Transformation

Most people can think back to experiences which transformed their lives. Sometimes the transformation evolved over a long period of time, like that of moving to a new place.

Up until the time I entered cantorial school at the age of 41, I had only traveled once off of the North American continent. Suddenly I found myself beginning a whole new round of graduate studies — but this time living in Jerusalem. At first I was just focusing on the experience of being in a new program, but over the course of a year, the experience of living in the Holy City had a profound and transformative impact on my life.

Then there are the experiences that transform our lives in an instant. I remember the morning of ordination/investiture in New York in 1998. After years of study at HUC-JIR, every student becoming a rabbi or cantor ascended the massive marble bima at Temple Emanuel individually to stand before the open Ark with the president of the seminary. The mantle of clergy was passed to the next generation — and in that instant, each of our lives was transformed. The person descending from the bima was not the same person who walked up those steps a few moments before.

There are other kinds of transformations — those that transport us temporarily from our ordinary state to a heightened level of awareness — a level of awareness that can be profoundly beautiful and enhance the meaning of our lives. There are many ways to find this: Running, yoga, or mountain climbing. Music, meditation, or prayer.

The traditional Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday evening was designed to be such a transformative experience. It is actually more of a ceremony than a service — a ritual that prepares us to enjoy the peace of Shabbat. It is a simple ceremony really. It begins with the recitation of six psalms, one for each day of the week gone by. With each psalm, we think back to the corresponding day of the week and gather up the events of that day. If it was a good day, we can honor and appreciate all that happened, and be reminded to be grateful for life’s many gifts. If it was not such a good day, we may ask for strength and courage to overcome those things that prevent us from living full and happy lives.

Once we have revisited the entire week gone by, we gather it up and set it aside, making room within ourselves to be filled with the peaceful spirit of the Sabbath. Given the hectic pace at which most of us live, this is not always an easy task. Yet it is for that very reason that Kabbalat Shabbat can continue to play an essential role in our lives. With it, Shabbat becomes that island in time during which our minds find the quiet they so desperately need, and our souls are nourished by the warmth of God’s spirit.

After the six psalms, we chant the poem called “L’cha Dodi” composed by Jewish mystics some four hundred years ago. With each of its verses we move further from the mundane and reach toward the divine. When we arrive at the concluding verse, we formally welcome the Sabbath Bride. The mystics celebrated Shabbat as a wedding in which the Shechinah — the nurturing manifestation of God’s presence — was reunited with the people of Israel. In many congregations, it is the custom to rise and face the back to welcome the Bride, just as we do during weddings we attend. At the words “bo-i kalah, bo-i kalah — welcome, O Bride, welcome O Bride” we bow as she enters.
This physical act of welcoming the Sabbath is part of the transformative power of Kabbalat Shabbat. The movement of our bodies elevates this moment beyond mere intellectual metaphor to a spiritual transformation experienced with all of our senses. Filled with the spirit of God’s loving presence, we celebrate with joy one of God’s most precious gifts: Shabbat shalom — the peace of the Sabbath.

For two months this spring, we will have an additional opportunity to greet the Sabbath. Beginning with the second Friday in April and continuing until the end of May, I will offer a 6:00 m Kabbalat Shabbat service in addition to our regular 8:00pm worship. The service will be similar to our summer services in length and informality. Everyone is invited to come as they are — from work or home or after-school activities — and welcome Shabbat in prayer and in song. In fact, this will be a service entirely of prayer and of song, and one that I hope will help transform your hectic week into a peaceful start to your weekend.

B’shalom,
Andrew Bernard
Cantor