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.
These are two of the most well-known pesukim in the Torah. They are recited Friday nights before Shmoneh Esrei and they are also the opening verses of the Shabbos morning Kiddush. Over the centuries, beautiful niggunim aplenty have been composed to express the grandeur of these verses. But before we introduce our chosen tune for today’s post, let’s approach its lyrics with yet even more perspective.
The Gemara (Brachos 7a) tells us here that Hashem showed Moshe the knot of His tefillin. The knot of Hashem’s tefillin signifies Klal Yisroel’s eternal attachment to the Almighty, even though we may not realize His Providential involvement and Divine intervention in our lives until much later on.
Make no mistake – this was not just a one-time wake up call. Each one of us has the opportunity to heed the courageous cry of Moshe Rabbeinu every day of our lives. We are living in a time when any thinking person can hear a Great Shofar blasting from all sides, calling out: Mi Lashem Eilai! and it is incumbent on every one of us to come running.