Weddings / Dance / Joy The joy of a bride and groom in this world is an echo of the Heavenly joy that comes about when the Holy One, blessed is He, is united with His Shekhinah, and God turns to the Jewish people with favor. The practical import of this deep Kabbalistic lesson is that joyous dance has the power to sweeten harsh decrees. “God, open my lips and my mouth will declare Your praise.”
Master of the world, Master of joy and delight in Whose dwelling place is joy! In Your vast compassion, You created joy and happiness, groom and bride, mirth, glad song, pleasure and delight.
Grant that I should be able to fulfill the mitzvah of providing brides with their wedding needs in the most perfect way possible, in great holiness and purity.
Let me always do everything in my power to gladden the bride and groom in every possible way. Let me increase all kinds of joy for them, and dance for them with all my strength, with happiness and great delight.
Fill my heart with such intense joy that my feet and legs will be lifted high to dance a great deal before the groom and bride. Let me leap and swirl with all my might before them. Let my dancing draw the five alephs that are in the sefirah of Binah, thereby mitigating the 320 severe judgments and turning harshness into pure compassion.
May I draw down upon myself all the five holy voices, and may the verse be quickly fulfilled, “There will yet be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem: the voice of gladness and joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of people saying, ‘Give thanks to the God of Hosts, for HaShem is good, for His kindness is forever.’” May I always devote myself to Torah study, prayer, charity and good deeds with great happiness and delight in order to unify and connect the Supernal Groom and Bride. Have compassion on the Congregation of Israel, Your holy nation, Your beloved who is drawn after You as a bride summoned with pleasantness, love and mercy. Sweeten and nullify all decrees, material or spiritual, against Your nation, the House of Israel.
Gladden us by saving us at all times. Hasten our redemption and bring us up happily to our Land. Build our Holy Temple in all its glory. May the verse be fulfilled very soon, “Then the maiden will rejoice in the dance-circle, and the youths and elders together. I will turn their mourning into joy, and I will comfort them and bring them from sorrow to happiness.” May we witness the pleasantness of Your radiance when You adorn Yourself with a crown of beauty formed from the good deeds of the entire Jewish people, as it is written, “Go out, daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon in the crown with which his ‘mother’ [the Jewish people] has crowned him on the day of his wedding and the day of his heart’s delight.” Speedily in our days. Amen.
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה ל"ב - ה' שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח]
אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ.
Weddings / Dance / Joy
The joy of a bride and groom in this world is an echo of the Heavenly joy that comes about when the Holy One, blessed is He, is united with His Shekhinah, and God turns to the Jewish people with favor. The practical import of this deep Kabbalistic lesson is that joyous dance has the power to sweeten harsh decrees.
“God, open my lips and my mouth will declare Your praise.”
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֲדוֹן הַשִּׂמְחָה וְהַחֶדְוָה אֲשֶׁר הַשִּׂמְחָה בִּמְעוֹנֶךָ, וּבְרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים בָּרָאתָ שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה, חָתָן וְכַלָּה, גִּילָה וְרִנָּה, דִּיצָה וְחֶדְוָה.
Master of the world, Master of joy and delight in Whose dwelling place is joy! In Your vast compassion, You created joy and happiness, groom and bride, mirth, glad song, pleasure and delight.
זַכֵּנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת הַכְנָסַת כַּלָּה לַחֻפָּה בְּתַכְלִית הַשְּׁלֵמוּת, בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה גְּדוֹלָה,
Grant that I should be able to fulfill the mitzvah of providing brides with their wedding needs in the most perfect way possible, in great holiness and purity.
וְאֶזְכֶּה בְּכָל עֵת לְשַׂמֵּחַ חָתָן וְכַלָּה, לְשַׂמְּחָם בְּכָל עֹז וְחֶדְוָה, לְהַרְבּוֹת בְּכָל מִינֵי שִׂמְחָה לִפְנֵיהֶם, וְלִרְקֹד לִפְנֵיהֶם בְּכָל כֹּחִי בְּשִׂמְחָה וְחֶדְוָה גְּדוֹלָה,
Let me always do everything in my power to gladden the bride and groom in every possible way. Let me increase all kinds of joy for them, and dance for them with all my strength, with happiness and great delight.
וְאֶזְכֶּה עַל־יְדֵי הָרִקּוּדִין לְהַמְתִּיק כָּל הַדִּינִים מֵעָלֵינוּ וּמֵעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Through my dancing, let me sweeten all harsh decrees against us and against the entire Jewish people.
