he Sabbath, to which we now turn our attention, is an exceptional figure among the female divinities of Judaism. All the numerous images (Asherah, Astarte, Anath, Lilith, Naamah) were originally either foreign goddesses and demons or had their beginnings in Jewish divine attributes which were conceptualized and personified (Shekhina, Matronit). As against them, the Sabbath is a unique example of a day of the week-or more precisely, the name and idea of such a day-having been developed into a female numen and endowed with the character of virgin, bride, queen, and goddess.

The Biblical name Sabbath (Shabbar), designating the seventh dav of the week, seems to have had some connection with the Akkadian shabattu or shapartu, the name for the feast of the full moon. Yet neither in Akkadian nor in any other ancient Near Eastern religion was there a weekly feast and day of rest in any manner comparable to the Sabbath.

Following the end of the evening prayers, the men would return home to be received by their wives-the wife in this instance became for the husband the earthly representative of the Shekhlna, with whom he was about to perform that night the sacred act of cohabitation in imitation of, and in mystical sympathy with, the union between God the King and His wife, the Matronit-Shekhlna-Sabbath.

Now the husband would approach the table and pick up two bunches of myrtle, each consisting of three twigs, prepared for the bride and the groom, and then circle the table-all rites imitative and symbolic of observances performed at actual weddings-and sing welcomling songs to the two angels of peace who were believed to accompany him home from the synagogue.

The chanting of Chapter 31 (Verses 10-31) of the Book of Proverbs, which followed, had a double significance. It was meant as a paean to the "woman of valor," the good wife and mother whose very presence in the house, quite apart from all the care she lavished on her family, made it possible for the husband to live a complete Jewish life, in accordance with the teachings of the Kabbala about the blessed state of male-female togetherness.

Beyond that, however, there was a deeper meaning: the "woman of valor" whose excellence is described in the twenty-two alphabetically arranged verses was interpreted as being none other than the Shekhlna herself, the divine Matronit, whose image thus was mystically merged with that of the man's own wife.

Next came the recitation of an Aramaic poem containing an invitation addressed to God the King to take part in the festive Sabbath meal. At some time during that meal or following it, the husband chanted another mystical Aramaic poem written by Isaac Luria and describing the union of God the King and his bride, the Sabbath-Shekhina.',' The first six stanzas read as follows:

Let me sing the praises of Him who enters the gates Of the orchard of apple trees, holy are they.

Let us invite her now, with a freshly set table, With a goodly lamp which sheds light on tfie heads.

Right and left, and the bride in between Comes forth in her jewels and sumptuous raiments.

hus, for the Jew reared in the great mystical tradition of his faith, the Sabbath was a day whose pleasures, both physical and spiritual, amplv compensated him for the drabness, narrowness, and frequent sorrowfulness of the weekdays.

With the Sabbath, a queenly visitor entered even the humblest abode, which, due to her presence, was transformed into a royal palace, with the table set, the candles burning, and the wine waiting. The mistress of the house became mysteriously identified with the Queen Sabbath, who was also identical with the Shekhlna, the divine Matronit, God's own consort.

As for the master of the house, he felt his chest swell and his consciousness expand due to the "additional soul" which came down from on high to inhabit his body for the duration of the Sabbath. All these supernal presences made man and wife feel part of the great spiritual world order in which every act and word was fraught with cosmic significance, and in which the supreme command of the day was "Rejoice!" When midnight came, and the fulfilhnent of the commandment to rejoice on the Sabbath found its most intense expression in the consummation of the marital act, this was done with the fiill awareness not only, of obeying a divine injunction, but also of aiding therebv the divinity himself in achieving a state of male-female togetherness which God is just as much in need of as man.

The mystically oriented and privately observed celebration of marital sex in honor of the Sabbath, the divine queen and consort of God... is certainly very far removed from the ancient Canaanite mass orgiastic festivals performed in honor of Astarte, the goddess of sexual love and fertility.



After nearly two thousand years, it is time to set the record straight, to revise and complete the Gospel story of Jesus to include his wife.

We believe in our King; let us also believe in our Queen!