INSIGHT FOR SHABBOS – Tosfos Shabbos

The King is Approaching

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It is a mitzvah from the Torah to add a little bit from the day of Erev Shabbos (Friday afternoon before Shabbos actually enters) and to sanctify it with the sanctity of Shabbos (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, siman 261 – 2).
 
It is brought in Siddur HaAri z"l in the kavanos of Mincha for Erev Shabbos, that the idea of Tosfos Shabbos is based upon making a spiritual preparation for Shabbos within oneself before the advent of Shabbos. Although the kedusha of Shabbos is so great that it takes place even without any of our doing, notwithstanding, the amount of kedusha that each person merits is directly dependent on how much he has previously invested in his spiritual and internal preparation.
 
The Sidduro Shel Shabbos (Shoresh Rishon, anaf gimel, aleh beis) brings an amazing parable to illustrate this principle:
The king had in mind to visit a certain city in one of his provinces, and he sent out his personal entourage to find him a place to stay. The special entourage set out before the appointed day, and upon arriving in the city where the king was to visit, chose [two] homes to be prepared appropriately for the king’s stay.
 
 
The first home owner acted wisely, and as soon as he was chosen said to himself: "At first I will focus on the cleanliness of the house, and make sure that it be sparkling and clean, as is appropriate for the honor of the king". He began his work of beautifying his home with all types of adornments and filling it with good scented smells, so that the king would immediately experience a pleasant atmosphere upon his arrival. This was his main focus during his days of preparation. He didn’t even invest time in preparing food for the king, because he understood that wherever a king travels, he travels together with whatever he needs. Even if the king would find some specific food missing that he desiredat his royal meal, there is nothing that can stop the king from acquiring what he needs.
The second home owner, as soon as he was chosen, said to himself: "Now has come the time for me to make a little money from this, since the king will be coming to my house". During the few days prior to the king’s visit, he spent all his time preparing various types of food and drink that the king would need, so that he could make money off of their sale. In the midst of all his busy preparations, he didn’t even have enough time to properly prepare the cleanup of his house. As the time was getting closer, he still needed to clean up all the dirt and dust from the house and to make the rooms as beautiful as they could be. Although he tried somewhat to clean off the surface dirt – because obviously he had to do something – it wasn’t nearly enough to be appropriate for the visit of a king. Such preparation would be considered small even for one of the king’s officers, most certainly for the king himself.
When the king finally arrived at the city on the appointed day, the officers who precede his coming came to check the first house before the king would make his entry. What the home owner did was good in their eyes, especially considering that he did a lot more than he was able to. They allowed the king to make his royal entery, and at the same time they prepared everything in royal fashion that the king would need to eat. The wise king, upon entering and recognizing how much this home owner did for the king’s honor – much more than what was within his ability – decided to award him with the unique privilege of eating the private meal with the king. At the meal, the king showed the home owner a shining countenance and smiling face, and inquired about his life and his needs – and as a result, whatever the owner needed personally was fulfilled by decree of the king, and he received a bounty of good and experienced no more lacking.
When the time came for the king to go to the house of the second home owner, the officers came to check the house before the king would make his entry. What they discovered was startling. Not only was the house not cleaned satisfactorily for a king, it wasn’t even cleaned satisfactorily enough for one of the officers themselves. They began to yell at him and strike him, saying: "How could it be that the king’s honor is lacking such importance in your eyes, that you didn’t even put in the effort to prepare your home with the appropriate cleanliness". None of the king’s officers heard his cries – even though he claimed that he did prepare for the king – since they could not find a place in his house that was appropriate even for the kingto sit down.
 
Although the King’s presence comes to dwell among us on Shabbos (when we greet the Kallah at the entrance of Shabbos, we are really greeting our individual experience of Hashem’s presence – [see explanation of the level of the Schinah in "Rosh Chodesh Nisan" (April 22/09)]), the relationship with the King and the benefit of the meeting with Him, is directly dependent upon how much one has previously prepared his house (i.e. his neshama) where the King is to dwell, before Shabbos.
 
This is the mitzvah of Tosfos Shabbos: The extra time that the Torah requires us to add preceding Shabbos, is for the purpose of preparing and cleaning our inner homes before the entrance of the King – Melech Malchei HaMelachim HaKadosh Baruch Hu – with Whom we may merit to eat a private meal with – and as a result all of our other needs will be completely filled.

With blessings for a Git and Gebentched Shabbos to all.

