that

created it’ because he mentioned the word ‘bread’, as long as the object is elevated Rav

Huna says we have done our duty.

Rav Yohanan explains similarly but different. Rav Yohanan also agrees that we must

create the need to enjoy the bounty, however describing the object is not enough. Rav

Yohanan says that we must describe the greatness of God to better appreciate the object.

Alternatively we might say that in Rav Yohanan’s view we are actually always

requesting a spiritual bounty, as Rabbi Valle explained, hence we must describe the

greatness of God and create a need for His beneficence. Either way Rav Yohanan

requires that we describe God not the object, the reason being that by enhancing The

Giver of the bounty we enhance the bounty itself. One cannot compare receiving a letter

from a friend to receiving a letter from the President.

This idea is used by Rabbi B. Ashlag to explain the verse in Ki Tavo (chapter 26 in

Devarim) .המשפטים-ואת--האלההחקים -אלהיך מצוך לעשות את ', ההיום הזה טז

16 This day the LORD thy God commandeth thee to do these statutes and ordinances;

thou shalt therefore observe and do them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul

What is the emphasis of ‘This day’, Rashi explains that every day should be like this day.

Rabbi Baruh Aslag (Parshat KiTavo) answers that the greater our appreciation of the

bestower the greater the gift. Thus each day we increase our understanding of The Lord,

through performance of His commandments, and hence each day our appreciation of the

greatness of The Lord is enhanced. Subsequently every commandment is performed

under this newer and enhanced understanding, hence renewing the gift that The Lord has

given us. For each day we receive a greater gift than the day before.

Hence according to Rav Yohanan we can say ShHakol as long as we say His Name and

Kingship. Rav Huna follows his teacher, Rav, and holds that there is no need to recite

Kingship because we are trying to create a need for the object not God’s spirituality. Rav

Yohanan says we need to increase our awareness of God’s greatness to increase our

appreciation for His objects. Not so coincidently this happens to be the theme of the

entire section in Ki Tavo preceding verses 16. Ki Tavo describes two commandments

geared at increasing our appreciation of His gifts, Bikurim and Vidui Maasrot. This

entire passage is concluded with verse19

רתשר עשה, הגוים א -כל עלעליון, ולתתך ם ולתפא ה, ולש אלהיך, כאשר 'קדש לה-עם ולהיתך; לתהל

.דבר19 and to make thee high above all nations that He hath made, in praise, and in name,

and in beauty; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the LORD thy God, as He

hath spoken.

The goal is to elevate us and make us unique. God chose Israel. And to appreciate Israel

he elevates Israel ‘in praise, and in name, and in beauty.’

אחד שמור וזכור בדבור

The Keter Shem Tob (Rabbi Gaguine) explains that thru positive sanctification elevation

of uniqueness we appreciate the need like wine and bread and enhance the Shamor aspect

with the Zahor. Shamor is the passive aspect of Shabbat, not to perform creative acts.

Zahor is the active part, to actively sanctify the Shabbat. It is not readily apparent from

our inaction that we appreciate Shabbat. Perhaps we are not working because we are

tired and need a rest. By actively sanctifying Shabbat (through Kiddush) we elevate our

inactivity as well. Thru Zahor our Shamor becomes more meaningful. This the Keter

Shem Tob explains is the meaning behind Shamor and Zahor in a single saying. We

must create a need for the inactivity, the passive keeping of Shabbat must be defined

through the active remembrance. Or in Rav Yohanan’s terminology we must define the

Kingship of God to create a greater need daily for receiving the gift of inactivity of

Shabbat. Hence we sing:

השמיענו אל המיוחד

‘The unique Almighty made us hear’

We express God’s unity that reflects his Kingship, as we say in the prayers of Rosh

HaShana (and the Talmud Rosh Hashans explains).

ה' אחד ושמו אחד

“The Lord is one and His Name is one”

The Lord is composed of two aspects, need and fulfillment. But since creation they have

been distanced. The Lord and His Name are now separate and need to be brought close.

Here enter Israel and Shabbat. The Toldot Yakov Yosef (VaEthanan) explains that when

our Rabbis say that three bear witness on each other they mean that the two witnesses are

brought closer together by the third object, the middleman. The term witness reflects a

closeness that comes about through a third party. When people share in an experience

they get closer together through the experience. Israel and God bear witness on Shabbat,

Rabbi Yakov Yosef explains, means that Shabbat is the middleman that helps bring the

souls of Israel that separated from God’s honorable chair back closer to God.

רת ם ולתפא ה, ולש לתהל

“in praise, and in name, and in beauty.”

Rabbi Valle explains three terms in the verse in Devarim as follows: ‘in praise’ refers to

The Lord’s light [benevolence], ‘in name’ refers to His vessel [will to receive] and ‘in

beauty’ joins the two together.

Which brings us back to:

לך דודי לקראת כלה פני שבת נקבלה

‘Go my love towards the bride Shabbat we will accept her.’

The term Dodi, my love, as explained by Rabbi Ashlag, refers to a date, a passionate

infrequent encounter that brings the two together, The Lord and Israel are joined together

through Shabbat (see footnote 4).

To summarize:

The goal is to bring the divine bounty, the revelation down to us [first phrase –

Leha Dodi]

This is a two-stage process:

First we must elevate God and feel a need for His presence. [first half of second

phrase – Keep and remember in a single statement we heard from the unique God

Almighty – also mirrored in Devarim ‘This day I have commanded you’ ‘To

elevate you’].

Next we bring the divine close to us, join the two seemingly disparate thoughts

God and Man [second half of second phrase – The Lord is one and His Name is

one to his name and to beauty and praise’ – also mirrored in Devarim]

These two stages are also implied in benedictions, following the Mabit we can explain

that the first stage is representative of the first part of a benediction in which refer to God

in the first person. Recognizing the greatness of the divine soul close to us we realize the

second stage that God is really distant as well and hidden from us, hence the usage of the

second person. These two stages create the need, which enables to truly enjoy the

fulfillment.

