Eli Marcus on Instagram: "SOH #7 Lecha Dodi - Come My Beloved The song that says Shabbos has arrived. Take a deep breath. Let’s welcome the Shabbos queen. The special gift that Gd has given us to disconnect from the world and connect with our spiritual source. This poem, one of the most famous in Jewish liturgy, was composed by Shlomo ha-Levi Alkabetz (c. 1505 – 1584) a rabbi, kabbalist, and poet from Safed. Jewish music is the soundtrack to our lives. At every milestone, holiday or mitzva, it e

Lecha Dodi by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

The Hebrew phrase “Lech Lecha” (לֶךְ־לְךָ) from Genesis 12:1 is rich in layered meaning. Literally, it means “Go forth” — God’s call to Abram to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown land. Yet the Hebrew grammar adds depth: lecha (“for yourself” or “to yourself”) transforms it into a spiritual command — “Go for your own sake,” “Go to yourself,” or “Go toward your authentic self.” It suggests that Abram’s journey was not only geographical but inward and transformative. By leaving behind th