MESSAGE FOR THE WEEK – Finding Balance in Our Times

FRESH OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEK – Writings of the Ramchal zy”a

 
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Emunah at the End of Days
 
In the generation prior to the coming of Moshiach, we know that a large part of the avoda will be dependent upon emunah – pure belief and trust in Hashem. The Braisah at the end of Gemora Sotah¹,  when describing this generation says explicitly: "And upon Whom can we rely? Only upon Avinu ShebaShomayim".
 
In order to increase and enhance one’s level of emunah, my Rebbe in Mussar ybchl"ch, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe zt"l, has written²:
 
"In order to acquire a true acquisition of emunah in one’s heart, we must constantly renew [the] images that strengthen and deepen all of the branches of emunah. The oved Hashem finds this constant renewal in the creation, until the point where it becomes revealed to him – in accordance with the words of the Ramban (mentioned above) – that the entire natural world is [really] one large image that reveals [what's beyond it] – the Creator and His Middos. Every form and  every natural process, hints to His Wisdom, to His Chesed, to His Hashgacha and to His Unity."
 
When a person recognizes that Hashem’s Wisdom radiates through the hashgacha of this world, it increases the level of emunah that a person can acquire in his heart.
 
Unique Approach of the Ramchal
 
Perhaps the Jewish leader whose writings help us the most to tangibly sense Hashem’s Wisdom radiating through creation and hashgacha, is the Ramchal zy"a. The intuitively logical organization of the deepest ideas in Torah that the Ramchal has set forth before us in his holy writings, gives us the ability to understand much more clearly a great deal of Hashem’s hashgacha, even at the end of days.
The ability to view the events in our lives with the proper hashkafic perspective, gives us the confidance and conviction to redouble our effortsto strengthen our emunah, and thus to merit a Fresh Outlook on everything that transpires in our times.
 
The Ultimate Goal of Our Lives
 
One of the major keys of understanding that the Ramchal offers us to unlock the mystery of our lives, is the definitive answer to the question of: What is the goal of everything in creation?. Without knowing the answer to this question, even after having learned extensively, a person will most likely find himself still "in the dark" as to where any given element of hashgacha is headed to in his life. By clearly knowing  the answer to this question, a person will most likely find himself feeling reassured that all the elements of hashgacha in his life are headed only toward good.
 
When we ask ourselves the question: "What is the goal of everything?", we are generally at a loss to put the answer into a few succinct words. But the Ramchal does this for us in Sefer Daas T’vunos³:
"…behold, at the end, he (man) will be the completer (of himself and everything that was created for him), and [then] he will receive pleasure in a good way – eternally".
 
In Sefer Mesilas Yesharim⁴ the Ramchal further describes this pleasure:
"… that this is the true pleasure and the greatest enjoyment from all the enjoyments that can possibly exist".
 
The description of "all the enjoyments that can possibly exist" – by definition includes every enjoyment that exists in the finite creation. If the ultimate reward and pleasure is even greater than that, this pleasure must "border" on the level of infinite⁵.
 
The Key Words
 
So if we want to summarize the answer to the original question – what is the "goal of everything" – according to the Ramchal, it is⁶:
 
                                                                      "Infinite Pleasure Eternally"
 
That is the "goal of everything", and this is ultimately what Hashem wants to give to us.  Mind boggling when you consider it.
This is the first major introduction that the Ramchal presents us, in order that we begin to approach a greater understanding of Hashem’s Benevolent hashgacha in our daily lives.

[To be continued B'ezras Hashem Yisborach, Tuesdays.]

AVODAH FOR THE WEEK – Don’t Jump!

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As we enter the upcoming month whose energy is about jumping forward (see Energy of the Month), we must be cautious not to jump to a level that is not real for us.
 
The holy Ohev Yisroel (Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Heshel of Apt zy"a) writes in the Likutim for this week’s Parsha, Parshas Vayikra:
"Vayikra el Moshe" – Hashem called to Moshe, and says Rashi in the name of Chazal, that preceding each dibur that Hashem imparted to Moshe, was first a kriah to Moshe – a calling, to prepare Moshe for what was about to come.
 
"Dah, you should know, that Rashi z"l in the name of Chazal is coming here to teach us a great principle in [keeping] the Torah, and that is, just like Moshe did not advance to speak with Hashem until first preceded by a calling, so too the individual who wants to go up to Hashem from level to level, must first receive by each [ascending] level a calling from Shomayim in order to be given that level. The true Avoda to Hashem is davka [by] one who worships Hashem and really doesn’t want any levels until he is called from Shomayim and is "forced" to go up a level, because his reaching [an additional level] is a need for the world."
 
The Ohev Yisroel gives us an invaluable perspective on Avodas Hashem: the goal of worshipping Hashem is not to reach higher and higher levels; the goal is the worship itself.

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