HALAKHA62 -06: Kabbalat Shabbat

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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].)

YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433

Copyright (c) 2001 Yeshivat Har Etzion. 
All rights reserved.

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