PerfectlyWritePoetry: Keeping the Shabbat Bride on Trend

Israel never ceases to surprise. I was once in Nahariya, a quiet and refined northern coastal resort near Karmiel, and was intrigued to see a group of young women sharing a nargila (hooka pipe) at a seaside bar. And why not?!

I recalled the incident when I came across the video clip below featuring the Revivo Project, whose members gather to sing Middle Eastern and North African Jewish tunes and Sephardic interpretations of Ashkenazi traditional melodies, while enjoying food, drink and yes - smoking the nargila!

The Revivo Project - הפרויקט של רביבו - is part of a growing ‘spiritualisation’ of secular Israeli culture where pop musicians rework ancient material so creating a Jewish experience that is fixed neither to religious law nor to any religious group.

It is something that American-born Israeli author and journalist, Yossi Klein Halevi views as a response to the “disillusionment with the collapse of the "messianism" of both the left (via the Oslo Accords) and the right (via withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank)”.

Among the traditional melodies that the Revivo gang has explored is the Sabbath eve favourite, Lecha Dodi - לכה דודי‎), a prayerful poem that is traditionally recited at Friday evening synagogue services. In it, the concept of the Sabbath is anthropomorphised as a ‘queen’ or a ‘bride’ and much of the phrasing is taken from the prophet Isaiah’s vision of Israel’s restoration.

The composer was Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz, a 16th century mystic based in Tzfat, a northern Galilee town regarded as one of the four holy cities of Israel. Alkabetz wrote the piece as an acrostic with the first letter of each of the first eight verses spelling his name.

The text of the prayer is reproduced below with an English translation and transliteration along with the Hebrew original.

“Lecha Dodi

1
Let’s go, my beloved, to meet the bride,
Lekhah dodi liqrat kallah
לכה דודי לקראת כלה

2
and let us welcome the presence of Shabbat.
p'nei Shabbat neqabelah
פני שבת נקבלה

Verse 1:
3
"Observe" and "recall" in a single utterance,
Shamor v'zakhor b'dibur eḥad
שמור וזכור בדבור אחד

4
We were made to hear by the unified God,
hishmiʿanu El hameyuḥad
השמיענו אל המיחד

5
God is one and God’s Name is one,
Adonai eḥad ushemo eḥad
יי אחד ושמו אחד

6
In fame and splendor and praiseful song.
L'Sheim ulitiferet v'lit'hilah
לשם ולתפארת ולתהלה

Verse 2:
7
To greet Shabbat let’s go, let’s travel,
Liqrat Shabbat lekhu v'nelekhah
לקראת שבת לכו ונלכה

8
For she is the wellspring of blessing,
ki hi maqor haberakhah
כי היא מקור הברכה

9
From the start, from ancient times she was chosen,
merosh miqedem nesukhah
מראש מקדם נסוכה

10
Last made, but first planned.
sof maʿaseh b'maḥashavah teḥilah
סוף מעשה במחשבה תחלה

Verse 3:
11
Sanctuary of the king, royal city,
Miqdash melekh ʿir melukhah
מקדש מלך עיר מלוכה

12
Arise! Leave from the midst of the turmoil;
Qumi tze'i mitokh ha-hafeikhah
קומי צאי מתוך ההפכה

13
Long enough have you sat in the valley of tears
Rav lakh shevet b'ʿeimeq habakha
רב לך שבת בעמק הבכא

14
And He will take great pity upon you compassionately.
v'hu yaḥamol ʿalayikh ḥemlah
והוא יחמול עליך חמלה

Verse 4:
15
Shake yourself free, rise from the dust,
Hitnaʿari me'afar qumi
התנערי מעפר קומי

16
Dress in your garments of splendor, my people,
Livshi bigdei tifartekh ʿami
לבשי בגדי תפארתך עמי

17
By the hand of Jesse’s son of Bethlehem,
ʿAl yad ben Yishai beit ha-laḥmi
על יד בן ישי בית הלחמי

18
Redemption draws near to my soul.
Qorvah el nafshi g'alah
קרבה אל נפשי גאלה

Verse 5:
19
Rouse yourselves! Rouse yourselves!
Hitʿoreri hitʿoreri
התעוררי התעוררי

20
Your light is coming, rise up and shine.
Ki va oreikh qumi ori
כי בא אורך קומי אורי

21
Awaken! Awaken! utter a song,
ʿUri ʿuri shir dabeiri
עורי עורי שיר דברי

22
The glory of the Lord is revealed upon you.
K'vod Adonai ʿalayikh niglah
כבוד יי עליך נגלה

Verse 6:
23
Do not be embarrassed! Do not be ashamed!
Lo tivoshi v'lo tikalmi
לא תבושי ולא תכלמי

24
Why be downcast? Why groan?
Mah tishtoḥai umah tehemi
מה תשתוחחי ומה תהמי

25
All my afflicted people will find refuge within you
bakh yeḥesu ʿaniyei ʿami
בך יחסו עניי עמי

26
And the city shall be rebuilt on her hill.
v'nivnetah ʿir ʿal tilah
ונבנתה עיר על תלה

Verse 7:
27
Your despoilers will become your spoil,
V'hayu limshisah shosayikh
והיו למשסה שאסיך

28
Far away shall be any who would devour you,
V'raḥaqu kol mevalʿayikh
ורחקו כל מבלעיך

29
Your God will rejoice concerning you,
Yasis ʿalayikh Elohayikh
ישיש עליך אלהיך

30
As a groom rejoices over a bride.
Kimsos ḥatan ʿal kalah
כמשוש חתן על כלה

Verse 8:
31
To your right and your left you will burst forth,
Yamin usmol tifrotzi
ימין ושמאל תפרוצי

32
And the Lord will you revere
V'et Adonai taʿaritzi
ואת יי תעריצי

33
By the hand of a child of Perez,
ʿAl yad ish ben Partzi
על יד איש בן פרצי

34
We will rejoice and sing happily.
V'nismeḥah v'nagilah
ונשמחה ונגילה

Verse 9:
35
Come in peace, crown of her husband,
Boi v'shalom ateret baʿalah
בואי בשלום עטרת בעלה

36
Both in happiness and in jubilation
Gam b'simḥah uvetzahalah
גם בשמחה ובצהלה

37
Amidst the faithful of the treasured nation

38
Come O Bride! Come O Bride!
Boi khalah boi khalah
”בואי כלה בואי כלה

------------

As this is my first post here for some months, I’d like to wish Jewish readers ‘Shabbat shalom’ and everyone very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2015.