396 A History of Judaism
Luria and his followers were generally conservative in upholding
traditional ritual, and indeed their tendency to read mystical signifi-
cance into liturgy strengthened the hold of such practices among the
wider Jewish populace. The pervasive legacy of Lurianic kabbalah was
less a change in behaviour than a deeper appreciation among ordinary
Jews of the significance of their existing religious practices. Luria’s pref-
erence for, and mystical meditation on, the Sephardi form of the liturgy
lent a prestige to this form among Ashkenazi kabbalists. Luria himself
was famed for his liturgical poetry, and many of the hymns of the Safed
kabbalists, particularly for Sabbath meals, spread the language of kab-
balistic symbolism:
Reveal Yourself, my beloved, and spread over me
the tabernacle of Your peace.
Let the earth shine with Your glory,
let us be overjoyed and rejoice in You.
Hurry, beloved, for the appointed time has come,
and be gracious to us as in the times of old.
Some of the practices of the Safed kabbalists remained unique to their
community, such as the elaborate procession to inaugurate the Sabbath
by going out into the surrounding countryside on Friday evening dressed
all in white to welcome the ‘Sabbath bride’. This custom was introduced
(or renewed) by Shlomo Alkabez, one of the founders of the Safed kab-
balist community, who taught, among others, Cordovero. Safed remained
a special place, even though the community was to shrink rapidly in
numbers towards the end of the century as it declined in prosperity.
Kabbalists referred to Safed as one of the four holy cities of the
land of Israel, alongside Hebron (where the biblical patriarchs had
been buried), Tiberias (where the Palestinian Talmud had been cre-
ated) and Jerusalem (where the Temple had once stood). On the other
hand, the legacy of Safed belonged to all Jews, and the Sabbath
hymn Lekha Dodi, ‘Come, my Beloved’, composed by Alkabez, full
of references to the peace and joy of messianic times as a reflection of
the peace and joy of the Sabbath, was rapidly adopted throughout the
Jewish world:
To greet the Sabbath, come let us go,
For of blessing, she is the source.
From the outset, as of old, ordained:
Last in deed, first in thought.