This song, written by Avi Koren and performed by Yigal Bashan, is an Israeli classic describing the atmosphere of a traditional Friday night Shabbat dinner. It contains references to common Shabbat rituals, including the lighting of the Shabbat candles, the table set for a festive meal with challah, and quotes from traditional Shabbat songs, most notably Lecha Dodi, which is the central song of the Kabbalat Shabbat service. The Hebrew lyrics appear below, along with an English translation.
לקראת שבת
לכה דודי לקראת כלה
פני שבת נקבלה
ואבא מסלסל קולו בשירי שבת:
“דרור יקרא לבן עם בת “ומפה צחורה נפרשת
ודולקים נרות
וכהד מן העבר המנגינות חוזרות
ומלא פתאום הבית באותן זמירותלכה דודי לקראת כלה
שבת מלכה הנה עולה
על השולחן חלה, ועולה תפילה
שרים כל בני הבית במקהלה גדולהלוחשות שפתיו של אבא
ועיניו אורות
וכהד מן העבר המנגינות חוזרות
ומלא פתאום הבית באותם זמירות
Towards Shabbat
Come my beloved, to meet the bride,
Let us welcome the Sabbath.
And Dad trills his voice in Sabbat songs
freedom calls on son and daughter.
And a white tablecloth is set and candles are lit
and like an echo from the past, the melodies repeat
and the house is suddenly filled with those songs.
Come my beloved, to meet the bride,
The Sabbath Queen here she rises
The challah is on the table and prayer rises
all the house dwellers sing in a great choir.
Dad’s lips whisper and his eyes are as lights
and like an echo from the past, the melodies repeat
and the house is suddenly filled with those songs.
Come my beloved, to meet the bride,
Let us welcome the Sabbath.
And Dad trills his voice in Sabbat songs
freedom calls on son and daughter.
And a white tablecloth is set and candles are lit
and like an echo from the past, the melodies repeat
and the house is suddenly filled with those songs.
(Translated by George Jakubovits)