From: Yeshivat Har Etzion Office <office@etzion.org.il>
To: yhe-halak@etzion.org.il
Subject: HALAKHA62 -06: Kabbalat Shabbat
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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Kabbalat Shabbat
By Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein
Translated by David Silverberg
We use the term "Kabbalat Shabbat" (literally, "the
welcoming of Shabbat") to refer to the series of chapters
from Tehillim and poems recited with the onset of Shabbat
prior to arvit on Friday evening. Although the custom of
this recitation received its final form as we know it only
in 16th-century Tzefat[1], the basic idea of welcoming the
Shabbat queen appears already in the Talmud. The Gemara
(Shabbat 119a) [2] tells of the following practices:
"Rabbi Chanina would wrap himself and stand towards
evening of Erev Shabbat and say, 'Come, let us go to
greet the Shabbat queen!' Rabbi Yannai would don his
garment on Erev Shabbat and say, 'Come, O queen, come O
queen!'"
Indeed, in "Lekha Dodi," the majestic hymn of Rav Shlomo
Alkabetz, we follow Rabbi Chanina's example and go out to
welcome the Shabbat queen.
However, when we carefully consider the Kabbalat
Shabbat service, we immediately take note of the fact that
the concept of going out to welcome the Shabbat queen is
nowhere reflected in the Psalms we recite in this service.
They do not relate to our greeting of the queen that occurs
in "Lekha Dodi." Why, then, do we recite these chapters of
Tehillim as we bring in Shabbat?
The group of introductory Psalms deals with the
completion of creation and the psalmist's wonder and
amazement over this phenomenon. The onset of Shabbat marks
not only the moment of the arrival of the Shabbat queen at
our doorstep accompanied by the ministering angels, but also
the completion of the six days of the workweek. Shabbat
constitutes not only a day of rest and intimacy similar to
the world to come, a day when the individual experiences
private communion with the Almighty by abstaining from the
mundane world of activity, but also the "seventh day" that
blends with the six workdays. Its sanctity flows not only
from its characteristic of "the day of Shabbat," but also
from its being "the seventh day."[3] Therefore, the
transition from the workweek to Shabbat finds its expression
in our liturgy through a look back, a surveying of the
enterprise of creation. This unit of Psalms (Tehillim 95-
99) does not welcome Shabbat, but rather praises the
greatness of the Creator as manifest in the creation. The
Kabbalists expressed this idea by noting that these selected
chapters correspond to the six days of creation, or the six
days of the workweek.
In truth, we speak here not only of a different angle,
but of viewing man's position in the world in an entirely
different light. "Lekha Dodi" expresses the importance of
man as he goes to welcome Shabbat together with her Beloved,
in a manner appropriately befitting the queen. Shabbat is
Kenesset Yisrael's mate, as it were[4], for this purpose the
individual receives "an additional soul,"[5] and Shabbat
constitutes the covenant between him and the Almighty.
Shabbat is reserved for Am Yisrael, the firstborn son of the
Almighty. The other nations have no share in it, as the
Gemara stresses (Beitza 16a), based on Scriptural sources.
Whereas a non-Jew who observes Shabbat is liable for the
death penalty, a Jew observes Shabbat as a day of enjoyment.
The angle of "Lekhu Neranena" (the first of the Psalms
recited in Kabbalat Shabbat), by contrast, takes the
perspective of Tehillim 8:
"When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and stars that You set in place: what is man
that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You
have taken note of him?"
Standing opposite the endless vastness of existence, man
senses his nothingness with respect to the boundless domains
of time and space; his smallness and insignificance are
revealed to him in full force. With the closing of the six
days of creation, as the individual stands before the
Creator at the moments of transition from the world of
activity to the world of rest and cessation, he contemplates
creation and declares the need to praise and thank the
Creator on account of His greatness and power:
"For the Lord is a great God, the great King of all
divine beings. In His hand are the depths of the
earth; the peaks of the mountains are His. His is the
sea, He made it; and the land, which His hands
fashioned." (Tehillim 95, the first Psalm recited)
This idea runs like a thread through the other Psalms,
starting from chapter 96, which turns to the individual and
calls upon him to tell of the wonders of creation and the
powers of the awesome God, in whose presence the entire
world trembles.[6] This theme then continues throughout the
other Psalms, in which man is portrayed standing before the
greatness of the Creator, His majesty and splendor. They
speak not of the relationship between a lover and her
beloved, but of a creature gazing in awe at the eminence of
his master. In this sense, no distinction exists between
Jew and gentile, between those included in the covenant and
those on the outside: they all stand in submission before
the King.