לקראת שבת לכו ונלכה, כי היא מקור הברכה, מראש מקדם נסוכה, סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה

“Towards Shabbat go and we will go, for she is the source of the blessing, from the

earliest beginning she is crowned, the conclusion of action is initial thought.”

The third verse of the poem Leha Dodi seems to repeat some of the first verses concepts.

Both the first and third verse speaks of going ‘towards’ Shabbat, yet here there is a

distinction. In the first verse we go towards the Bride of Shabbat and the third verse we

go towards Shabbat. More importantly, in the first verse ‘my love (a reference to the

divine presence)’ is invited to go towards the Bride and the third verse speaks of us,

Knesset Yisrael, heading towards Shabbat.

Beyond who goes towards what, time is another element that distinguishing between the

two verses. When is the poet inviting us to go ‘Towards Shabbat’? We have seen that

the first phrase reflects an invitation to enter into Shabbat’s domain on the eve of Shabbat

(during the twilight of Friday). What is the setting for the third phrase?

The second element of the third verse says: “ כי היא מקור הברכה, for she is the source of the

blessing.” The Zohar (Yitro; recited by some every Shabbat evening) explains that the

Shabbat table is the source of the blessing for the entire week and whosoever sets up a

table for three meals on Shabbat is assured of finding a blessing in their food throughout

the entire week. Similarly but conversely the Talmud (Betza) describes the two

mechanism employed by Hillel and Shamai in their preparations for Shabbat, they spent

the entire week searching for the appropriate Shabbat dish (see footnote 1). Thus we see

that Shabbat does not reside in isolation, there is a relationship between Shabbat and the

other days of the week.

The first half of the third verse is addressing this relationship between Shabbat and its

weekdays, we are enjoined to ‘go’ out during the week ‘towards’ the Shabbat. Why?

The second half of the third verse explains the importance of coupling this relationship,

weekdays and Shabbat. For Shabbat has been chosen since creation:

ם נסוכהמראש מקד

“From the earliest beginning she is crowned”

Why does the fact that Shabbat was crowned during the creation of the world force this

interdependency between Shabbat and its weekdays? And if Shabbat had been

designated the day of rest after the creation of the world would we not have to prepare for

Shabbat?

סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה

“The conclusion of action is initial thought”

The last segment of the third verse presents a poetic yet cryptic message. How are we to

understand and even translate this segment? One way to translate this segment might be

as follows: “God thought and pondered prior to the creation of Shabbat”. Or perhaps

taking into account the Midrash בראשית ברא, For the first God created the world, i.e. God

created the world for Israel who is known as ‘ראשית first’, we could translate as follows:

“God created Shabbat with Israel in mind.”

Both these translation have inherent difficulties. The first translation would require us to

presuppose that God needs to ‘think’ and ‘ponder’ prior to creation. These are foreign

concepts in spirituality, for there is no element of time in spirituality (see footnote 2)

The second translation is problematic because the term used is not ‘ראשית first’, but

initially.’ Moreover, while there is a Midrash that says Israel was created for ,תחילה‘

Shabbat, for Shabbat had no mate until Israel was born, in my ignorance I am not aware

of a Midrash that says Shabbat was created for Israel.

Thus the more likely translation of the final segment of the third verse follows the

Ramban’s interpretation of the distribution of creative work throughout the seven days of

creation (see Berisheet Vol I): ‘The conclusion of [God’s] creation is through our

[Israel’s] thoughts.”

[A quick synopsis of Berisheet Vol I follows:]

The process of creation has four components, construction (said), affirmation (it

was/saw), learning (divided) and understanding (called). God employed these four

components during the first three and half days of creation. During the second three and

half days, God set the stage with the first two, construction and affirmation leaving Man

to complete the creative process through learning and understanding. Shabbat, the

seventh day is an anomaly, for God completed the creative process (learning and

understanding) yet He did not initiate the earlier necessary stages, that of construction

and affirmation. Those two early stages of creation were left up to Man. Thus while the

physical world requires Man to complete the creation through action (separating and

naming) the spiritual world, as represented through Shabbat requires Man to initiate the

creation through thought (saying and affirming).

סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה

“The conclusion of action is initial thought”

The conclusion of [God’s] creation of Shabbat is through Israel’s thought, Israel’s ability

to name Shabbat ‘constructs’ Shabbat. And our recognition of Shabbat affirms its

existence. Only God can infuse Shabbat with its spirituality, make Shabbat a source of

spiritual blessing for the entire week. Only God can appreciate the distance between

Shabbat and the rest of the week, understand the distinction between spirituality and

physicality (see Psalm 92).

But Man is able, through the grace of God, and even commanded to attempt to bridge this

gap. We are enjoined to ‘go’ out during the week ‘towards’ the Shabbat to bridge the gap

from our physicality, as expressed during the week, to our spirituality, as defined on

Shabbat. [Similar to the general theme noted in Leha Dodi1, the poet is enjoining us

throughout the poem to redeem our souls, bridge the gap and free our souls from their

confinement, elevate our physical actions on Shabbat through spirituality.]

Going out during the week and purchasing a delicacy prior to Shabbat, as the Halaha

requires [following Hillel’s technique brought down in the Talmud Betza], is exactly how

we do this. We prepare for Shabbat through thought and intent; we call the Shabbat out

as special and unique constructing and affirming its existence. This completes God’s

creation of Shabbat:

לקראת שבת לכו ונלכה, כי היא מקור הברכה, מראש מקדם נסוכה, סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה

“Towards Shabbat go [during the week] and we [Israel and the Divine Presence] will go

[jointly we will complete the creation of Shabbat], for she is the source of the blessing

[God blessed her, see Genesis] from the earliest beginning she is crowned, [i.e. God

performed the final two creative acts learning and understanding during the creation of

the world, yet], the conclusion of action is initial thought [we, Israel, must complete the

action through our intentions].”

