The Importance of Saying Shalom Aleichem - Rabbi Steven Weil

what is it that we sing we're welcoming angels what what does that mean and it gets worse it says we ask the angels to bless us which we know is is is Pagan is you know there's only one source of power in the universe and that's God there's no other source of power so what do you mean you're asking an angel to bless you in fact the villagon did not allow people to sing why if they didn't understand what it means then they could have corrupt or warped Notions of what we're doing when we sing you see it's based on a gemara in kofiod tests and Shabbos that describes the following scenario if you walk into the home Friday night and it hasn't been prepared it's sloppy the beds aren't made there's no special table set for the Shabbos meal you can't have that smell of Shabbos in the air there's no yearning or anticipation people aren't dressed in a nicer way then you know what it's like any other day of the week and who are the two angels quote unquote it's talking about the yatesahara your psyche your your emotions you say well you know okay this is like any other okay so I'm not going to work tomorrow but I got a night awful sit we'll eat something we'll have a couple drinks go to sleep early that is not a Shabbos however if there's been this yearning this anticipation what we call this building up all week long you know we've been buying good food making good food Friday we've been preparing for it so to come Friday night it's a different time zone it's a different space it's a different world the Shabbos then it's a opportunity for great conversation it's an opportunity for bonding it's an opportunity not only for relationships with our family but relationships with God understanding ourselves better that's the Yates of toe that's the intellect that says there's something unique distinct and special there's something that we prepare for so what are the two angels the two angels are us it's you and I it's the eights or toe our intellect our spiritual side in the yet Sahara our emotional side in this case what aspect of the emotions laziness apathy smugness that's the idea and what happens to paraphrase the gemara if you come in and there's something special about this evening then then you really appreciate the Shabbos and then you can transform the Shabbos experience to transform yourself and your family if it's blase if it's pedestrian there's nothing special about it and it's just like any other day and unfortunately that gift that we call the Shabbos that blessing that we call the Shabbos that transforms us that makes our week that makes us who we are the famous line more than the Jews keep the Shabbos the Shabbos is what has kept the Jews it's all lost that was the idea of the gemara and the put you know this this beautiful four paragraph tune that we sing to that gemara called is is is reflecting those ideas thank you [Music]