Rav Kook: The Erev Shabbat Jew | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider | June 11th 2025

Great to see everyone this morning for being here this morning. Let's just announce the our sponsor. We have a sponsor for the yeartomo and we thank our sponsor and the learning this morning nishmas the names that we just mentioned. Uh this morning's topic is uh a topic that uh I think is applicable and hopefully inspirational for all of us. And I guess I would name uh the class the er of Shabas Jew, the Arab Shabbad Jew and what it means to go into Shabas, how to prepare for Shabas and what is that idea of Shabas, the preparation that we do for Shabas. So this is a uh as you know this is a shar there's a class in the teachings of Ravkuk. We're going to be looking at the teachings of Rakook this morning. But I want to begin with a statement from another rabbi, another great rabbi who is beloved to me and that is Rabbi Yoseph Dov Halevi Salvich, Rabbi Salvetic of Boston of Yeshiva University. And he has a very very memorable comment um that he made as part of a Chuva lecture. It wasn't the main part of the chuva lecture. And uh if you look in Alachuva, the book Alachuva, it's actually a footnote in the book. It doesn't even make it into the main part of the lecture, but it's a memorable uh a memorable statement that he makes, and I want to just read it to you and share it together with you. So, this is the very first source on the sheet, and Rabbi Salvich says the following. Allow me, please, to make a private confession. Interesting. concerning a matter that has caused me much loss of sleep. What keeps you up at night? Well, you're going to hear what keeps Rabbi Salvich up at night. He says, "I'm not so very old, yet I remember a time when 90% of world jewelry were observant and the secularists were a small minority at the fringes of the camp." I still remember it was not so long ago when Jews were still close to God and lived in an atmosphere pervaded with holiness. But today, what do we see? The profane and the secular are in control wherever we turn. Even those neighborhoods made up predominantly religious Jews. One can no longer talk of the sanctity of the Shabbat day. True, there are Jews in America who observe the Shabbat. He says, "Thank God." And by the way, he's writing this and saying this in the 50s and the 60s. And if we remember back, it wasn't so easy for many, many Jews and to be sham shabas in those years. And he says, "Thank God we've been able to accomplish that. We've achieved that. That there are many shamre shabas in America." He says, "True, there are Jews in America who observe Shabbat. The label Shabbat observer to be Sham Shabas has come to be used as a title of honor in our circles like Harav Hagon." But he says, "Neither really indicate anything and both testify to the lowly state of our generation." And here this is the key line. But it is not for the Shabbat that my heart aches. It is for the forgotten eve of Shabbat, the heir of Shabas. There are Shabbat there are Shabbat observing Jews in America. But there are not Eve of Shabbat Jews of heir of Shabas Jews who go out to greet the Shabbat with beating hearts and pulsating souls. So this is Rabbi Salvichek. I think it's a become a pretty well-known line of Rabbi Salvich. Yes, we have the Shmer Shabas Jews of America. But where are the Arab Shabas Jews of America? And what does it mean by that? The spiritual longing for Shabbat, the um the anticipation of Shabbat, the love of Shabbat, right? Not only the idea that we're keeping Shabas, Shabas, but that we're waiting, we're anticipating the whole week Shabas. So, this is uh I think this is a good way to begin a good background to begin our conversation. And Rufk is going to speak about the idea of air of shabas. Before we look at Ruf cook, one more line and this comes from the Rambam. We know that Rabbi Salvich is always where did Rabbi Salvich get this idea this this air of Shabas? We all know about Chabas. What's this the air of Shabas? The anticipation the longing for Shabas. It's actually the Rambam himself in the Mishna Torah. codifies the importance of Arab Shabas as well which again you would think that's just kind of like a nice you know a nice add-on but he has in Shabas in he writes the following this is the Ramb I'm writing what is considered what is the honor of Shabas this is what our rabbis speak about when we speak about Shabas that a person should bathe before Shabas in anticipation of Shabas in warm water, hot water of Shabas Shabas. And then he writes the following and one puts on special garments before Shabas. And this is look at the next line. The Yoshid Ro and a person heir of Shabas is already anticipating Ro there's a certain focus and anticipation as Shabas is about to enter. A person waits that a person is waiting and here we have the termabas they were waiting for shabas to enter in the same way that you would go running to see the king to see the president if if that person that individual was coming to your streets to your community so to the shabas with that with that anticipation this is the round and it says the early they would bring all their students together. And this is prior to Shabbat, the Shabbatim, they would they would robe themselves. They would put on special garments and together they would say, "Let us go." Venet say, "And let us go out the Shabbat. Let us go out and greet the Shabbat king." Interesting uses the word king and not queen here. But here we see in the Rambam, the Rambam has this idea that this is a a beautiful way and the ideal way of experiencing Shabbat. And it says this this was the way of the great rabbis of the early of the early days. So it's not only we think about spat the cabalist and spat that they would go out and greet the Shabbat Kabala Shabbat. We see it's earlier than that as well that