Two simple commandments; prepare for Shabbat by designating food prior to Shabbat

and sanctify Shabbat through setting the table three times, are keys given to us to help

bring spirituality into our lives. Try it.

מקדש מלך עיר מלוכה קומי צאי מתוך ההפכה רב לך שבת בעמק הבכה והוא יחמול עליך חמלה

"The sanctuary of the king, the city of reign; rise, leave the upturned, enough you have

settled in the valley of tears, and He will mercifully have mercy upon you."

לך דודי לקראת כלה פני שבת נקבלה

‘Go my love towards the bride Shabbat we will accept her.’

We must go out and prepare ourselves for Shabbat.

אחד השמיענו אל המיוחד ה' אחד ושמו אחד לשם ולתפארת ולתהלה שמור וזכור בדבור

“Keep and remember in one speech, The Unique Almighty made us hear, The Lord is one

and His Name is one, for the name and the beauty and the praise.”

We must elevate God and describe His greatness and our insignificance.

לקראת שבת לכו ונלכה, כי היא מקור הברכה, מראש מקדם נסוכה, סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה

“Towards Shabbat go and we will go, for she is the source of the blessing, from the

earliest beginning she is crowned, the conclusion of action is initial thought.”

We must prepare during the week for Shabbat and on Shabbat complete God’s

preparation.

מקדש מלך עיר מלוכה קומי צאי מתוך ההפכה רב לך שבת בעמק הבכה והוא יחמול עליך חמלה

The sanctuary of the king, the city of reign; rise, leave the upturned, enough you have

settled in the valley of tears, and He will mercifully have mercy upon you.

In the first three stanzas of Leha Dodi speak about what we need to do to prepare for and

create the additional sanctity of Shabbat. In the fourth and subsequent stanzas the

perspective changes, we begin a relatively long discourse on Shabbat’s redemptive

qualities from God’s perspective.

Two introductions are necessary to appreciate this new perspective, a structural analysis

of the poem and a quick analysis of Psalm 84.

The macro structure of the poem Leha Dodi can be seen as 1; 2-3; 4-9; 10, the first and

last stanzas frame the poem inviting us to join Shabbat in the first and Shabbat to join us

in the last. Stanzas 2 and 3 have explicit references to Shabbat and are quite distinct from

stanzas 4 through 9. Yet although stanzas 4 through 9 do not reference Shabbat explicitly

clearly they are describing Shabbat as well, since that is the motif of the entire poem. To

express these redemptive overtures, the poet has taken the phrases from the great

consolatory prophecies of Isaiah (recited in the seven consolatory Haftorot).

A second source that the poet draws upon for the content of Leha Dodi is Psalm 84: צבאות. 'תיך הידידות משכנו-מה ב

“How friendly are the dwellings of The Lord of hosts”

The Hida (Yosef Tehilim) explains, ‘How friendly are your dwellings’, two dwellings

one above and one below. The earthly Temple mirrors the heavenly Temple and yearns

to join it in friendship (see Leha Dodi 2, Rabbi Ashlag interpretation of the word Dodi).

Looked at from an inner perspective the two dwellings refer to two souls (or two aspects

of the soul). We can speak of the ethereal soul that is locked inside our bodies and its’

yearning to join the divine soul in the heavens. On Shabbat these two souls are joined,

the Nishama Yetera descends into the body as the body is elevated and redeemed through

Shabbat.

Thus Leha Dodi’s references to the consolatory readings from Isaiah and to Psalm 84

express the redemptive qualities of Shabbat (see footnote 1).

The fourth stanza refers both to the consolatory prophecies and to Psalm 84 explicitly.

The first stanza of this section (stanza 4) ends with a reference to the last verse of the last

consolatory prophecy found in Isaiah 63:9:

(In Leha Dodi we sing) והוא יחמול עליך חמלה

“and He will mercifully have mercy upon you.”

תובאהבתו --צרתם לא )לו( צר, ומלאך פניו הושיעם-בכל ימי -, הוא גאלם; וינטלם וינשאם, כלובחמל

עולם.

“And in all their difficulties He is in straights, and the angel of His face saved them, with

His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He carried and elevated them forever.”

And the earlier the poet reference Psalm 84: (In Leha Dodi we sing) רב לך שבת בעמק הבכה

“enough you have settled in the valley of tears”

ברי ז א, ע כ מק הב יעטה מורה. ברכות, -גם ;ישיתוהומעין --בע

“Those that pass in the valley of tears cause others to drink from the well; also blessings

the teacher will direct.”

What does passing in the valley of tears have to do with Shabbat and what special pity

does God shower upon us that takes us out of the valley of tears?

מקדש מלך

The sanctuary of the king

Who is the king and to which sanctuary is the poet referring?

Perhaps the king refereed to are none other than The Children of Israel who elevated to

royalty at the giving of the Torah when they received two crowns for saying ‘We will do

and we will listen.’ When The Children of Israel transgressed at Mount Sinai with the

Golden Calf, they were required to return the two crowns they had received.

The Ben Ish Hai (Ben Ish Hayil Drashot Shabbat Kala) asks why if the two crowns were

given for two words, were both crowns returned for the single transgression of only ‘we

shall do?’ The Children of Israel did not sin in thought or study only in action. Why then

were both crowns taken away? The Ben Ish Hai answers through an analogy to a pair of

earrings, when one is missing the value of the second drops. Yet, the single earring still

has some value, this is why, explains the Ben Ish Hai, The Children of Israel (through

Moshe) were given the Neshama Yitera on Shabbat (see footnote 2).

