DEBRIEFING
The Voice of the Bride
By R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi
What do we know?
- The role relations between man and woman are going to experience a drastic shift in messianic times.
- This transition will culminate in a reversal of “traditional” polarities; the feminine will become the primary agent of bestowal, and the masculine will receive from her, at least in the area of lights and consciousness.
- This shifting of role relations is an unequivocally good thing. It is one of the yearned-for transformations of the messianic time.
- While Israel is betrothed to HaShem (i.e. from Sinai till the messianic end-of-days), the masculine aspect of Israel predominates; when Israel finally consummates its marital union with HaShem, its feminine half will predominate.
What do we not know?
- We do not know anything about the sequence of getting from here to there. Is it a gradual turning; is it a quantum shift; or perhaps a combination of the two?
- We do not know what the implications of these ideas are (or will be) in real life. How will this shifting of polarities translate into the reality of people’s lives?
- We do not know how or whether to consciously participate in this process. Should we actively facilitate its unfolding, or passively receive it as it happens?
- We are now within the era called “the birth pangs of messiah.” The question becomes, “is it a time to resist the urge to push, or has parturition proceeded to the point that pushing is good and necessary?” How can we know the answer to this question?
Logical Implications and Speculations
Underlying this shift in the polarity of man and woman is an even deeper (and more fundamental) shift in the purpose of creation. When the universe is a work in progress, HaShem needs builders to complete the millenia-sized task of perfecting the world. This downward-facing work is a masculine skill and when it is in demand, power and status reside with those what have it. But eventually (and actually quite soon in the relative scheme of things) the world will be built, the job will be done, and Shabbat will come. When that happens the trait in highest demand will be receptivity, the capacity to receive the Divine revelation of love and light and Presence that is the pleasure of eternity. This upward-facing activity is a feminine skill and, apparently, the ultimate purpose of creation.
[1] R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Tefilat LeKhal HaShana, p138-139
[2] The full text is as follows: Blessed are You, HaShem, our G‑d, King of the universe, Who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, mirth, glad song, pleasure, delight, love, brotherhood, peace, and companionship. HaShem, our G‑d, let there soon be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the grooms’ jubilance from their canopies and of youths from their song-filled feasts. Blessed are You, HaShem Who gladdens the groom with the bride.
