Shabbat Hamalka — The Sabbath Queen

Orthodox Jews call the Sabbath day, “Shabbat Hamalka,” which means Queen or Bride of the Sabbath. The Sabbath day is the most important ritual observance in Judaism, and the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. Understanding Israel’s Shabbat can help us as Latter-day Israel to more fully understand and appreciate our Sabbath and the symbolism behind this special day.

In the scriptures, faithful members of the Church have been likened to the betrothed Bride of Christ [i.e. Rev. 19, 6-9, Hosea 2]. The symbolism of the Shabbat can be likened to the faithful saints [the Bride] entering into the rest of the Lord or His presence. In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (“Come, my Beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] Bride”). The word Kallah means bride and is also the same word Ka'al — which means it is done, accomplished, completed or finished.

As a mystical entity, the Shabbat Hamalka represented the female side of Yahweh. In Talmudic literature, Rabbi Hanina [could represent Christ] used to wrap himself in festive clothes toward evening on Friday and say, “Come, let us go to receive Shabbat the Queen.” Likewise, Rabbi Yannai used to put on festive clothes on the eve of the Sabbath and say, “Come, O bride, come O bride!” [Shabbat Hamalka, Ilil Arbel, Encyclopedia Mythica].

Using this symbolism, let’s imagine ourselves [the Bride] engaged to a person whom we will meet once a week [Jesus Christ]. We are encouraged to call him every day, but allowed to be in his presence only on the specified day of the week. Can you imagine how we would prepare to meet our loved one! We certainly wouldn’t do our homework, housework or go shopping on that day — we would have done it ahead of time. We would want to spend as much of that day with him as we could. We would present our best selves to him and express our love and devotion. “For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High” [Doc. & Cov. 59:10].

Likewise, the Sabbath is a day that we should prepare for with “singleness of heart”, “rejoicing and prayer” and with “thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances”! [Doc. & Cov. 59:13-15]. The Sabbath day is a day set apart by our Lord, Jesus Christ for us to devote to Him and Him to us. It is a day symbolically to enter into His rest and to learn of Him.

The Shabbat was always a joyous day for ancient Israel. We are to call “the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord” [Isaiah 58:13].

 Alfred Edersheim wrote:

At the outset, indeed, it must be admitted that the whole social Rabbinical legislation on the subject seems to rest on two sound underlying principles: negatively, the avoidance of all that might become work; and, positively, the doing of all which, in the opinion of the Rabbis, might tend to make the Sabbath “a delight.'”

Hence, not only were fasting and mourning strictly prohibited, but food, dress, and every manner of enjoyment, not incompatible with abstinence from work, were prescribed to render the day pleasurable. “All the days of the week,” the Rabbis say, “has God paired, except the Sabbath, which is alone, that it may be wedded to Israel.” Israel was to welcome the Sabbath as a bride; its advent as that of a king. [Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Chapter 9, “Sabbath and the Temple, The Law not a Burden, but a Gift”]

It is interesting to note that fasting was not allowed on the Sabbath. When Jesus was asked why His “disciples fast not,” He responded, “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?” [Matt 9:14-15]. The Shabbat was a day of joy because children of Israel were symbolically in the presence of the Lord. It is noteworthy that in the early days of the Church, fast days were held on Thursdays.

The Shabbat involves two interrelated commandments: to remember [zachor] and to observe [shamor]. “Observe” is equated with the female side of the Shabbat and “Remember” with the male side, thus giving the Shabbat both genders. It is not coincidence that Christ is equated with remember. Helaman reminded his sons to:

Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the son of God, that ye must build your foundation.” [Helaman 5:12]

Our Sacrament prayers likewise remind us to “always remember him.” And, of course, we are to observe the Sabbath and to keep it holy.

Around 2 or 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon, observant Jews begin Shabbat preparations. The mood is much like preparing for the arrival of a special, beloved guest. The house is cleaned, the family bathes and dresses up, the best dishes and tableware are set, and a festive meal is prepared. This is a good pattern for us as Latter-day Saints in preparing for the Sabbath. The Primary song, “Saturday” exemplifies this attitude in preparing for the Sabbath as we “clean the house, do our chores and shopping and wash our hair so that we can be ready for Sunday” [LDS Children’s Songbook, p.196].

Two candles are lit in the evening, for Jewish Sabbaths begin at sunset. This ritual, performed by the woman of the house [she could represent the Bride, or the Church], officially marks the beginning of Shabbat. Her head is usually covered. The two candles represent the two commandments: zachor [remember] and shamor [observe]. She passes both hands over the candles three times, drawing or inviting the light into her home, her family and herself. As we remember and observe the Sabbath, we likewise invite the true light of Christ into ourselves, our homes, and our families.

After the lighting of the candles, the family attends a brief service that lasts about 45 minutes. After services, the family comes home for a festive, leisurely dinner. Before dinner, the man of the house recites Kiddush, a prayer over wine sanctifying the Shabbat. Then the prayer for the bread is recited over two loaves of challah, a sweet, eggy bread shaped in a braid. The family then eats dinner.