the Rambam is speaking about the importance of Arav Shabas. Okay. So with that background let us now turn to uh to RV cook and one story that RV cook speaks about and he elucidates and we'll see in that story in the way that he explores or explains the story we'll see a very very beautiful idea that he expresses about the importance of the air of Shabas the anticipation that we have for Shabas the preparation that we do for Shabas. So, here is the story and I'll tell the beginning of the story and then I want to just go to the text itself. It's a very well-known story. Not sure if everyone knows it. They always say it's a famous Gamarra, but yeah, famous to those that that know the Gamarra. Um, but it's a famous story for those that know the story. So, it's Shiman Barai and his son who are in a cave and they spend 12 years in a cave together. It's a garra that's found in Shabas. It's Daf Lammed Gimma B 33. Many point out 33 maybe it's maybe it's not a coincidence because 33 is the lagba omer it's barai the story of maybe the garam put it on page 33 with that little hint but here's the story he's in the cave with his son and they spend 12 years well what do you do 12 years in a cave together with your son so the gamarra says that they're studying they're studying the depths of Judaism and the wisdom of the Torah the cabala the deepest deepest ideas they're spending every single day studying together. The Gamarra then says they leave the cave after 12 years. They come outside of the cave. They see people for the first time civilization and the Gamarra says that they see that people are in the language of the Gamarra that they are plowing and they are they are sewing. People are going to work, people are doing the mundane things that one would do during the week. And what does Rashimai and his son Rebelazar what do they do? They look at them and the Gammorra says with their eyes they pierce them that they that they they put them on fire. That's what they with their eyes as they're looking at them that they can't imagine that this is what people are doing that they're that this is how they're spending their life. Look at the world that we were just in the world of learning the world of of kaduca the world of sanctity and the deepest ideas of of Torah and belief in Hashem. And here people are just getting up and going to work. They're buying a cup of coffee. They're getting a bagel. They're they're reading the newspaper. They're plowing and they're sewing. How could it be? So, they burn up everybody that they see. That's what the Garus says. And then Abascal comes out from heaven. Hashem speaks to them and says, "Why did you come out of the cave to do that? I would like you now to in re-enter the cave. Go back into the the cave. Go back to your room. Think about what you've just done. And then you can come out." So that's what they do. They go back into the cave for another 12 months. They then come outside. They leave the cave. And it says that Rabazar, the son of Rashai, that he continues to burn people up. And Shimanai, the father, that he heals all the people that his son has burned. That's what the Gomorrah says. Okay, there's a lot a lot that needs to be interpreted here. But then the Gamarra says the following. And here I want to share this with you with the language of the Gamarra. So that's the story up to this point. But I want to bring you into this part of the story. The Gumar then says the following. The two of them are now walking together, father and son. Rafai, his son Rabazar. And it says, Bahad, and this is the source number three, page one. Bahad Pa de Males Shapa. The sun was setting right before Shabas. It was Ara of Shabasu Sabah. They saw an older man to have a nak madani assa. He was holding two myrtles, two branches in his hand. the rahit and he was running ben hashmashos and he was running and it sounds like he was doing what a lot of us do air of shabas right you are rushing you are running as shabas is coming in he makes he maybe makes a purchase of these myrtles of these flowers that he's bringing home for shabas but here he is running and uh making his way to to uh to finish off his errands right before shabas so they now they now turn to rabbi and uh re ramb by and his son turned to the manu they say to him lama what are these why do you have these myrtles these we maybe call them flowers in your hand so he says to them chabas I have this chabas I'm bringing them home I'm going to put them on my table Friday night these are the flowers for shabas these myrtles for shabas and they they then say to him isn't it not sufficient just to have one do you need do. So he answers one is in remembrance or symbolic of the word sham and the other one represents sham shamat. So he now turns to his son. We see how how precious are the mitzvot to the Jew and to the Jewish people. And then is Isa data and at that moment they are their minds were put at ease. So that is the story and that's how the story ends with Roshimai and his son who are coming out of the cave. They are really troubled with the idea of the way that Jews are maybe too engrossed in the in this worldly things and not and not uh not in spiritual matters. But when they see this man they see the man with the myrtles in his hand. He's rushing. He's bringing them home for Shabas. They say how our mitzvah to the Jewish people. Now the question is how to interpret this gamarra. What is the idea of this gamarra? So here Rafuk says the following. And let's now turn to the top of page two. This is from the anaya his commentary on the garra. And he's going to talk about two aspects of shabas. Two aspects of shabas. So let's go to the text of rkuk. So you have the again the the top part is the quote in in the bold is the quote from Ravk I'm sorry from the gumar itself and then you have the language of RVuk the last two lines page