Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Yitro Exodus 18:1-20:23

By Shlomo Riskin

When the Bible reports that the “whole nation… stood under the mountain,” Rashi cites the Talmudic commentary, “The Almighty held the mountain over them like a canopy,” threatening them with death if they would not accept the Commandments (B.T. Shabbat 88a). The Zohar accepts the interpretation that the mountain was held over them like a canopy; however, it was not a canopy of coercion, but was rather a canopy of commitment, a nuptial canopy (huppa) of love and marriage.

For the Zohar, there is only one great love in the Bible, the love-covenant between G-d and Israel; the Revelation at Sinai formalized and legalized that love relationship, providing the marriage contract (Ketubah) in the form of the commandments, and the consent of the bride-Israel with the words, “We shall do (commit) and we shall obey (internalize),” na’aseh v’nishma (Exodus 24;7).

Every human love relationship is merely a spark of that fiery passion at Sinai; hence, the bride and groom are walked to the nuptial canopy amidst the fire of candles, and the bride walks around her groom seven times, reminiscent of the seven expressions of betrothal enunciated by the prophet Hoshea: “I (G-d) shall betroth you (Israel) unto ME forever; I shall betroth you unto ME in righteousness, in justice, in lovingkindness and compassion; I shall betroth you unto ME in faithfulness and you shall know (love) the Lord.”

You will notice that in this ritual of the seven expressions of Divine betrothal of Israel, it is the woman who encompasses the man, the bride who seems to be the more dominant, representing the Divine. You will also remember that in the Kabbalistic - hassidic tradition, the noun generally used for G-d is Shekhinah, literally the Divine Presence Dwelling-in-World which is a feminine form (as are all words ending in “ah”, kamatz heh in Hebrew, such as yaldah, a small girl, or shifhah, a female maid-servant).

When we move into the realm of liturgy and Sabbath ritual, the Kabbalistic imagery and all of its ramifications become magnificently clear. We recite three major and different Amidot (Standing silent Prayers) on the Sabbath: one in the evening, one the following morning, and the final one in the afternoon. The evening Amidah evokes the Sabbath of Creation, citing the Biblical verses, “And the heavens and the earth and all of their hosts were completed. And the Lord completed on the seventh day His creativity which He had made…”

It is the woman-bride who is endowed with the major spark of the Divine creativity, since it is she who nurtures the fetus in her womb and actually gives birth to the child. The Kabbalat Shabbat Friday evening prayer liturgy - introducing the Evening Service and created by the mystical interpreters of the Zohar in 16th Safed - features the Shekhinah, the feminine aspect of the Divine: the Eshet Hayil (literally, Woman of Valor) Sabbath evening song actually refers to the Shekhinah, (so it is even to be recited or sung around the table if no woman is present), and in the Lekha Dodi chant we go out to greet the Sabbath -Shekhinah Queen-bride. Moreover, in this Sabbath evening amidah we ask that “All of Israel who sanctify Your Name shall rest in Her (vah),” a feminine pronoun, and the leader of the Sabbath table first slices the bottom hallah (of the two hallot), which likewise symbolizes the woman. No wonder the betrothal ceremony opens with the bride representing G-d and encompassing the groom! Indeed, the Hassidic Sages note that the opening words of the Friday evening Amidah are “Ata Kidashta”, literally “You sanctified”, or “You betrothed” (Kiddushin can be translated as sanctification or betrothal); Friday evening likewise begins our sacred Marriage with G-d.

The morning Amidah evokes the Sabbath of Revelation, describing the glory of Moses as He descended from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of stone in his hands, on which were written the laws of the Sabbath. In the act of Revelation it was the masculine aspect of G-d which was dominant, the G-d groom who chose His bride Israel and gave her His contract of marriage. Therefore, in the Sabbath morning Amidah we ask that “all of Israel who sanctify Your Name shall rest in Him (vo), a male pronoun, and the leader of the Sabbath morning table first slices the upper hallah (of the two hallot) which symbolizes the male. And so it is traditionally the male who gives the ring-as well as the marriage contract - to his bride. Sabbath morning, explain the Hassidic Sages, evokes the gifts and feats (sacrificial meats of the Mussaf Amidah) of the betrothal meal.

The concluding Sabbath afternoon Amidah pictures the Sabbath of Redemption, when You (G-d) are one and Your Name is one, a G-d of peace accepted by the entire world. This can only come about when the masculine and feminine aspects of the Divine, when G-d and His bride Israel, act in concert-together-to bring about the perfection of the world in peace and tranquility. In this Amidah we ask that “all of Israel who sanctify your Name shall rest in them (vam),” a plural pronoun, and the leader of the Sabbath third meal table slices both hallot together.

Shabbat Shalom.