וְתִתֵּן שִׂמְחָה בְּלִבִּי עַד שֶׁיִּתְנַשְּׂאוּ רַגְלַי עַל־יְדֵי שִׂמְחַת הַלֵּב, לִרְקֹד הַרְבֵּה לִפְנֵי חָתָן וְכַלָּה, וּלְפַזֵּז וּלְכַרְכֵּר בְּכָל עֹז לִפְנֵיהֶם, וְאֶזְכֶּה עַל־יְדֵי הָרִקּוּדִין לְהַמְשִׁיךְ ה' (חָמֵשׁ) אַלְפִין שֶׁבַּבִּינָה, לְהַמְתִּיק עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה כָּל הַשַּׁךְ דִּינִים, וְיִתְהַפֵּךְ הַדִּין לְרַחֲמִים פְּשׁוּטִים,
Fill my heart with such intense joy that my feet and legs will be lifted high to dance a great deal before the groom and bride. Let me leap and swirl with all my might before them. Let my dancing draw the five alephs that are in the sefirah of Binah, thereby mitigating the 320 severe judgments and turning harshness into pure compassion.
וְנִזְכֶּה לְהַמְשִׁיךְ עָלֵינוּ כָּל הַה' (הַחֲמִשָּׁה) קוֹלוֹת הַקְּדוֹשִׁים, וִיקֻיַּם מְהֵרָה מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, עוֹד יִשָּׁמַע, בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְחֻצוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה קוֹל אוֹמְרִים הוֹדוּ אֶת יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת כִּי טוֹב יְהֹוָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. וְאֶזְכֶּה תָמִיד לַעֲסֹק בְּתוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים בְּשִׂמְחָה וְחֶדְוָה גְּדוֹלָה, עַד שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לְיַחֵד וּלְחַבֵּר חָתָן וְכַלָּה הָעֶלְיוֹנִים. וּתְרַחֵם עַל כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם קָדְשֶׁךָ, רַעְיָתְךָ הַמְּשׁוּכָה אַחֲרֶיךָ, כַּלָּה קְרוּאָה בִּנְעִימָה בְּאַהֲבָתְךָ וּבְחֶמְלָתֶךָ, וְתַמְתִּיק וּתְבַטֵּל כָּל הַדִּינִים מֵעַל כָּל עַמְּךָ בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגַשְׁמִיּוּת וְרוּחָנִיּוּת,
May I draw down upon myself all the five holy voices, and may the verse be quickly fulfilled, “There will yet be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem: the voice of gladness and joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of people saying, ‘Give thanks to the God of Hosts, for HaShem is good, for His kindness is forever.’” May I always devote myself to Torah study, prayer, charity and good deeds with great happiness and delight in order to unify and connect the Supernal Groom and Bride. Have compassion on the Congregation of Israel, Your holy nation, Your beloved who is drawn after You as a bride summoned with pleasantness, love and mercy. Sweeten and nullify all decrees, material or spiritual, against Your nation, the House of Israel.
וּתְשַׂמְּחֵנוּ בִישׁוּעָתְךָ תָמִיד וּתְמַהֵר וְתָחִישׁ לְגָאֳלֵנוּ, וְתַעֲלֵנוּ בְשִׂמְחָה לְאַרְצֵנוּ וְתִבְנֶה בֵּית־קָדְשֵׁנוּ וְתִפְאַרְתֵּנוּ, וִיקֻיַּם מְהֵרָה מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, אָז תִּשְׂמַח בְּתוּלָה בְּמָחוֹל וּבַחֻרִים וּזְקֵנִים יַחְדָּו. וְהָפַכְתִּי אֶבְלָם לְשָׂשׂוֹן וְנִחַמְתִּים וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים מִיגוֹנָם. וְנִזְכֶּה לִרְאוֹת בְּנֹעַם זִיוָךְ, בָּעֵת שֶׁתִּתְעַטֵּר בַּעֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת עַל־יְדֵי מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים שֶׁל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמֶּךָ, כָּאָמוּר, צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בַּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ, בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ אָמֵן:
Gladden us by saving us at all times. Hasten our redemption and bring us up happily to our Land. Build our Holy Temple in all its glory. May the verse be fulfilled very soon, “Then the maiden will rejoice in the dance-circle, and the youths and elders together. I will turn their mourning into joy, and I will comfort them and bring them from sorrow to happiness.” May we witness the pleasantness of Your radiance when You adorn Yourself with a crown of beauty formed from the good deeds of the entire Jewish people, as it is written, “Go out, daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon in the crown with which his ‘mother’ [the Jewish people] has crowned him on the day of his wedding and the day of his heart’s delight.” Speedily in our days. Amen.