PIKESVILLE, Maryland — The Shabbat meal contains significant items, including zemirot, which are medieval songs and ancient biblical psalms. They are a powerful means of preserving and showcasing Jewish culture’s rich and diverse nature. These sacred, secular, serious, and playful lyrics praise God and the Shabbat, transforming the meal into a time of joy and inspiration. They make the Shabbat table a living testament to the beauty and intelligence of Jewish culture, recreating the most inspiring parts of the ancient Temple altar.
The prayer book Machzor Vitry, a manuscript from 13th century northern France, is the earliest currently existing collection. However, most zemirot sung today were composed during the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry, when Hebrew poetry was influenced by Arabic poetry before Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.
Despite the song’s popularity, some rationalists object to the third stanza, where singers petition the angels to bless them. Angels, they insist, do not grant blessings. This objection, however, does not diminish the song’s popularity. It serves as a powerful reminder of the diversity of perspectives within the Jewish community, each respected and included, fostering a sense of unity and mutual respect among us all.
While I understand the rationale behind the objection, I am not bothered by the third stanza. As did Maimonides, I recognize that it is not sensible to think that angels exist. God is unlike the ancient pashas, surrounded by ministering officials and servants. God does not need help. In his Guide, Maimonides states that we should understand the word “angel” to refer to everything that does God’s will. The wind, rain, sun, and dew are angels. My wife calls me an angel, but I disagree and say she is the angel.
I see the song as poetry. On Shabbat Eve, singers recognize all that God created during the days of creation, which they acknowledge as beneficial. When the family sings, asking the “angels,” meaning all God’s beneficial gifts to bless them, they do two things. They recognize that the benefits of creation are God’s gifts and pray that the blessings continue to enrich their lives. This prayer for the continuation is not a reliance on a Divine miracle but a resolve to work to continue the Shabbat spirit as the original Talmud story depicts the event.
The second pre-meal act is the singing of Eishet Chayil “An Accomplished Woman.” The song is biblical, Proverbs 31:10-13.
It has various interpretations. Some mystics see it as praise for the feminine aspect of God, the Shechinah, also called Malka. Other mystics view it as praise for the Shabbat, which, in their mind, is feminine; Midrash Tanchuma Chayei Sarah interprets it as the patriarch Abraham’s eulogy for his wife, Sarah. The many versions remind us of the truthful, although overstated, view of the Bible, which has seventy interpretations.
I prefer the simple meaning of the song. It is the family’s praise of the wife, who, in most homes, is the principal creator of the Shabbat table and meal. While the song extolls her, she can sing along because she and the entire family can recognize that what stands before them is not only beauty but many Jewish lessons, lessons contributed by the whole family, guests, and outsiders. The Talmud Ta’anit 7a quotes Rabbi Chanina: “I have learned much from my teachers, more from my colleagues and most from students.”
The third pre-meal act is saying a blessing over wine before the meal.
Why isn’t it part of the meal?
Again, I prefer a simple, sensible explanation.
I participated in many meals as an army general, starting with a toast over wine. My wife and I generally fill our glasses with water because we eat and drink only Kosher dishes and have fruits and uncooked vegetables at Army meals. The Army is not unique. Many cultures make toast before meals. It is a way of sharing joy and comradery with others.
On Shabbat and holidays, it is appropriate to set the stage before the meal with a salute to one another, with a blessing of thanks to God for the wine, wishes of l’chaim, “to life, ” to all participants, and the recognition that Shabbat is a time of joy.
While I disagree with the Greek philosopher Epicurus ((341-270 BCE) that there is no God, I agree that one of life’s goals should be to seek happiness in moderation. Like everything else, everything must follow the golden rule: not go to any extreme. The drinking of wine as part of a sacred meal stresses this rule, a significant part of the philosophy of Aristotle and Maimonides.
The Table
The sages said the Shabbat table symbolizes the ancient altar upon which sacrifices were brought in the temples.
Salt is put on the table and sprinkled on the bread before it is eaten. This ritual reminds participants that salt, a symbol of preservation, was used for sacrifices in ancient temples. It recalls the advice of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881): “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it…. If you don’t know history, it’s as if you were born yesterday. If you were born yesterday, then any leader can tell you anything…. Study history, study history.” It also symbolizes the need for Jews to persevere and encourages them to preserve their religion.
Many tables are covered with a white tablecloth, two loaves of bread are placed at the head of the table to be the first food eaten, and a cloth covers the loaves. The two loaves remind participants of the two measures of manna that God gifted the Israelites in Moses’ day in the wilderness. The double portion obviated the need to collect manna on the rest day of Shabbat. The tablecloth and bread cover symbolize the dew under and over the manna. All of this reminds us again of the wise counsel of Disreali.
The Zemirot
Many zemirot, whose “traditional” music was invented by my mother Celia Drazin’s mother Leba ne’ Goldfarb Hoenig’s family, are sung during the meal. They add joy, a solidarity of participants, a sense of history, and wisdom. I will mention just a few.
Mnuchoh Y’Sinchah, “Rest and Joy,” which first appeared in print in 1545, captures much about the Shabbat. Its first stanza states: “Rest and Joy, a light for Jews on the Sabbath day of delights. Those who protect and remember it bear witness that in six days all was created that still endures.”
We remember God in the 16th century Ya Ribon, one of the most popular zemirot, written by a mystic named Israel, who composed as many as 450 of them. It begins, “God, Master of all worlds, You are King who reigns over kings.”
Zur MiShelo describes God as strong as a rock and thanks Him for the food and other bounty He gave us. It opens with the words: “Rock from whom we have eaten, bless Him, faithful friends. We ate our fill and leftovers from God’s word.”
Yom Zeh Mechubad, “The Day is Honored,” extolls Shabbat. Its second stanza states that Shabbat is the most sacred holiday in Judaism. Its final stanza recalls Moses’ statement in Deuteronomy 32:1, where he calls heaven and earth as two witnesses to testify to the existence of God. He was reminding us of Exodus 33:18-23. There, Moses requests God to reveal what He is. God replies that humans cannot know what God is, but they can understand what He created or formed in heaven and on earth.
Conclusion
When I left home at age 21 to join the Army, where I served for 31 years, I received advice from two brilliant rabbis.
As I left Yeshiva Ner Israel, where I learned during the day, and Johns Hopkins University at night, Rabbi Ruderman, who gave me semicha, which ordained me as a rabbi, said without reference to Socrates: “Israel. You are smart. But you don’t know everything. In the future, if you make a mistake, admit it. If you do not understand something, ask someone who knows to tell you what you do not know.”
As he drove me to the airport, my dad, Rabbi Dr. Nathan Drazin, advised me to remember to observe Shabbat. “More than keeping Shabbat, Shabbat keeps you.”
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