Shalom Aleichem... Tzeis'chem L'Shalom - Where Is Everyone Going?
We come home from Shul Friday night escorted by Malachim. In their honor we sing Shalom Aleichem Malachei HaShares as we welcome them. Another reason given for this song is that on Erev Shabbos the Satan tries very hard to wreck the Shabbos before it begins and it typically is a day filled with rising tensions. We therefore call in the Malachim to settle things down.
There are four stanzas to Shalom Aleichem but not everyone was noheg to say all of them. For example the Vilna Gaon was said not to say Borchuni L'Shalom because we don't ask Malachim for a Bracha. The greatest controversy surrounds the last stanza which is Tzeis'chem L'Shalom. Why are we sending the Malachim out? The fact is that many Gedolim omitted this stanza because of this very question. They include the Chasam Sofer, the Divrei Chaim, the Satmar Rov, and others. But many people do say it.
Rav Yaakov Emden attempts to answer by saying that since we are about to eat a Seudah and we don't always act perfectly during a meal, we prefer the Malachim leave in peace then leave later out in disgust. Others say since Malachim don't eat, it is simply not nice to have them stand around as we eat. The Lev Simcha answers that Tosfos in Sanhedrim says that the Malachim don't say Shira on Shabbos so we ask them to leave before we start singing so as not to embarrass them.
Rav Tzadok famously answers that Shabbos we are Choson and Kallah with Hashem. At the start of Shabbos the Malachim come to joint the festivities of the Chasuna. When we eat, it is our time of Yichud with Hashem. When the Choson and Kallah go to the Yichud room all the guest leave them. We are so beloved to Hashem, more so than all the Malachim, they simply cannot be in our threshold when we reach elevated levels kedusha that Shabbos brings between us and our Beloved!
printable version