two column number one when we think about the holiness of Shabas there are really two aspects of that holiness one aspect of the holiness of Shabas that you have the kadusha itself on the day Shabas said it raises the level of the Jewish people that the day itself uplifts the Jew and that's something that we can all relate to that the day of Shabas itself that it's uplifting. It's a spiritual day. It's a day of sanctity. It's something that lifts us up uh above all of the mundane all the the secular so to speak. And it's something that connects us with that which is kavodong which is the honor of god of kadusha the highest levels of kadusha. That's one aspect of shabas. One aspect of shabas is the day itself and what the day itself does for us. However, there's another aspect of shabas. One more line from what we read inside that it affects that there's an overflow from Shabas to all of the days of the week in with all that is right a word that we know in modern Hebrew today all that is secular all that is not kadoshif and the loneliness of the rest of the week but there is an effect of shabas on all the other days. The fact that they're connected and we think about Shabas. So all the days of the week are then uplifted. So what is it that and his son? What do they recognize in this person who is running with those flowers there of Shabas? They recognize that the truth is that person also has a longing for Shabas. that person has even in the weekday even in the mundane the work that they're doing is not just a secular work within that there is spirituality and when a person um has a longing for that spirituality and a longing for Hashem and closeness with Hashem so everything that that person does brings them closer to Hashem so they recognize at first when they came out of the cave they said well look at this world look at all these Jews that are involved in all this m mundane activity but then they realize something that the truth is that the Jew even though it looks like they're doing that which is mundane but when that person is connected to Torah connected to Hashem and when they value that when they long for that and that's what they saw in this older man who was running before Shabas what was he running to he was running to that kaduca he wanted that kaduca and they recognize it they they had to take a step back and they realized that you know what even a Jew that it doesn't necessarily look like they're engrossed in kadusha a that they're connected to kadusha. But the truth is they are and especially those Jews that have that longing for Shabas and for that kadusha. So that's part of what it means shabas and the for shabas the for shabas according to cook means a person who is longing for that kaduca and that kaduca is not found only in chabas but it's also brought into the week as well. And when we do that I was in the car with my wife this morning and I said well what what are your plans for the day? So she said well I'm already thinking about shabas. That's what she said. I'm already thinking about who's coming for Shabas, buying for Shabas. I have to make the beds. We know a group is coming. So that's already Wednesday morning. So that's what Rafuk says when that's part of your week. So you've now elevated your week. That's part of the hakana of Shabas. And Ruk says something beautiful. This is in the uh the second source on page two. He says the following. And this is brings us to like another another uh another but the of Sukis. So in the time of the bases mikdash there was what was called shva which they do today as well all week long the day of celebrations in the good old days the ba mikdash so they would take water and water was poured on the msbak that was called the kamay that they would take water each day they would pour the water on the misbak called the and that was really a prayer for rain in the coming season but asked a question if it's means the pouring of the water why is it that We call it the sima. Now means your theim. And what does that refer to? That refers to what you did prior to that mitzvah. You would go down actually to the mash. Has anybody ever walked through that that stream on the southern side of the uh of the beta mdashdash? It's still there today. The Mishna says that's what they did. They went down to that stream and they would show a they would take that. They would collect the water and then they would bring it to the beta mikdash and that water would then be poured on the misb. But why call it the basha? Why call it the water drawing if it's the water pouring on the misb. So he says you know what at times the preparation that we do beforehand is as significant is as special. You know when you think about a wedding preparing for a wedding so how many hours is the wedding? Six hours. And how about all of those weeks and months beforehand? All that preparation, right? Preparing for the bar mitzvah. You have, okay, that chabas, the shabas, the kdish, but how about all that time beforehand? Now, that day of course is very, very significant. But everything that we put in beforehand, right? The love that we show, all the details that we're concerned with, right? All of that, that's so special. Rafuk says that we need to appreciate that as well and to see how special that is. And by the way inic literature they talk a lot about the idea of how the hakana the preparation for something is sometimes could be even holier than the act itself. this on the of Lady Yetich of writes. This is in source number three in his Kadushas Levy. It's Paras by Yates and he says the following. By the way, they just came out with the translation for the very first time of the Gaduchas Levy art scroll. A great translation, a great work. And um this is just take taken from there, but I'll read the Hebrew. You have the translation below. Vesh mala. He says there's something