Note how the Talmud (Betza 16a) learns from the verse ‘וינפש’ that Israel receives a

Nishama Yetera on Shabbat. טז,א גמרא דףקרן כי"ר חמא ברבי חנינא הנותן מתנה לחברו אין צריך להודיעו שנאמר )שמות לד( ומשה לא ידע א

טובה יש לי מתנהעור פניו מיתיבי )שמות לא( לדעת כי אני ה' מקדשכם אמר לו הקב"ה למשה משה רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אמרשבת שמה ואני מבקש ליתנה לישראל לך והודיע אותם מכאן בבית גנזי ו

הא במתנה דלא עבידא לאגלוייהנותן פת לתינוק צריך להודיע לאמו לא קשיא הא במתנה דעבידא אמר מר מכאן אמר רשב"ג :לאגלויילאגלויי שבת נמי מתנה דעבידא לאגלויי מתן שכרה לא עבידא

ליה משחא ומלי ליה כוחלא והאידנא שייףינוק צריך להודיע לאמו מאי עביד ליה הנותן פת לתהמין א"ר יוחנן משום ר' שמעון בן יוחי כל מאותודחיישינן לכשפים מאי אמר רב פפא שייף ליה

חוץ משבת שנתן להם בצנעא שנאמר )שמות לא( בפרהסיאמצות שנתן להם הקב"ה לישראל נתן להם אי הכי לא לענשו נכרים עלה שבת אודועי אודעינהו מתן שכרה לעולםשראל אות היא ביני ובין בני י

אימא מתן שכרה נמי אודעינהו נשמה יתירה לא אודעינהו דאמר רבי שמעון בן בעיתלא אודעינהו ואי יתירה נותן הקב"ה באדם ערב שבת ולמוצאי שבת נוטלין אותה הימנו שנאמר )שמות לא( נשמהלקיש

פש כיון ששבת ווי אבדה נפשוינ שבת

On Shabbat we receive the Nishama Yetera and are clothed in the royal crown that we

lost through the sin of the golden calf. The presence of the Nishama Yetera is a direct

fulfillment of the verse “ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם”, and you shall make me a sanctified

place (tabernacle) and I will reside within them. Thus, on Shabbat we construct a

Tabernacle/Temple within ourselves by reclaiming our crown -- מקדש מלך (see footnote

3).

עיר מלוכה

the city of reign;

The royal city is Jerusalem, Jerusalem Rabbi Gottlieb explained reflects the dialectic

between fear and completeness ‘יראה ושלם’. Thus, ideally when we have successfully

anointed ourselves and wear our crown, we should reside in Jerusalem symbol of

completeness, yet to do that we must first overcome the residue of the weekdays efforts.

What does it mean to be complete in Fear? When is one incomplete in fear?

קומי צאי מתוך ההפכה

rise, leave the upturned

We spend the week in an upside down world, instead of worshiping The Lord from fear

stemming from love, we love God from fear (see Maimonidies Hilhot Teshuva 10:1-4).

(maybe compare with Parshat Behalotha, ‘arise o’Lord and disperse your enemies’ see

Rabbi B. Ashlag on the Torah).

See Maimonidies Hilhot Teshuva 10:1-4 (quoted here)

תשובה פרק י הלכות

בתורה או כדי הכתובותיאמר אדם הריני עושה מצוות התורה ועוסק בחכמתה, כדי שאקבל הברכות אל א

שאינצל מן הקללות הכתובות בתורה כדישאזכה לחיי העולם הבא; ואפרוש מן העבירות שהזהירה תורה מהן,

או כדי שלא איכרת מחיי העולם הבא.

Simliar to Rashi on Sotah 31a.

מעלת הנביאים, ולא ואינהשהעובד על דרך זו, הוא עובד מיראה; ראוי לעבוד את ה', על דרך זו: אין ב

והקטנים, שמחנכין אותן לעבוד מיראה, והנשיםואין עובד את ה' על דרך זו, אלא עמי הארץ מעלת החכמים.

עד שתרבה דעתן ויעבדו מאהבה.

בעולם, לא מפני יראת דברלא מפני --תורה ובמצוות והולך בנתיבות החכמה]ב[ העובד מאהבה, עוסק ב ג

הטובה לבוא בכלל. וסוףאלא עושה האמת, מפני שהוא אמת; הרעה, ולא כדי לירש הטובה:

Compare with Rashi on Sotah 31a

ו, שקראו הקדוש אבינ אברהםוהיא מעלת זו היא מעלה גדולה עד מאוד, ואין כל חכם זוכה לה. ומעלה ד

בה הקדוש ברוך הוא על ידי משה רבנו, שציוונווהיא המעלה ברוך הוא אוהבו לפי שלא עבד אלא מאהבה.

ובזמן (.יא,א דברים; ו,ה דבריםנפשך, ובכל מאודך" ) ובכלשנאמר "ואהבת, את ה' אלוהיך, בכל לבבך

המצוות מאהבה. כלשיאהוב את ה' אהבה הראויה, מיד יעשה

Back to Leha Dodi

רב לך שבת בעמק הבכה

enough you have settled in the valley of tears

The entire week the nation has been defining its need and the righteous our helping

through conveying this need to God.

The Hida (in Homat Anah) explains in the name of the A”ri, that the righteous are a

conduit of benevolence. Through Aliyat M”an, the nation causes a need to arise in the

righteous, the righteous turn to The Lord for help and the Lord fulfills their need. This in

turn enables the righteous to fulfill the need of the people and direct the heavenly

blessings to the people.

Now is the time, with the Nishama Yetera on Shabbat, to change gears and have the

righteous direct the nation. Instead of the righteous conveying the nation’s needs/request

to God, the righteous need to convey God’s request to the nation. The nation should now

start to worship God through fear founded on love.

