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Shabbos Hayom Lashem
Cheshvan/5781
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Just a Little Background
Let's Explore
Everyone looks forward to Shabbos. It’s a day we can relax, dress up, indulge in the delicious seudos (cuz on Shabbos, calories don’t count obviously), and catch up on much needed sleep. But we all know that Shabbos is much more than that; it’s a day of Kedusha that is mi’taam Gan Eden. Do we tap into the simcha of the spiritual side of this Holy day as well, so that all of our pleasure is truly for Hashem?
This month’s theme is Shabbos HaYom LA’HASHEM: Making Shabbos a day for Him and to grow closer to Him, not just for our own physical enjoyment. Of course, we are allowed to have the foods and naps and clothes that set this day apart- in fact, it’s a mitzvah to do so! But let us work on elevating these actions by channeling it to Him. And what can be a better way of showing that our “gashmiyus” is for Hashem, than by showing how important Shabbos is to us on a ruchniyus level as well.
Raise Your Bar
Making it Practical
Have kavanah by shir shel yom that you are looking forward to spending a day with Hashem
Have a treat specially for the sake of oneg Shabbos that you don’t have during the week
Learn the parshah
Be ready extra early for Shabbos
Be the one to set the table
Buy something for Shabbos, maybe candles
YOU do the Shabbos shopping
Every day do something small for in anticipation of Shabbos (e.g., cut paper towels one day, choose your clothing the next day…)
As you clean up from shabbos on motzei shabbos/sunday, do it for the coming shabbos- because next time you're going to use it is next shabbos, so essentially you're doing it for next shabbos!
Do different things that need to be done for shabbos throughout the week (ex: refilling the candles for shabbos, buying something during the week for shabbos if you're out anyways- a special treat or something your mother will ask you to buy on Friday anyways so just buy it earlier in the week to fulfill the mitzva of preparing for shabbos during the week, set the table for shabbos on Thursday night vs shabbos day)
Learn about shabbos throughout the week- from a sefer, read over the parsha (then set aside a divrei Torah to say on shabbos as you learn)...
If you need to do something and it MUST be done FOR SURE by shabbos (ex: fold and put away laundry, clean up, sweep, organize papers or belongings...), you can put extra kavanos into your actions that your anyways doing and say/think that you're doing it l'kavod shabbos- you're doing it on Tuesday to prepare, because the Shabbos Hamalka is coming in just 3.5 days!!
As you do anything for shabbos, do it b'simcha! As you clean or cook, put on some happy shabbos music or listen to a great shiur that will pump you up for shabbos and what shabbos is all about. It's great to prepare for the gadol hador's arrival in advance, but its even more commendable if you are happy and excited to prepare for the gador hador to enter your house. It will infuse you with more of a love for shabbos and you will look forward to it even more!
Let's Explore
Shabbos, a Day for Him
“Ritzei bemnuchaseinu”: May You be satisfied with our rest! That delicious Shabbos nap- Hashem, may it be successfully channeled to satisfy You! May our special Shabbos delights be directed to the Source of true goodness: “Kulam yisbe’u v’yis’angu mituvecha!”
I noticed something very interesting. One word that keeps on coming up specifically in reference to Shabbos is the word “B’AHAVA”. When Yom Tov falls out on Shabbos, we insert this word into our Tefillos. It is also repeated constantly in Shabbos Shemonah Esrei and Zemiros. Why? The extra expression of love referring only to the Shabbos denotes the particular affection with which bnei yisrael accept the mitzvos of the holy day. Throughout the generations, bnei yisrael lived their whole week for Shabbos, and sacrificed so much for it! Let us not,chas v’shalom, lose sight of the true purpose of the day, but continue this legacy of love for Shabbos, and love for Hashem.
“Mi shetarach berev Shabbos yochal biShabbos” (avoda zara 3a); if you work and put in effort before Shabbos, you will eat on Shabbos. Let us take this to mean that if you put in the effort before Shabbos to make Shabbos special, then BE”H, you will experience a special Shabbos when it comes!
Please review the suggestions, and choose your favorites, or make up your own as the second kaballah of our Hashem First mission.
If you have any nice thoughts about Shabbos or ideas for something to do, let me know so I can share the inspiration!
“Hayom nechbad livnei emunim”: We, as ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim appreciate the value of Shabbos. It is so precious to us! Let’s show Hashem just how much we love this matanah tovah-Tizku L’Mitzvos!
