Lit. ‘Come my friend.’ Lekha Dodi is the hymn which welcomes in Shabbat in the Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday night. The hymn consists of nine acrostic stanzas which spell the name of author Solomon ha-Levi, a kabbalist living in Tzfat in the early 16th century. The refrain and the end of each of the stanzas reads, “Come, my friend, to meet the bride; let us welcome the presence of the Sabbath.” This hymn reflects the kabbalistic connection between Shabbat and the Shekhina, the dwelling or settling presence of God.