This characterizes the basic frame of reference of
these Psalms. We will now proceed to a more detailed
analysis of these chapters. As in other places in Tehillim,
we can learn much about the meaning of these Psalms by
studying their relationship with one another. It is easy to
notice that chapters 96-97 parallel chapters 98-99. Even a
momentary glance at the opening and concluding verses of
chapters 96 in comparison with those of chapter 98
immediately confirms this premise, just as the introduction
to chapter 97 parallels that of chapter 99. We thus have in
this unit two corresponding sections, each containing two
Psalms (96-97; 98-99) that relate to creation. We must
address the systematic repetition on the one hand, and, on
the other, the need for two Psalms in each section.
The answer to the second question seems clear. In each
group, the first Psalm relates to creation itself and the
response to it, while the second chapter deals with God's
kingship in the world and His judgment of the world, which
both stem from creation. The second Psalm of both units
focuses not on nature itself, but rather the control and
authority over it. If you will, the first of the pair deals
with the past, the period of creation itself and that which
came into existence at the time, while the second relates to
the Almighty's ongoing involvement in the natural world as
king and magistrate. It speaks of the continuing reality
resulting from creation, as opposed to the actual moment of
creation.
It remains, however, for us to explain the differences
between the two pairs, on account of which the Psalmist saw
fit to address the subject of creation twice. We must
conclude that although both groups react to creation and the
greatness of the Creator, they differ in the manner in which
they relate to this issue.
In the first two chapters, nature expresses the
greatness and power of the Creator but is not portrayed as a
threatening force. An element of joy runs throughout these
chapters, while the sense of tension and fear appears only
minimally. In the second unit, by contrast, the struggle
against evil takes center stage; the harmony of the earlier
two chapters gives way to an aura of conflict and friction.
>From here evolves an additional difference between the two
pairs: how they relate to Yisrael and the other nations.
The first Psalms issue a universal call to all creatures who
are struck by the majesty and grandeur of creation and enjoy
divine justice. The second group, by contrast, speaks of
God's assistance to Benei Yisrael. Although the first
chapters do speak of the contrast between God and idols and
emphasize His power over them (96:5; 97:7-8), this contrast
is described as clear and obvious to all, with no need for
struggle or conflict. Even the most blatant such expression
in this group, "All who worship images, who vaunt their
idols are ashamed," which contrasts "Zion, hearing it,
rejoices, the daughters of Yehuda exult," depictsthe shame
of the false beliefs as opposed to the true faith, now
revealed in all its glory and grandeur, rather than a
struggle between Yisrael and the nations.
A comparison between the chapters' introductory verses
clearly exemplifies the first point mentioned. The two
chapters open with a call to "sing a new song" (for the
creation) to the Almighty; in this sense, the two resemble
one another. However, after the initial call, the Psalms
follow divergent paths until they reunite with parallel
clauses in their second halves. Chapter 96 proceeds to call
upon all nations to tell of the wonders and glory of the
Creator as a continuation to the "new song," while chapter
98 emphasizes the struggle against the nations and the
ultimate salvation of Benei Yisrael.
A careful examination of the opening verses of chapters
97 and 99 yields the same result. The former opens with the
declaration, "God is king! Let the earth exult, the many
islands rejoice!" whereas the latter begins, "God,
enthroned on cherubim, is king, peoples tremble, the earth
quakes. God is great in Zion, and exalted above all
people." This distinction continues throughout the duration
of these two Psalms. The first speaks of God's greatness as
expressed in nature, the divine justice implanted within
nature, and the negation of the power of idols. The second,
by contrast, revolves around the Almighty's special
relationship to His nation and their closeness to Him.
We have now reached the concluding Psalm of the first
unit of Kabbalat Shabbat. Ashkenazic communities have the
custom of reciting Tehillim 29 ("Mizmor le-David havu le-
Hashem benei eilim") immediately after chapter 99. Eastern
communities, by contrast, follow the progression in the text
and continue with Psalm 100 ("Mizmor le-toda").
In truth, logic would dictate continuing with chapter
100, once we recognize its connection to chapter 95. Among
the most widespread poetic devices in Sefer Tehillim is the
conclusion of a chapter or unit in a manner similar to its
opening. (See, for example, Psalms 103, 104, 1-2, 113-117,
118 and others.) Already Rav Amos Chakham, in his
commentary to Sefer Tehillim (as part of the "Da'at Mikra"
series)[7], observed the textual parallels between chapters
95 and 100:
"Here we note that Psalm 100, 'Mizmor le-toda,' very
strongly resembles the first part of Psalm 95: 'let us
raise a shout for our rock and deliverer' - 'Raise a
shout for God, all the earth'; 'Come, let us sing
joyously to God. let us come into His presence' - 'come
into His presence with shouts of joy'; for He is our
God' - 'Acknowledge that the Lord is God'; '. He made
it. the Lord who made us' - 'He made us'; 'and we are
His people He tends and the flock in His care' - and we
are His people, the flock He tends'; 'let us come into
His presence with thanksgiving. come' - 'Come into His
gates with thanksgiving.'"