Entering Shabbat does not only give to us, it asks of us. We are required on Shabbat to

make the special effort not to spoil the Nishama Yetera, hence the additional injunctions

to watch our speech on Shabbat (see Baal Shem Tov’s parable king, poor man, garbage)

and to attend the Shabbat Drashsa (see Maimonidies). Until Shabbat entered we were

focused on defining our needs. Once Shabbat comes, we must be careful to situate

ourselves to receive the fulfillment of our needs, the divine light. We asked for the crown

of ‘listening’ and received it (or partially), now we must make use of it.

Yet alone we will not succeed.

יחמול עליך חמלהוהוא

and He will mercifully have mercy upon you.

Only through God’s pity upon us, can we hope to overcome the evil inclination, even on

Shabbat. The redemptive qualities of Shabbat stem from Him, only The Lord can bring

us to love Him as Isaiah says through His love and His pity He redeemed us באהבתו

not through our love. Our love can only come after His love redeems ,ובחמלתו הוא גאלם

us.

התנערי מעפר קומי לבשי בגדי תפארתך עמי“Stir yourself and rise from the dust, wear the adorned clothes of your nation.”

What are the ‘adorned clothes’, בגדי תפארת , and how do we wear them?

These adorned clothes, referenced in the song Leha Dodi, are to be found in a verse in

Isaiah chapter 52:1.

פרק נב ישעיהו

י לבש עורי לבשי עזך, ציון: עורי א ךי בגד דשתפארת לם עיר הק א--, ירוש א יוסיף יב ך עוד, -כי ל לב ר ע

א. מ ר קומי שבי, התנערי ב וט פ ע םמ ל ך, שביה ירוש י צואר }ס{ ציון.-בת; התפתחו )התפתחי( מוסר

“Awaken, awaken, put on your strength, Zion. Wear your clothes of adornment…”

Rabbi Valle notes that these clothes of adornment mentioned in Isaiah are a reference to

the clothes that Jacob wore, the day he was blessed by his father Isaac. These clothes are

infamous, for they were the clothes of Esau (who stole them from Nimrod who got them

from Adam who received them from God) and Jacob took them to cover himself and

conceal his smooth skin. Yet, the Midrash tells us that when Jacob wore these clothes his

father betook of the aroma of paradise. Why did Esau’s clothes, as worn by Jacob, smell

of paradise?

The Talmud (Taanit 29b) juxtaposes a reference to these clothes of adornment and the

aroma of paradise with a seemingly completely different idea, the requirement to

diminish happiness during the first nine days of the month of Ab.

תענית פרק ד מסכת

אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה כו': גמרא אכט, דף אב ממעטין בשמחה כך משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה שמשנכנסדרב כשם

באב דריע מיניהאמר רב פפא הלכך בר ישראל דאית ליה דינא בהדי נכרי לישתמיט כט,ב גמרא דףאמר רב יהודה בריה ותקוהמצי נפשיה באדר דבריא מזליה )ירמיהו כט( לתת לכם אחרית מזליה ולי

( ויאמר ראה ריח בני כריח שדה כזדרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב אלו דקלים וכלי פשתן )בראשית דרב כריח שדה של תפוחים: משמיהאשר ברכו ה' אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת

Mishna: When Ab enters we diminish happiness etc.: Said Rav Yehuda the son of Rav

Shmuel son of Shilat in the name of Rav: ‘Just like when Ab enters we diminish

happiness so when Adar enters we increase happiness.’ Said Rav Pappa: ‘therefore a son

of Israel that has a judgment with a stranger should avoid him during Ab, for his luck is

bad and make himself available in Adar where is luck is strong.’ Jeremiah 29: “To give

them hope and a continuation” said Rav Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel son of Shilat in

the name of Rav: ‘these are the palm trees and linen tools/clothes.’ Genesis 27: “And he

said: ‘look the aroma of my son is like the aroma of a field that The Lord blessed.’ Said

Rav Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel son of Shilat in the name of Rav: ‘like a field of

apples’.

This Talmudic passage cues off the statement in the Mishna, that we must diminish our

happiness when the month of Ab enters. How does one diminish happiness? There must

be degrees of happiness, ‘a little bit happy’, ‘very happy’ and ‘super happy’ and during

Ab we must avoid the ‘super happy’ and downgrade to some lower degree. How can we

control how happy we are?

Maimonidies differentiates between different degrees of happiness in Hilhot, Eishot

10:14 and Yom Tov 6:17.

שביתת יום טוב פרק ז הלכות

ואין נושאין נשים ולא .לאבל]טז[ אין רואין את הנגעים במועד, שמא יימצא טמא ונמצא חגו נהפך טו

; אבל מחזיר הוא את גרושתו, ומארסין נשים הנישואיןמייבמין במועד, כדי שלא תשתכח שמחת החג בשמחת

ה אחרת בשמחת החג.ולא סעודת נישואין, כדי שלא יערב שמח אירוסיןובלבד שלא יעשה סעודת --במועד

“…And one does not marry women nor Yebamot during the holiday, in order that he

should not forget the happiness of the holiday with the happiness of the wedding…as

long as he does not make an engagement feast nor a wedding feast, so as not to mix a

different happiness with the happiness of the holiday.”

אישות פרק י הלכות

אבל לשמחה, צריך .כאחדלו לאדם לישא נשים רבות כאחת, ביום אחד, ומברך ברכת חתנים לכול, יש יג

רבין שמחה , שלושה; ואין מעבעולהאם בתולה, שבעה, ואם --לשמוח עם כל אחת ואחת שמחה הראויה לה

בשמחה.

אין נושאין נשים, לא אבל לאדם לישא בכל יום חול, אפילו בתשעה באב, בין ביום, בין בלילה. מותר יד

הסעודה, שהחתן טרוד בסעודתו; בתיקוןגזירה שמא יבוא לידי חילול שבת --בערב שבת ולא באחד בשבת

לפי שאין --אין נושאין נשים, כמו שביארנו של מועד, בחולוואפילו ואין צריך לומר, שאסור לישא בשבת.

