"The Sabbath Queen" (women, Asher, Israel)

[Rachel NewYork]

Is anyone here familiar with the practices of the 16th century Kabbalists of Palestine, who would welcome Shabbat by going out into the fields singing and chanting a welcome to The Sabbath Queen? I'd like to find out more about the practice – especially whether the Jewish women of old Palestine/Israel also participated in this practice, or had their own, separate welcoming of Shabbat out in the fields and nature.

[Pumpkin mouse]

https://www.chabad.org/library/artic...-Jerusalem.htm
Was this it.

[Rachel NewYork]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin mouse

https://www.chabad.org/library/artic...-Jerusalem.htm
Was this it.

No, but thanks for digging that up! I had actually posted about that festival, and you can read it at the link here: Happy Tu b'Av!

[theflipflop]

Originally Posted by Rachel NewYork

Is anyone here familiar with the practices of the 16th century Kabbalists of Palestine, who would welcome Shabbat by going out into the fields singing and chanting a welcome to The Sabbath Queen? I'd like to find out more about the practice – especially whether the Jewish women of old Palestine/Israel also participated in this practice, or had their own, separate welcoming of Shabbat out in the fields and nature.

So we still do this to this day during Kabbala Shabbos in Lecha Dodi. In today’s times, and no different than the 16th century, the women would not dance or sing in public as the Torah deems that not to be tznius behavior for a woman. But certainly they welcomed the Shabbos in beautiful and meaningful ways, nonetheless.

[Rachel NewYork]

Originally Posted by theflipflop

So we still do this to this day during Kabbala Shabbos in Lecha Dodi. In today’s times, and no different than the 16th century, the women would not dance or sing in public as the Torah deems that not to be tznius behavior for a woman. But certainly they welcomed the Shabbos in beautiful and meaningful ways, nonetheless.

Thank you! The women can dance and sing, though, if there are no men around, is this right?

[Pumpkin mouse]

What about Miriam ? She led the women into dancing and singing when they crossed the Sea of Reeds and were free. I know that they weren’t dancing WITH the men, but they were in the vicinity of the men and they could see each other.

[Rachel NewYork]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin mouse

What about Miriam ? She led the women into dancing and singing when they crossed the Sea of Reeds and were free. I know that they weren’t dancing WITH the men, but they were in the vicinity of the men and they could see each other.

There's a question as to whether Miriam actually sang. But here's a link to an interesting article from Chabad on the subject: https://www.chabad.org/library/artic...riams-Song.htm


Edited to add:


Pumpkin Mouse, here's a Hebrew name for you (Adiela bat Akran) that I've anagrammed from the Hebrew letters that translate into your screen name:

אני דלעת-עכברה ani dla'at-akbarah "I am Pumpkin Mouse"
=
עדיאלה בת עכרן Adiela bat Akran "Jewel of G-d" "daughter of" a member of the tribe of Asher mentioned in Numbers 1:13

[theflipflop]

Originally Posted by Rachel NewYork

Thank you! The women can dance and sing, though, if there are no men around, is this right?

For sure. My wife loves to organize dance parties for the frum women in our community. I can only imagine (but I won’t) what those are like.

[theflipflop]

Originally Posted by Rachel NewYork

There's a question as to whether Miriam actually sang. But here's a link to an interesting article from Chabad on the subject: https://www.chabad.org/library/artic...riams-Song.htm


Edited to add:


Pumpkin Mouse, here's a Hebrew name for you (Adiela bat Akran) that I've anagrammed from the Hebrew letters that translate into your screen name:

אני דלעת-עכברה ani dla'at-akbarah "I am Pumpkin Mouse"
=
עדיאלה בת עכרן Adiela bat Akran "Jewel of G-d" "daughter of" a member of the tribe of Asher mentioned in Numbers 1:13

I enjoyed that Chabad article. Thanks for posting it.

I heard from my Rav, that while the women were dancing and singing, the men were at the shore of the Yam Suf collecting the gold and silver of the dead Mitzrim. In other words, they were too distracted to hear the women.

[Pumpkin mouse]

https://youtu.be/toDA6rZdPfA
This one is great. I wish I had that energy, no wonder they’re all so slim .
I’ll try to find one with the women