Although there are no specific requirements or customs regarding what to eat, meals are generally re-heated, stewed or slow cooked items, because of the prohibition against cooking during Shabbat. After dinner, the birkat ha-mazon (grace after meals) is recited. Although this is done every day, it is done on Shabbat in a leisurely manner with many upbeat tunes. By the time all of this is completed, it may be 9 p.m. or later. The family has an hour or two to talk or study Torah, and then go to sleep. It is interesting to note that blessings over wine and bread sanctify the Shabbat, much like our Sacrament. “Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you” [Exodus 31:13].

The next morning Shabbat services begin around 9 a.m. and continue until about noon. [We both like the 3-hour block time!] Sabbath services are an important part of the day. “And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day” [Doc. & Cov. 59:9]. There is strength and power in worshipping together and in renewing our covenants with the Lord.

After services, the family says kiddush again and has another leisurely, festive meal. A typical afternoon meal is cholent, a very slowly cooked stew. By the time birkat ha-mazon is done, it is about 2 p.m. The family studies Torah for a while, talks, takes an afternoon walk, plays some checkers, or engages in other leisure activities. A short afternoon nap is not uncommon. It is traditional to have a light, third meal before Shabbat is over. We likewise, are given this time to study the scriptures, to rest, and to spend time with our families. We must remember that the “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” [Mark 2:27].

Visiting the sick and helping others in need are in line with keeping the Sabbath holy. As we serve others on the Sabbath Day, we are serving our Lord, Jesus Christ [Mosiah 2:17]. After Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath, the ruler of the synagogue accusingly said, “There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day” [Luke 13:14]. Jesus was criticized for performing a physical “labor” on the Sabbath. We need to remember that “it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day” [Matt. 10:12].

Shabbat ends at nightfall, when three stars are visible, approximately 40 minutes after sunset. At the conclusion of Shabbat, the family performs a concluding ritual called Havdalah (separation, division). Blessings are recited over wine, spices and candles. Then a blessing is recited regarding the division between the sacred and the secular, between Shabbat and the working days, etc. The blessings were expressions of gratitude and we can liken the wine, the spices and candles as reminders of the communion, the fragrance and spirit of that day and pray that they linger throughout the week.

The Shabbat is also a commemoration of the freedom from slavery in Egypt. Moses told the children of Israel, “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” [Deut. 5:15, emphasis added]

Most of us are “slaves” to the 9-5 grind. During the week, we are slaves to our jobs, to our creditors, to our need to provide for ourselves. On the Sabbath, we are freed from these concerns, much as our ancestors were freed from slavery in Egypt. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” [Matt. 11:28]. Coming unto Christ can renew us for the week as “the power of my Spirit quickeneth all things” [Doc. & Cov. 33:16].

The Sabbath day is truly a day that we can be delivered out of the land of Egypt or spiritual Babylon and enter into the rest of the Lord. Sin is enslaving and the Sabbath day is designed for us to come unto Him, renew our covenants by partaking of the Sacrament and repenting of our sins. “But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord” {Doc. & Cov. 59:12]. “And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest…and now these ordinances were given… that thereby the people might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord” [Alma 13:13, 16]. It is only through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we can escape the bondage of sin.

Jesus said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant [slave] of sin. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” [John 8:34,36]. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” [Galatians 5:1].

The Shabbat is also a commemoration of end of creation, for God rested on the seventh day. By resting on the Sabbath day, we remember and acknowledge that God is the creator of heaven and earth and all living things and it should be a day of gratitude for all that He has given us. Enjoying the beauty of His natural creations is an appropriate Sabbath activity. Drawing closer to our family members, the greatest of God’s creations, is also appropriate. Often the Jewish Fathers would bless their children on the Sabbath.

The Sabbath can also be likened to the rest the righteous receive after their labors of this earth life in returning into God’s presence. Alma explained that at death the spirits of men are “taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow” Alma 40:12]. Enos likewise declared, “And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest” [Enos 1:27]. Eternal life is also equated with rest [see Alma 13:29].

At the end of seven years, God told Israel that they were to let the land rest. “Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord, thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of the vine undressed; for it is a year of rest unto the land…and all the increase thereof be meat” [Leviticus 25:1-7] In Zeno’s allegory, there is a lot of planting, pruning and gathering until the end of the world. I believe these Sabbaths can be symbolic of the Millenium, when the creating, the planting, pruning and gathering of men are over and all are at rest. “And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation. For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver” [Doc. & Cov. 45:58-59].

There are great promises associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy. In Isaiah 58:13-14, we read, “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” “Yea, inasmuch as ye do this, the fullness of the earth is yours, …and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens…” [Doc. & Cov. 59:16-20]. Great temporal and spiritual blessings await those who delight in keeping the Sabbath day holy.

The great symbolism of the Sabbath is for faithful members of the Church, as the Bride of Christ, to enter into His presence, whether in this life or after death or in the Millennium. Truly Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, and we should be making preparations during the week so that we can devote our time to be in His presence and learn of Him, to serve Him, to repent of our sins, to express our love and gratitude.

The Sabbath day is the day of rest from our labors, our sins, our sorrows through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the day we can “rest” with Him. He has promised those “that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off” [Isaiah 56:4-5].