ושאר הימים, (.,כזכט בראשיתמערבין שמחה בשמחה, שנאמר "מלא, שבוע זאת; וניתנה לך גם את זאת" )

מים קודם יום הנישואין.י שלושהוהוא שיטרח בסעודת נישואין, --מותר לישא בכל יום שירצה

The Lehem Mishna on Maimonidies in Hilhot Yom Tov notes the seeming contradiction

in Maimonidies legislation that a man should not marry during the Holiday. In Hilhot

Yom Tov Maimonidies brings the reason that “he should not forget the happiness of the

holiday with the happiness of the wedding” while in Hilhot Eishot Maimonidies brings

the reason “as not to mix a different happiness with the happiness of the holiday.”

We might add an even stronger difficulty; Maimonidies in Hilhot Yom Tov actually

brings down both reasons as to why one should not marry during the holiday, well which

is it?

Perhaps the simple explanation is that Maimonidies differentiates between the actually

marriage and the wedding feast. A feast is an occasion when we must be careful ‘not to

mix a different happiness with the happiness of the holiday.’ This we can see from

Hilhot Eishot 10:13 where the definition of ‘one does not mix happiness with happiness’

clearly refers to the happiness of the wedding feast. Also note in Hilhot Yom Tov 7:15,

Maimonidies ends: ‘…as long as he does not make an engagement feast nor a wedding

feast, so as not to mix a different happiness with the happiness of the holiday.’

When Maimonidies in Hilhot Yom Tov 7:15 states ‘…and we do not marry women and

do not Yebam during the holiday, so that the happiness of the holiday should not be

forgotten in the happiness of the wedding’ he is referring to a wedding without a feast.

There are two types of happiness, a happiness brought on through fulfillment of physical

need, a feast of some sort and happiness brought through spiritual fulfillment. A wedding

feast and a holiday feast perform the exact same act, they fill the stomach of the people

who partake in the feast, and they are the prototypical examples of physical fulfillment.

If you mix the two feasts together there is no way to differentiate between the happiness

generated through the fulfillment of the need, hunger. Was it the holiday aspect of the

feast or the wedding aspect of the feast that filled our stomach? Since there is only one

physical need, we are mixing the happiness together when we fulfill that need with a feast

with double meaning.

However, there is a spiritual non-physical need that is fulfilled by the holiday as well.

This need of Man to not be alone, to couple with God, is fulfilled during the holiday.

This need is quite similar to the spiritual need of man, fulfilled through marriage.

Spiritual needs are different than physical needs, the hunger for spiritual needs are not

satiated with their fulfillment (see Leha Dodi 1 – Talmud Brahot 40a). Thus, unlike the

physical hunger that is fulfilled through the feast, the spiritual hunger would not end with

his marriage to a woman. Hence we could argue that Man should be allowed to marry

during the holiday since he is not ‘mixing’ the two happiness’s, man will not be full and

unable to partake in the spiritual union.

Unfortunately, the happiness that comes to a man through his earthly companionship and

fulfillment of his void of loneliness will distract man from his other spiritual need and

other holy union. Thus Maimonidies brings the second reason for why a wedding alone,

even without a feast is prohibited, ‘so that the happiness of the holiday should not be

forgotten in the happiness of the wedding’.

To summarize we see from Maimonidies that there are different types of happiness that

stem from physical or spiritual fulfillment. Perhaps a difference between an ‘old

mourning’ and ‘new mourning’ is the difference between physical fulfillment and

spiritual fulfillment. During a new mourning one must abstain even from spiritual

fulfillment. During the time of the destruction of the Temple, during the great loss of The

Lord’s presence, not only was physical fulfillment to be avoided but also spiritual

fulfillment. During our generation, when we mourn a destruction that is over two

thousand years old, we are permitted to partake in spiritual fulfillment even on the 9th of

Ab, such as a wedding or engagement; however the physical fulfillment is prohibited to

us.

This distinction between physical and spiritual fulfillment is also implied in the Talmud

in Taanit 29b quoted above. This Talmudic passage juxtaposes three saying of Rav

Yehuda the son of Rav Shmuel son of Shilat in the name of Rav, with an explanation by

Rav Pappa in the middle.

The second statement of Rav Yehuda attempts to elucidate a verse in Jeremiah 29. The

Hida quoting Rabbi Meir A’arama (Homat Anah) explains the preceding verses in

Jeremiah as follows: ‘Go take wives and give birth to boys and girls…’ the Children of

Israel may have thought that they were prohibited from marrying and having children

during the exile in Babylon, just as Yosef abstained during the years of Egyptian drought.

Comes Jeremiah in chapter 29 and decrees that they must marry and raise families, for

this exile is good for them “To give them hope and a continuation.” Thus, Jeremiah

commands them, continues the Hida, to have children and raise families even beyond the

obligated minimum necessary for fulfillment of the commandment of ‘be fruitful and

multiply’.

Maimonidies legislates this idea in Hilhot Taaniot 3:8 תענייות פרק ג הלכות

שמחה שלממעטין במשא ומתן, ובבניין של שמחה כגון ציור וכיור, ובנטיעה --אלו ולא נענו עברו חוממעטין באירוסין ונישואין, אלא אם כן לא קיים מצות פרייה ורבייה; וכל כגון מיני הדס ואהלים.

.פרייה ורבייה, אסור לו לשמש מיטתו בשני רעבון מצותמי שקיים

”These pass and they have not been answered—we limit business, and construction of

happiness such as painting and faucets, and planting of happiness such as types of Hadas

and Ahalim. And we limit engagements and weddings, unless he has not fulfilled the

commandment to be fruitful and multiply; and anyone that has fulfilled the

commandment to be fruitful and multiple is prohibited from utilizing his bed during the

years of a famine.”