As Rav Chakham concludes, these chapters - 95-100 -
form an integrated unit whose conclusion parallels its
introduction; accordingly, the custom of including Psalm 100
in Kabbalat Shabbat seems quite reasonable.[8] In fact, its
connection to the preceding chapters seems so obvious that
we must take pains to understand the practice of omitting
it. It would seem that the Ashkenazic communities excluded
it from Kabbalat Shabbat because unlike the preceding
chapters, this Psalm does not relate to the creation of the
world. Alternatively - albeit less convincingly - , this
Psalm's association with the "korban toda" (thanksgiving
offering), which was not brought on Shabbat, led to its
exclusion from the Friday evening service, just as it is
omitted in Shacharit on Shabbat.[9]
However, the preference for chapter 29 ("Mizmor le-
David"), which relates to creation, over Psalm 100, reflects
a far more basic decision regarding the nature of Kabbalat
Shabbat. In my article on the topic of Hallel (in the VBM's
5762 Sukkot mailing), I elaborated on the distinction
between the chapters of "hallel" - praise - and those of
"hoda'a" - thanksgiving. I cite here from that discussion
the following paragraph, which includes the central points
we developed:
"Although we tend to combine hallel and hoda'a into one
in our vernacular and blend together the obligations of
hallel and hoda'a, in truth we speak of two different
concepts. The first means giving praise to the Almighty
for His majesty and greatness, and it focuses on the
Almighty, to whom we praise and glorify and whose
qualities and honor we sanctify. The second, meanwhile,
means offering thanks to the Master of the world for the
goodness He has bestowed upon us. True, we obviously
thank Him for His goodness. But the significance of
hoda'a lies in the fact that man's life is the purpose
for which God performs His kindness and that He
acknowledges its importance."
Just as there I addressed this question concerning the
Hallel service, so must we examine regarding Kabbalat
Shabbat whether the Psalms express the concept of hallel or
that of hoda'a. The opening verses of the first Psalm -
"Lekhu Neranena," which present before us the psalmist's
goals - "Come, let us sing joyously to God, raise a shout
for our rock and deliverer; let us come into His presence
with thanksgiving; let us raise a shout for Him in song!" -
and stress the "thanksgiving" as well as the "songs and
shouts," allow for both possibilities. By contrast, the
other Psalms of Kabbalat Shabbat emphasize the concept of
hallel, rather than hoda'a. Therefore, the decision as to
whether or not to include Mizmor le-toda is critical. Its
inclusion in Kabbalat Shabbat would have balanced the
element of hallel with an element of hoda'a. A double
system of hallel and hoda'a would thus emerge, with chapters
96-99 carrying out the function of hallel and chapter 100
(or chapters 95 and 100) complementing them with the theme
of hoda'a - "Mizmor le-TODA." Omitting Mizmor le-toda and
creating a succession from chapters 96-99 and chapter 29
means establishing Kabbalat Shabbat as an expression of
hallel, praise to the Almighty for the creation of the
world, without any inclusion of hoda'a.
Until now, we have explained the first unit of Kabbalat
Shabbat by analyzing its structure. Now we must turn our
attention to the rest of the service. Already from a brief
overview one can clearly discern three distinct sections of
Kabbalat Shabbat: the group of Psalms preceding "Lekha
Dodi," "Lekha Dodi" itself, and two Psalms following this
hymn. As we saw, this is true not only with regard to the
historical development of the service, but also in terms of
its content. Each section relates to a different motif
connected to Shabbat: the introductory chapters involve the
completion of creation and express the reaction to "The
heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array,"
and "Lekha Dodi" views Shabbat as the "mate" of Kenesset
Yisrael and emphasizes the intimacy and covenant between us
and the Almighty on the sacred day of Shabbat. What
remains, then, is to determine the function of the
conclusion of Kabbalat Shabbat, Psalm 92 - "Mizmor shir le-
yom ha-Shabbat."
This Psalm, the only one explicitly associated with
Shabbat by the verses themselves, does not, on the surface,
appear to speak of the seventh day. It relates neither to
creation nor to the rest of Shabbat. Like dozens of other
chapters of Tehillim, this Psalm speaks of the struggle
against evil and the destruction of the wicked. Its
connection to Shabbat involves neither a commemoration of
creation nor a commemoration of the Exodus, but rather the
quality of Shabbat as "me-ein olam ha-ba" - a quasi world to
come. Shabbat, which marks the completion of creation and
was blessed and sanctified by the Almighty, represents the
world of perfection with no deficiency or defect. "Mizmor
shir le-yom ha-Shabbat," too, speaks of the perfection of
the world and the achievement of completion in the wake of
the destruction of evil. As opposed to many other chapters
that discuss the actual struggle against the wicked and
focus on the moments of contention themselves and the
experience of conflict, this Psalm depicts the situation
afterthe defeat of evil. It describes a world of
perfection, focusing on the peace and tranquillity resulting
from this reality. In this sense it shares a common theme
with Shabbat, and is thus the Psalm of Shabbat. The mishna
at the end of Masekhet Tamid explicitly points to Shabbat's
resemblance to the world to come as the basis for this
Psalm's association with Shabbat. It explains that this
chapter is identified as the song of Shabbat because it is a
"a psalm, a song for the future, for the day that is
entirely Shabbat and rest for all eternity."