very special about what he calls the kos. The is the yearning, the desire to fulfill a mitzvah. He says when it comes to the action itself, it's just the action itself. He says for example, you put on in the morning that you put on at that time at that in other words, you put on your and then the mitzvah is done. But that yearning to do the mitzvah, that desire, that anticipation and the and and that passion that you have that you want to do the mitzvah correctly. That's something that takes on even a greater quality and affects every single mitzvah that you do. And this is a big part of this this idea of the right. way that we prepare for a mitzvah, prepare for shabas, for yantiff, for any mitzvah that we do has a very very unique quality. And sometimes as as Revit says here, it could be even greater to some degree because of that passion, that desire that one has where one awaits to do the mitzvah. actually a a story about that he was um it was yont and you know in over yont you don't wear tfillin and he was actually talking about interestingly he talks about the example of of wearing tillin so he was waiting all the days to put on we don't always think about that right in other words all these days are going by and you haven't put on twillin yet it was finally the morning after yont 8 days later that he could put on twillin he was so excited his fillin was in the uh it was in a chest or whatever that had a glass window and he put his hand through the window, right, to get the he was so excited he and and there was so much passion there to do the mitzvah that he hadn't done for so long that he uh that that's what he did. But that that's what is referring to here as well. That desire, that passion, that anticipation for the mitzvah uh prior to doing the mitzvah and that's part of what it means, the the air of shabas, the air of shabas can begin on a Wednesday morning as well. It can begin all week as you know there's the uh the we every day we say shabas we say in the shyom that we're counting down the days and on Wednesday morning we add to the shyom that by Wednesday interesting as I mentioned before my wife already Wednesday morning so is already preparing for shabas so that's the idea of preparation for shabas and how that preparation is something that's so special right and that preparation also makes the shabas that much more special, right? If you're kind of just going to chabas, ordering a little food, shabas begins. So, I'm not not sure if your shabas is going to be the same as somebody that puts in all the preparation beforehand. So, that is um that's Rkook that's now to page three. And Rufk talks about something which is done on air of shabas according to the garra. We'll see if this is something that people do here. and um and how this kind of reveals the the uniqueness of Shabas and what it is that we're anticipating as we're making our way to Shabas says the Gamarra. This is top of page three. This is David B in gamar shabas paragon ome top of page three three words in shabas you should check your clothing of shabas as it's getting dark this is a great very very important of shabas adds on so what is the is that before you start chabas as I don't know if you have to go through your closet but maybe what you're wearing to make sure that you don't have an item in your pocket that's what the that's what Gar says make sure now again we do a little bit less of that because we live with an au right most of us here in so we don't necessarily think about that but by the way you have another issue as well not only carry but you have the issue of mukah right that you're carrying something your car keys are still there a pen is still there So the Garra says that that is that one should be careful about that at least what you're wearing that you just double check that you're not carrying something that's or carrying where you don't have uh where you don't have an af. Okay. And then Yoseph says this is a really important. So just look at Rashi Rash's comment just on the right side. What's Rashi says? This is a very important show is shabas to make sure that you're not going to transgress that you're not going to do an iss okay but what does how does cook interpret this gimmar and here he takes it into a very a beautiful beautiful spiritual idea and he says essentially make sure to check your pockets that you're not bringing in items from the week into your shabas not literally that you're bringing in something mukah or a pen but make sure you're not bringing in weekday into Shabas. Check for that. Check for that. Now, what does that mean? Let's just see the the language. Beautiful language of this is from the anay um two lines down again. He quotes the gamarra shabas. One of the essential ideas of the holiness of Shabas. It's in order to ma to parallel or to make one the outer life maybe the secular life the mundane life and the inner life. If you have a far distance if there's a big gap between the way that you live sort of in your secular mundane life and your holy life says that's not a healthy thing. of Adam that diminishes the very essence of a person and you're very far from the purpose that Hashem has placed you who wants you to succeed and wants your spiritual success. What is Rafuk saying? Don't bring in make sure that you're not bringing into Shabas and make sure that Shabas also purifies those things that during the week that maybe you have taken on. Maybe you've been influenced in a certain way by things during the week, things that you've seen, things that you've been involved in that chabas purifies that and you know that that's not part of what you who you want to be and what you want to be a part of your life to remove that from Shabas. You know over the years we've had uh a lot of people over our home shabas Friday night chabas day a lot of bal chuva people that don't know