We are pleased to announce the release of a new book Bet HaLevi on Ahavat Yisrael. To order directly from Artscroll and get a 10% discount, click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/Books/BHAYH.html Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. There is a beautiful new sefer that came called Yoma d’Nishmita, written by Rabbi Yissachar Weissberg, who passed away at a young age. It is an unbelievable Hebrew sefer with over 500 pages on Shabbat and I plan on using it going forward. I did not know the author, but he was supposably a very great man, which is clearly seen from his work. In the first siman, he highlights two fundamental events that we are required to remember: zecher l’yetziat mitzrayim, we were taken out of Egypt, and zecher l’maaseh berashit, G-d created the world. Additionally, the Ramban teaches that we are required to remember Shabbat every single day. This is fulfilled in our prayers when we say “ היום יום ראשון, שני , etc.” The question is: why do we have to remember Shabbat every day? On a basic level, remembering Shabbat is important for Kavod Shabbat . When a person is thoughtful to shop and prepare for Shabbat everyday, he will not wake up on Friday and say, “Oh no! I need to prepare for Shabbat!” Therefore, a person’s entire week should revolve around Shabbat. This is reflected in the story of Shamai, who bought a cow for Shabbat everyday and if he found a better one the next day, he would replace it. The Ramban teaches that the reason a person should remember Shabbat is to lead them to constantly remember creation; then, he will praise HaKadosh Baruch Hu, Who is the Creator of the world, at all times. This question arises: why do we need to remember Shabbat, if the ultimate purpose is to remember creation; shouldn’t we just have the mitzvah to remember creation? To illustrate, we have a mitzvah to remember Yetziat Mitzrayim, not to remember Pesach, which will lead a person to remember leaving Mitzrayim. He answers that the only real way to believe in G-d and creation is through Shabbat. It is not an external, philosophical endeavor to believe in G-d and in creation; it has to come through Shabbat. Why? There are two types of Emunah: emunah b’sechel , intellectual knowledge, and emunah b’chush , Emuna developed through the senses. The Ramban writes that our Emunah does not come from something external, that we saw miracles in Mitzrayim, but because we saw G-d face to face at Matan Torah. וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך - G-d opened the heavens and we saw that there was nothing else but Him. Shabbat is not just a mitzvah; it is a matana , a gift from G-d. On Shabbat, we can sense G-d, and therefore, we have a firm belief in Him because of it. It has a certain kedusha, and by keeping Shabbat, we automatically strengthen our Emunah. This is why Shabbat is called “a testimony.” A person cannot testify to something that they did not see, but through observing Shabbat, their belief becomes so clear, as if they saw it. The famous Maharal of Prague’s brother wrote in his sefer, Sefer HaChayim : G-d’s love for the Jewish people has the power to remove all doubts from their heart. He gave them Shabbat, which is a time that every Jewish person feels a G-dly influence that fills him up with simcha. He doesn’t even need to prepare; as soon as Shabbat enters, a deep happiness comes on him. He writes that his feeling comes from a source of prophecy. Even though we no longer have prophecy, G-d gifts us with this prophetic feeling of G-dliness so that we can survive galut. If we keep the laws of Shabbat properly, we will have such clarity and Emunah, which will allow us to remember G-d in creation. Have a Shabbat Shalom.
