Sovev is the transcendent aspect of the Divine, that which surrounds everything, that which we’re always swimming in, existing in. This shabbat could be an attempt to mimic that and access that. By davening in a circle, we are creating a space and a service to tap into the transcendent nature of the divine, to transcend ourselves, the prayer we could do on our own, the prayer that we could do with just words, or the normal nusach. Shabbat Sovev is a chance, sitting and singing in the round, to access God’s transcendent qualities.
ממלא כל עולמין
וסובב כל עולמין
ומבלעדך אין שום
מציאות כלל
(רעיא מהימנא, זוהר)
God, You are The One who fills all worlds (You are immanent in space and time)
and The One who surrounds all worlds (You are transcendent in space and time)
and The One who, without You, there would not be even reality at all
