לְכָה דודִי לִקְרַאת כַּלָּה. פְּנֵי שבָּת נְקַבְּלָה.
שָמור וְזָכור בְּדִבּוּר אֶחָד. הִשמִיעָנוּ אֵל הַמְיֻחָד. ה' אֶחָד וּשמו אֶחָד. לְשם וּלְתִפְאֶרֶת וְלִתְהִלָּה.
Shlomo HaLevi Alkabetz (d. 1576), Safed
Come, my Beloved Friend, to greet the bride, let us welcome the Shabbat.
“Preserve” and ‘Remember” - as a single utterance the Almighty caused us to hear them. Adonai is One, God’s Name is One, His Name is glorified and praised.
(Trans. Sarah Alexander)
Shekhinah is the Sabbath Queen entering the palace of time every Friday evening at sunset. As the seventh sefirah below Binah, Shekhinah is the seventh primordial day. Friday evening is the time of her union with her masculine counterpart, the sefirah of Tif'eret. The Sabbath is God's wedding celebration.
Daniel Matt, The Essential Kabbalah, p. 189
בֵּהּ אֲנָא רָחִיץ. וְלִשְׁמֵהּ קַדִּישָׁא יַקִּירָא אֲנָא אֵמַר תֻּשְׁבְּחָן. יְהֵא רַעֲוָא קֳדָמָךְ דְּתִפְתַּח לִבָּאִי בְּאורַיְתָא. וְתַשְׁלִים מִשְׁאֲלִין דְּלִבָּאִי וְלִבָּא דְכָל עַמָּךְ יִשרָאֵל. לְטַב וּלְחַיִּין וְלִשְׁלָם:
In God do I put my trust; unto His holy, precious being do I utter praise. Open my heart to Your Torah. Answer my prayers and the prayers of all Your people Israel for goodness, for life, and for peace. Amein.
(Trans. Sarah Alexander)
פרי עץ הדר
וִיהִי רָצוֺן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁבְּכֹחַ סְגוּלַּת אֲכִילַת הַפֵּירוֺת שֶׁנֹּאכַל וּנְבָרֵךְ עֲלֵיהֶן עַתָּה וַאֲשֶׁר נֶהָגֶה בְּסוֺד שָׁרְשֵהֶן יתעוררו שרפיהן הָעֶלְיוֺנִים אֲשֶר הֵמָּה תְּלוּיִים בָּם לְהַשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶן שֶׁפַע רָצוֺן בְּרָכָה וּנְדָבָה ...
וְכָל הַנִּצוֺצוֺת שֶׁנִּתְפַּזְּרוּ עַל יָדֵינוּ אוֺ עַל יְדֵי אֲבוֺתֵינוּ וּבְעָוֺן אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֺן אֲשֶר חָטָא בְפֵירוֺת הָאִילָן עַתָּה יָשׁוּבוּ לְהִתְכַּלֵּל בְּעוֺז הֲדַר עֵץ הַחַיִים וְיוּסַר מֵהֶם כָּל רַע בְּכֹחַ שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֺל.
Tu Bishvat
Peri Eitz Hadar
Anonymous, first published 1731
May it be Your will O Lord our God and God of our ancestors, that through the sacred power of our eating fruit, which we are now eating and blessing, while reflecting on the secret of their supernal roots upon which they depend, that shefa, favor, blessing, and bounty be bestowed upon them ...
And may all the holy sparks which were dispersed by us or by our ancestors and [also] through the sin that Adam committed with the fruit of the tree, now return to be included in the splendid power of the Tree of Life. May all evil be removed from them through the power of Your great name.
(Trans. Miles Krassen)
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ יָתִיב בְּמָדוֹרָא דָּא, צִלָּא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, שְׁכִינְתָּא פַּרְסָא גַּדְפָהָא עָלֵיהּ מִלְּעֵילָּא, וְאַבְרָהָם וַחֲמִשָּׁה צַדִּיקַיָּיא אָחֳרָנִין שַׁוְיָין מָדוֹרֵיהוֹן עִמֵּיהּ.
אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, אַבְרָהָם וַחֲמִשָּׁה צַדִּיקַיָּיא, וְדָוִד מַלְכָּא, שַׁוְיָין מָדוֹרֵיהוֹן עִמֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, בַּסֻּכּוֹת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים. שִׁבְעַת יָמִים כְּתִיב, וְלָא בְּשִׁבְעַת יָמִים. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כְּתִיב, (שמות לא) כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְיָ' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ'. וּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְמֶחְדֵּי בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא, בְּאַנְפִּין נְהִירִין, בְּאוּשְׁפִּיזִין אִלֵּין דְּשַׁרְיָין עִמֵּיהּ.
וְאָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, כְּתִיב בַּסֻּכּוֹת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, וּלְבָתַר יֵשְׁבוּ בַּסֻּכּוֹת. בְּקַדְמִיתָא תֵּשְׁבוּ, וּלְבָתַר יֵשְׁבוּ. אֶלָּא, קַדְמָאָה לְאוּשְׁפִּיזֵי. תִּנְיָינָא, לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא.
"Come and see: When one sits in this dwelling, the shade of faith, Shekhinah spreads Her wings over him from above, Abraham and five other righteous heroes come to dwell with him!"
Rabbi Abba said "Abraham, five righteous heroes, and King David dwell with him! As it is written: 'Seven Days dwell in sukkot.' 'Seven days' it says, not 'For seven days.' Similarly it is written: 'Six Days YHVH made heaven (Exodus 31:17). Day after day, one should rejoice with a radiant face along with these guests who abide with him."
And Rabbi Abba said "It is written: 'Seven days dwell in sukkot'; then, 'shall dwell in sukkot.' First, 'dwell'; then, 'shall dwell.' The first is for the guests; the second, for human beings.
(Trans. Daniel Matt, Zohar: the Book of Enlightenment, p. 149)
Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Excerpt of a letter from the Kabbalist, Rabbi Shlomo HaLevi Alkabetz
The pious one (Rabbi Yosef Caro) and I agreed to make a mighty effort on Shavuot night to keep sleep from our eyes, and not to stop learning for even one second. Thank God we were successful. Indeed, when you hear what transpired, it will enliven your souls.
For the night of Shavuot, this is the order of study I prepared. Verses from Scripture:…. All this we chanted aloud in a spirit of great fear and awe, with melody and trepidation. But what will be told next won't be believed.
After all the verses, we recited aloud all the mishnayot of Zeraim (the first of the Six Orders) and then we started again, learning it in the way of true learning, and we completed two tractates. At that moment, the Creator graced us and we heard a great voice coming from Rabbi Caro. Many of the words were unintelligible, the syllables chopped short. The people nearby heard but could not understand. The voice was very pleasing but at the same time was growing continually stronger and we fell on our faces from the great awe; no one dared to lift his eyes and face to see.
The voice spoke, "Listen my beloved, those who most glorify the Creator, my loved ones, peace to you. Happy are you and happy those that bore you. Happy are you in this world and happy you will be in the World to Come, because you took it upon yourselves to crown Me on this night. It has been many years since my crown has fallen, and there has been no one to comfort Me. I had been cast to the dust embracing the filth, but now you have restored the crown ...
“I am the Mishna that admonishes mankind. I have come to speak to you. If only there were ten of you, you would have ascended higher. Even so, you have elevated yourselves, and those who bore you. You are fortunate, my dear ones, for because of you, sleep passed from the eyes of those who bore you. I have been summoned this night through those gathered in this great and prestigious city. You are not like those lying on their beds, sleeping a sleep that is 1/60th of death, besmirching their beds. You cleaved to the One and have pleased Him. Therefore, my children, strengthen yourselves and strive forth in my love, my Torah, and my fear ...
The voice then resumed, "Happy are you, my children. Return to your learning and do not stop one minute. Go up to the Land of Israel, because not all times are equal, and there is no preventing salvation, whether by much or by a little. Do not value your belongings, for you will partake of the best of the supernal levels. And if you desire and will obey, the choicest of that land you will consume. Therefore, hurry and move there for I am the cause that sustains you, and will continue to sustain you. Peace to you in your houses, and peace in all there is to you. Eternal God gives strength to His people and blesses them with peace'.”
All these things were spoken to us, and our ears did hear. Additional matters of wisdom were shared, and great were the promises that brought us all to tears from so much joy. We also heard of the Shechina’s suffering, due to our sins, and the Voice was as a sick person imploring us. Then we strengthened ourselves until daybreak, reciting verses unceasingly with joy and trembling.
Maggid Mesharim. Trans. Louis Jacobs, Jewish Mystical Testimonies, pp. 99 - 104.