Shabbat as a bride – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Why does “L’chah Dodi” compare Shabbat to a bride?
A. To symbolise the intense love of the Jewish people for Shabbat.
In many places in the Tanach, our love for God and His for us is described as that of bride and groom. Isaiah says, “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isa. 62:5).
Maimonides explains the command in the Shema, “You shall love the Lord your God”, in this way: “What is the nature of the love with which one should love the Lord? It is a great and exceedingly strong love until the soul is completely bound up with the love of God so that one thinks of God continually as if one were love-sick. This is what Solomon means by means of allegory in the expression, ‘I am love-sick’ (Shir HaShirim 5:8)”.