In conclusion, it is worthwhile to cite a well known
passage in the Tur (O.C. 292), which discusses the
institution of three different texts for the three shemoneh
esrei prayers on Shabbat (as opposed to Yom Tov, when all
three prayers are the same). The Tur explains, "These three
prayers were instituted as corresponding to three Shabbatot:
'Ata kidashta' [the text of the arvit prayer] corresponds to
the first Shabbat [of creation]; 'Yismach Moshe' [the text
of the Shacharit prayer] corresponds to the Shabbat of Matan
Torah; and 'Ata echad' [the text of the Mincha prayer]
corresponds to the Shabbat of the future."
In light of what we have seen, this triple division
exists in Kabbalat Shabbat, as well. The first section,
Pslams 95-99 & 29, corresponds to the Shabbat of creation;
"Lekha Dodi" relates to Am Yisrael's relationship with
Shabbat and God, which resembles that of a bride and groom -
a relationship established at Matan Torah (mishna, end of
Masekhet Ta'anit); and the conclusion of Kabbalat Shabbat,
"Mizmor shir le-yom ha-Shabbat," relates to the Shabbat of
the future. Thus the Kabbalat Shabbat service addresses the
various aspects of Shabbat at the moment it arrives, just as
they are expressed in the different prayers throughout
Shabbat day.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] An accessible survey of this topic appears in Professor
D. Sperber's Minhagei Yisrael, vol. 1, pp. 67-70.
[2] See also Bava Kama 32b, and Rashi's remarks in both
contexts.
[3] In "Be-inyan Mussaf Shabbat Ve-Yom Tov," in the book,
"Zikhron Ha-Rav," my brother, Shai Lichtenstein,
demonstrates and proves that the mussaf offering on Shabbat
is part of the system of the daily "tamid" offerings because
of its sanctity as the seventh day, rather than belonging to
the system of mussaf offerings brought on festivals or
relating to its sanctity as a day of rest.
[4] Bereishit Rabba 11:9.
[5] Ramban, Bereishit 2:3; as opposed to Rashi, Beitza 16.
[6] "Tell of His glory among the nations, His wondrous
deeds, among all peoples. For God is great and much
acclaimed, He is held in awe by all divine beings. All the
gods of the peoples are mere idols, but God made the
heavens. Glory and majesty are before Him; strength and
splendor are in His temple. Ascribe to God, O families of
the peoples, ascribe to God glory and strength. Ascribe to
God the glory of His Name, bring tribute and enter His
courts. Bow down to God majestic in holiness; tremble in
His presence, all the earth!" (96:3-9).
[7] Summary of Psalm 95; note 13.
[8] The internal, structural connection between these
chapters undoubtedly underlies this custom, as Rav Chakham
correctly notes, as opposed to Professor Sperber's far-
fetched speculation in the aforementioned volume. His vast
breadth of knowledge notwithstanding, it appears that he was
unaware of this issue, such that he felt compelled to
declare, "It seems to me that no one has yet to discover the
reason behind this addition" (p.68).
[9] This reason is less convincing because the function of
"Mizmor le-toda" in Kabbalat Shabbat differs from its role
in the Shacharit service. Shacharit was instituted to
correspond to the morning "tamid" (daily) offering, and in
this context we add this Psalm in commemoration of the
thanksgiving offering, in the spirit of "u-neshalema parim
sefateinu" - our words replace the actual sacrifices. For
good reason, then, we omit this chapter on Shabbat, when the
sacrifice it serves to commemorate was not offered. In
Kabbalat Shabbat, however, this Psalm is meant to blend with
the other Psalms of praise without any connection to the
thanksgiving offering; this reason, then, seems entirely
irrelevant. However, given that several contemporary
scholars have associated this Psalm's omission from Kabbalat
Shabbat with the custom of excluding it from Shacharit,
without drawing this distinction (see the comments of the
two scholars mentioned earlier), we cannot negate the
possibility that earlier generations thought this way, as
well. (In other words, we cannot reject this possibility as
an explanation for the historical development even if it
appears less than convincing from an objective analysis of
the present phenomenon.)
(This shiur appeared originally in Hebrew in Daf Kesher 822
[Av 5761].)
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