The only reference to Kabbalas Shabbos in the Gemara appears in a passage (Shabbos 119a) where the Gemara tells of certain rabbis who would proclaim, Bo’i kallah (“Come, O bride”) when Shabbos began. This is the basis for the beautiful Lechah Dodi hymn, which was composed by Rav Shlomo Alkabetz in the 16th century, and which is sung by Jews across the world as they welcome the Shabbos queen each week.

Before the singing of Lechah Dodi, it is customary to recite a portion of Tehillim. While different customs exist in this regard among various Jewish communities, it is an accepted practice among all communities just before Lechah Dodi to recite Chapter 29 of Tehillim. The Kabbalists explain that this chapter is read because it describes seven types of kol Hashem (“the voice of G-d”), which correspond to the seven days of the week. These seven references are:

Kol Hashem al hamayim – the voice of G-d is upon the water;

Kol Hashem ba’koach – the voice of G-d is with force;

Kol Hashem be’hadar – the voice of G-d is with majesty;

Kol Hashem shover arazim – the voice of G-d breaks cedars;

Kol Hashem chotzev lahavos esh – the voice of G-d hews flames of fire;

Kol Hashem yachil midbar – the voice of G-d makes the desert tremble;

Kol Hashem yecholel ayalos – the voice of G-d makes the rams tremble.

The seventh and final “voice,” which refers to Shabbos, is the one that has the effect of causing the strong, mighty rams to tremble in fear. Rashi explains this as a reference to the future, when the powerful, wicked people, who are compared here to mighty rams, will experience dread and fear. Shabbos is mei’ein Olam Haba, a time when we gain a glimpse and experience a taste of the idyllic existence of the Next World. And thus already now, in our world, on Shabbos, we can experience to some small degree the “fear” that will grip the evildoers in the future. Shabbos has the effect of raising our spiritual awareness and sense of subservience to Hashem. Indeed, the Talmud Yerushalmi comments that on Shabbos, we may partake of the produce of unlearned people who ordinarily cannot be trusted to separate the required tithes, because “the fear of Shabbos is upon them,” and they can be assumed to exercise greater care with regard to Shabbos. Thus, on Shabbos we all have the opportunity to live with a higher level of spiritual awareness and sensitivity.

After describing how Hashem will cause the wicked to tremble in fear, the verse continues, “it exposes the [trees in the] forests, while in His sanctuary, everything is honorable.” The image of tall, majestic trees being stripped of their bark and foliage and “exposed” is another symbol of the downfall of the wicked in the future. When this happens, as the evildoers of the world are punished and humiliated, the tzaddikim will be b’heichalo, in G-d’s Sanctuary, giving Him honor by singing His praises. The praise that they will express is mentioned in the next verse: Just as Hashem was alone when He brought the Flood upon the world, He will likewise reign alone, as the sole King of the universe, for all eternity.

Rashi adds another interpretation of this final verse, explaining it as a reference to the time of Matan Torah. When G-d descended upon Mount Sinai to give Bnei Yisrael the Torah, it caused a major upheaval throughout the world, and the other nations feared that G-d was bringing another flood to destroy the earth. They approached Bilaam, the non-Jewish prophet, to ask if another flood was indeed on its way. Bilaam’s answer, Rashi comments, is the final verse of this psalm: “Hashem is giving His nation strength; Hashem shall bless His nation with peace.” He explained that G-d was giving His nation the Torah, which is and always will be our source of strength and peace. The lesson of this incident is that sometimes other nations see us observing our laws and practices and feel as though we are “destroying” the world, that Torah is a destructive force. We know, however, that this is not the case at all, that Torah is in truth a source of great blessing and peace.

The Torah was given specifically on Shabbos, because Shabbos is a time especially suited for peace and serenity. Rav Yitzchak Sorotzkin, in Rinas Yitzchak, comments that peaceful relations among Jews is a necessary prerequisite for Matan Torah, as indicated by the Torah’s description of Bnei Yisrael encamping all together as one person at Mount Sinai (Shemos 19:2; see Rashi). When Hashem gave us the Torah, He first needed to bless us with peace, because the Torah cannot be properly observed amid friction and hostility among our people. And so the Torah had to be given on Shabbos, when Hashem’s special blessing of peace descends upon us, when we are capable of achieving a special kind of unity and harmony. The lesson for us is that if we work to create this special atmosphere of peace and harmony on Shabbos, then we will be able to receive the special power of Torah that is made available to us on this day.

In conclusion, we should note that the phrase b’heichalo kulo omer kavod also alludes to Shabbos. The period of Shabbos is G-d’s “Sanctuary,” a sacred unit of time, just like the Beis HaMikdash is a sacred space. And in this “Sanctuary,” everything must be dignified and honorable. This is why our clothing, our manner of speech, and our conduct must be especially refined and dignified on Shabbos. We spend this day in G-d’s Heichal, and this must be reflected in the way we dress, speak, and act.

If we treat Shabbos with the respect and honor that is appropriate for G-d’s “Sanctuary,” then we will be worthy of hearing and being impacted by the kol Hashem, the great voice of Hashem that will be sounded in the future, but which can be experienced to some small degree even today, every week, on Shabbos, the mei’ein Olam Haba, when we gain a small glimpse of the idyllic conditions of the World to Come.

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Reprinted from Embrace Shabbos by Rabbi David Sutton with permission from ArtScroll Mesorah.