Thus Jeremiah is teaching us that even though we are in exile and mourn the destruction

of the Temple, we are not prohibited certain types of happiness, such as weddings, that

would be prohibited in a time of famine. The reason is simple, it was not a time of

famine as Rav Yehuda in the Talmud in Taanit 29b explained: “To give them hope and a

continuation.” To give them palm trees and linen things, this proves that God provided

the needs, food and clothing, of the Children of Israel during the Babylonian exile. The

reason Israel was allowed and even commanded to marry and raise large families during

the exile, was that God provided their physical needs. If the Children of Israel had

suffered God forbid from a famine in Babylon, they would not have been permitted to

have extended families.

How do redeem ourselves from exile, through the blessing of The Lord. Blessing only

can be bestowed in happiness, hence Isaac was able to bless Jacob when he smelled in the

aroma of a field of apples. The field of apples represents a receptacle for Tiferet (see

Zohar Toldot). Jacob, a complete individual (Ish Tam), had no faults and needed to

borrow Esau’s clothes, Esau’s faults in order to create a need that his father, Isaac, could

fulfill. This was a dangerous endeavour and only turned out successfully because Jacob

adhered to his mother’s commands (see Pri HaEtz).

Certain times of year we do not tempt ourselves. Since though happiness is only possible

through fulfillment of a need, and definition of a need is temptation, we are restrained

from happiness. Thus Rabbi Ashlag explains the injunction that we ‘limit happiness’

when the Talmud should have said ‘we limit something that brings to happiness’, since

we are really limited in this time in defining temptations/needs, this has the effect of

limiting happiness. The stranger Rav Pappa says we should try and go to court with in

Adar and not Ab is the stranger inside us, the evil inclination. Since Ab is a month where

we must diminish our happiness hence we should avoid judgments with a strangers in

that month, i.e. we should avoid dealing with our evil inclination when we win we end up

happy which we are obliged to avoid during this period of mourning.

These nine days are a time to seek our spiritual faults and not tempt our evil inclination

with physical faults. For while we must limit our physical happiness during a time of

‘old’ mourning, we must also continue to strive for spiritual happiness, confident in the

knowledge and faith that our current exile is also “To give them hope and a

continuation.” Through searching for our faults and our spiritual needs we can create a

basis for a relationship with God, wherein He becomes our provider of those needs. May

the 9th of Ab speedily turn to a day of rejoicing and happiness.

Notes:

1. Perhaps we can understand this in lieu of the Hida’s explanation (following Rabbi

Monsoon) of the two stage process of redemption (Hida, Ruah HaHayyim,

Drashat Shabbat HaGadol 1?,2?). When we go out to greet the Bride, even

though we do not see the Bride our soul sees.

2. Compare Talmud Shabbat 119a, “A man does not see his own obligation” to

Rabbi B. Ashlag’s letter that his students are confusing other people external

thoughts as their internal thoughts. Similar to Shabbat, transgression of removing

from domain to domain

1. We sing ‘The Lord is one and His name is one’ yet doesn’t Rashi (Parshat

Beshaleh/KiTeza (Amalek) and VaEthanan, (Shema)) explain that His name is

not one until the final redemption? Perhaps this is fair because the first three

phrases of Leha Dodi refer to Keter, Hohma and Bina. And in the higher three

spheres The Lord and His Name may be one even now – again since time plays

no role in spirituality.

2. See further the Etz Yosef on the Ein Yakov Brahot 40b – verse for source of

blessing).

3. The Hida brings down the Jerusalem Talmud in which a different source is given,

from Psalms: “I would elevate you my God The King and I will bless you name

for evermore. Every day I will bless you and I will praise Your Name for

evermore.”

4. The Ben Ish Hai (Ben-Yehuyada – Babba Kamma) explains that we are inviting

the angels that surround us to join us in greeting Shabbat. These angels are the

same two angels that accompany a Jew home on Shabbat, the good inclination

and the evil inclination. If all is well, the good angel coerces the bad angel to

bless the Jew. These are all the same two angels that the Zohar says Jacob sent to

Esau and that the verse in Psalm 91 refers to ‘for He commands His angels to

keep you in all your paths.’. Thus even Rabbi Hanina was inviting the two

opposing forces to join and greet the Shabbat together

5. The Meiri and the Rokeah (quoted in the Beit Yosef) say that prayers do not

require a recitation of His Name and Kingship, only benedictions do.

1. See Rabbi Zera Baruh’s interpretation brought down by the Ben Ish Hai on the

Talmud’s statement that if only Israel were to keep two Shabbatot. Where a

Shabbat is defined as the three weekday preceding and following Shabbat).

2. Rabbi Ashlag (Introduction to the Wisdom of Qabbala) explains that whenever a

temporal sequence is described in a spiritual environment the reference to time

describe a ‘cause and effect’ relationship. The Talmud/Midrash says that God

initially created the world with the characteristic of Judgment, yet later he saw

that Mercy was required. This is to be understood as follows: The cause of the

introduction of the characteristic of Mercy was Judgment.

1. Different aspects of the soul are in need of different degrees of redemption, or

said in other way, some aspects are more distant from God. Stanzas 1-3 represent

the three closest levels to God (Keter, Hohma & Bina), still in exile yet close

enough to explicitly see the redemptive powers of Shabbat. Stanzas 4-9 are in

exile and cannot even reference their redeemer explicitly, they can only speak of

the pain of exile. While the last stanza is on the one hand the most distant, yet

also the most active in bringing the redemption (Malhut).

