Shalom to All. Welcome to a new semester on Web Yeshiva. We’re always excited to begin a new area of exploration and this zman we will look at Shabbat zermirot through the lens of Kabbalah. Along the way, we should pick up some history and chassidut thought about the importance of singing on shabbat, and perhaps the deeper elements of why singing is so important to human beings in general.
Tonight we will begin with Keil Mistater, a song generally sung at 3rd meal. I chose this because it is a classic kabbalaistic primer for beginning to understanding something of the Sefirot, their nature, qualities and paralells in Biblical literature. Each translation is an exercise in discipline and interpretation and requires attention to detail and background in the material.
I look to all of you being there.
Avraham Shira