A gutten Erev Shabbos to each of you!
Just a quick yet powerful thought before the Shabbos siren goes off… Last week we sang the words found in Parshas Ki Sisa – V’shamru Bnei Yisroel es haShabbos (31:16), which is usually translated as “And Bnei Yisroel shall guard the Shabbos….” But the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh says something fascinating. He says that the word “v’shamru” should not be translated as “And they shall guard,” but rather as, “And they shall anticipate.” He explains that the word “shamor” means to look forward to the performance of this mitzvah, and in this case in particular, the mitzvah of Shabbos.
He derives this from Parshas Vayeishev, where we find that after Yosef relays his dreams to his family, the pasuk (37:11) tells us “Vayekanu bo echav – And his brothers were jealous of him.” But what was Yaakov Avinu’s reaction? “V’aviv shamar es hadavar – and his father was shomer the matter,” meaning that his father awaited the fulfilment of Yosef’s dreams. Knowing that they were prophesy, he now looked forward to the day when he would see the fulfillment of these dreams.
Says the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, shamar, therefore, means to look forward to, and so we see that every Yid should not simply guard the sanctity of Shabbos, but rather he should anxiously anticipate and look forward to its arrival. We shouldn’t enter Shabbos Kodesh complacently, or chas v’shalom consider it any kind of burden, but await it eagerly, as one would await the arrival of a most revered guest.
Which brings us nicely to something that we find in the first of the two parshios we read this week. In Parshas Vayakhel we are told, לֹא תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת – You must not kindle a fire in all your dwelling places on the day of Shabbos (35:3).
The Chasam Sofer, R’ Moshe Sofer zt’l would say, “some people sink very low in their weekday pursuits. Their activities are devoid of even a spark of sanctity. Then, when Shabbos comes, and work is prohibited, they try to change from their spiritually ‘extinguished’ mode to one of spiritual fire and warmth. The Torah tells us, ‘You must not light a fire… on the day of Shabbos.’ One should not light a fire – even a spiritual flame – on Shabbos. He must imbue his weekly activities with warmth and sanctity as well, so that when Shabbos does finally arrive, he is not just beginning to create the fire.
It is not enough to get excited on Shabbos itself. If we do so, we are six days too late! The Chasam Sofer tells us that this pasuk is relaying the procedure with which to approach Shabbos! A person must kindle a fire in his home and heart, a passionate, burning love for Hashem, BEFORE Shabbos, not on the day of Shabbos itself! That fire must be lit already on Motzei Shabbos before leaving the Melave Malka table, and on each successive day of the week a Yid must fan the flames with inspired prayer, elevated levels of Torah study, and middos tovos. This is all necessary, so that when the Shabbos siren sounds, he is ready to experience the taste of Shabbos to its fullest!
Kain Hashem was composed by the incredibly gifted Yossi Green and was first sung by Shlomo Simcha way back on his debut album That Special Melody in 1993. The words are taken from the Bakashos for Shabbos found in the Seder Ma’amados (7), within which we ask Hashem that we be zocheh to accept and experience Shabbos with the proper love and anticipation that it so deserves.
Wishing you an invigorating Shabbos HaChodesh, Mevorchim Chodesh Nisan, Chazak!
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