2. Rabbi Ben Zion Muzafi explained in the name of A”ri that when the Children of

Israel recite the last stanza from the Leha Dodi, “Come Shabbat the king”, Moshe

returns their lost crown. Moshe through his supplication to God for forgiveness

was awarded these crowns, ‘ישמח משה במתנת חלקו’. Yet Moshe in his

righteousness does not want to enjoy gifts from others, not even spiritual gifts,

explained Rabbi Muzafi, hence he returns the crown to the Children of Israel on

Shabbat. [There is a Midrash that Moshe authored Psalm 92, the acrostic of the

first words spells out Moshe].

3. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says in the Gemara that a child gets marked on his

head, to notify others of the present, just like Israel wore a crown at the giving of

the Torah.

4. (Isaiah 63:9), on who does God have pity? Yehezkel 36:?? On His Name!

5. Talmud Sotah 31a – verse in Isaiah leads to Maimonidies Hilhot Teshuva

1. Happiness is a reaction to an event, how do we control that event Rabbi Baruh

Ashlag Mamarim B, Simha

2. The Magen David on the Shulhan Aruch 551, asks, why do we need special

permission to permit one to engange a woman during the nine days, for we know

that engagements without a meal are not a happy occasion, thus there is no reason

to prohibit them. Just as we see from Hol HaMoead.

3. Ben Isha Hai, ben Yehuyada Sanhedrin 37, or Taanit

4. Toldot Yakov Yosef on Matot Masei, quotes the Baal Shem Tov, when a person

says a good word about his fellow in front of a minister (man of power) he clothes

himself/or the person with the clothes of adornment.

5. The Talmud in Sanhedrin 37 explains how Israel, even the ‘traitors’ among them

protect themselves from sin. These is derived from Jacob’s wearing of the

‘clothes’. Clothing of adornment (Jacob defines Tiferet) increase our needs. And

when worn correctly bring a smell of paradise.

6. Yebamot 43a יבמות פרק ד מסכת

מג,ב גמרא דף ליארסלה רב אשי ממאי דליארס ליארס ממש דלמא למיעבד סעודת אירוסין הוא דאסור הא מתקיף

הכי דמישפיר דמי אי הכי מלישא לינשא נמי למיעבד סעודת נשואין הוא דאסור הא לישא שפיר

אמר אלאמי איכא שמחה השתא בשלמא נשואין בלא סעודה איכא שמחה אלא אירוסין בלא סעודה רב אשי שאני אבילות חדשה מאבילות ישנה ושאני אבילות דרבים מאבילות דיחיד:

7. Moed Katan 18b מועד קטן פרק ג מסכת

ליה מסייעאמר שמואל מותר לארס אשה בחולו של מועד שמא יקדמנו אחר לימא יח,ב גמרא דףגידל אמר רב וכדרבדושין ממש לא שטרי פסיקתא ואלו כותבין במועד קדושי נשים מאי לאו שטרי ק

וכך עמדו וקדשו קנו הן כךדאמר רב גידל אמר רב כמה אתה נותן לבנך כך וכך כמה אתה נותן לבתך לא בתולות ולא אלמנות ולא במועדהן הדברים הנקנין באמירה לימא מסייע ליה אין נושאין נשים

לא מיבעיא לארס דלא קעביד מצוה קאמרמיבעיא מיבמין מפני ששמחה היא לו הא לארס שרי לאדבי שמואל מארסין אבל לא כונסין ואין דתנאאלא אפילו לישא נמי דקא עביד מצוה אסור תא שמע

היא לו ש"מ ומי אמר שמואל שמא יקדמנו אחר ששמחהעושין סעודת אירוסין ולא מיבמין מפני יוצאת ואומרת בת פלוני לפלוני שדה פלוני לפלוני בת קול ויוםוהאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל בכל יום

כי הא דרבא שמעיה לההוא גברא דבעי רחמי ואמר תזדמן לי פלניתא ברחמיםאלא שמא יקדמנו אחר הכי אי חזיא לך לא אזלא מינך ואי לא כפרת בה' בתר הכי שמעיה דקאמר או רחמיא"ל לא תיבעי

מקמה או איהי תמות מקמיה א"ל לאו אמינא לך לא תיבעי עלה דמילתא לימותאיהו

8. Moed Katan 9a/8b מועד קטן פרק א מסכת

לו היאאין נושאין נשים במועד לא בתולות ולא אלמנות ולא מייבמין מפני ששמחה ,ב משנהח דףשניוול הוא מפניסוד אבל מחזיר הוא את גרושתו ועושה אשה תכשיטיה במועד רבי יהודה אומר לא ת

:ממתחיןלה ההדיוט תופר כדרכו והאומן מכליב ומסרגין את המטות רבי יוסי אומר אלעזר אמר רבי רביוכי שמחה היא לו מאי הוי אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל וכן אמר ח,ב גמרא דף

רב[ הונא רבה בר ] בשמחהאושעיא ואמרי לה אמר ר' אלעזר אמר ר' חנינא לפי שאין מערבין שמחה יוסף הא דרבה בר ]רב[ הונא לרבאמר מפני שמניח שמחת הרגל ועוסק בשמחת אשתו אמר ליה אביי

נשים במועד שנאמר )דברים טז( נושאיןדרב הוא דאמר רב דניאל בר קטינא אמר רב מנין שאין ורביה יצחק נפחא אמר מפני ביטול פריה רביושמחת בחגך בחגך ולא באשתך עולא אמר מפני הטורח

9. What is the relationship between happiness and going to court?

Taanit 5:3,6;

תענייות פרק ה הלכות

כלי וללבושושבת שחל תשעה באב להיות בתוכה, אסור לספר ולכבס אב, ממעטין בשמחה. משייכנס ו

וכבר נהגו ישראל, , אסור.התעניתיח לאחר מגוהץ, אפילו כלי פשתן, עד שיעבור התענית; ואפילו לכבס ולהנ

התענית; ויש מקומות שנהגו לבטל השחיטה שיעבורשלא לאכול בשר בשבת זו, ולא ייכנסו למרחץ, עד

מראש החודש, עד התענית.