that much about chabas and often when I talk about chabas and interesting when I read this when I talk about chabas to them I generally will not start with you know this is the day that your that hashem has 39 malos and you're not allowed to do all of these things on chabas so what do you say to a person who's learning about chabas for the first time right who's sitting at a shabas table for the ver for the very first time like what do you what do you tell them good you tell them how beautiful and how delicious all the food is you know one of the things that I tell them and people that really don't know and they're really they're aed by this and it wouldn't be it's not special for us I say you know what we do right before Shabas we put away all of our phones we put away all of our computers and for 24 hours we don't touch them 25 25 okay 25 and they're Wow, what a be that is so beautiful. I wish I could bring that into my life. Like I wish our home for 25 hours didn't have our kids on the phone the entire time. And that's what Cook is speaking about. What does it mean to remove everything? Again, you have the it's certainly the is yes, ideally check make sure you're not going out with something mukah. But if cook adds this very beautiful idea, what is shabas about? Shabas is a day that we are to remove all of that which is not who we want to be. Interesting. He says that the word begged has a different interpretation. What does the word beed mean? Or be good. Anybody know? A traitor. That's right. That we're not true to ourselves. Right. Check your clothing. Check your begged. Make sure that you're being true to yourself. Who you really are and who you really want to be. Or are those influences, right? All that you're reading, all that you're seeing, right? All that you're again, I don't know if people here on Facebook or Snapchat, all this stuff that you're watching and that may be influencing you in a way that's not who you want to be. Make sure that you're removing that. And Shabas is a time to remind us, purify ourselves of that and to remind us that's not who we want to be as we're going into the coming week. So that's and by the way and I'll take your your comment one second and says this is a great of shabas now does need to say that it's a great of shabas to check your pants pocket. So Rafuk says he's not just saying that it's a great this is a great what's great in this is this idea this is one of the depths of Shabas this is one of the beautiful aspects of Shabas how it purifies how it forces us and it doesn't really force maybe it comes naturally and it happens to me on chabas you know shabas you just begin to think about this what are what's really important in life right family and family time and children and and even though I had that little you know issue with my son or with my daughter okay it's chabas how and maybe that's not so important. Now you enter the week and so this is what chabas is about. It's a beautiful idea, a beautiful idea and a beautiful way of thinking about chabas. Yes, Rosanne. I I recently read that for those who don't observe chabas, they look at all the things we can't do. Right. Okay. Those who observe chabas, all the things we can do, the family, have good food, have a rest, and all the positives. Good. Beautiful. Beautiful. Yes. You could look at this. Well, look at all the things you can't do. you have to remove all this stuff from your pockets and all these laws and there's so many laws of Shabas where again as Rifook points out and I think something that we we all can relate to is how beautiful that aspect of Shabas is and I find it um I find it very meaningful that Rif Cook is talking about that aspect of Shabas because the traditionally we really just talk about more of the the obligations of Shabas even the idea of our relationship with Hashem with absolutely is part of Chabas Rafki is not talking about that per se he's talking about you as a person you in your relationships you in your inner your life what chabas does for you. Okay. One other example from uh from Cook and about very much our our anticipation the way that we prepare for Shabas and the way that we light on Shabas the way that we light candles and chabas in the old days they lit with shemen that was the and some people have I think it's become popular more popular in recent days that people are using oil uh for the lighting of chabas candles or shabas oil um as their lighting for chabas but I'll just uh just introduce this with a a little anecdote So those that have been with us, I think you know that one of the one of the special um um undertakings of of Ravkok is that he would go to the different the new Mosh Shaveim and the new settlements. And there was one trip in particular 1914, Rabbi Yak Mosha Carlap was with him, Rabbi Zunnfeld, other great rabbis were with him and they didn't want to just say we sit in your Shalai and we do our thing. We're going to go out to the settlements. We're going to go out all the way. They spent a lot of time up north a number of months and they were there going from community to community and they were trying to inspire trying to uh trying to bring people to greater observance doing it in a very you know in a very sensitive way. So in one of the kibbutsim that they came to again these are secular kibbutsim surfk gave a talk about kashras and about the meaning of kashras the deeper meaning of kash people were very much taken by it there was some discussion at that point maybe we should think about that for our kibbutz and there was one woman in the audience who got up and said well the next thing you're going to tell us to do is you're going to tell us to start lighting candles for shabas so with that ravuk said okay let me tell you a little bit about the spiritual meaning of lighting candles for Shabas. And with that, you know, he convinced everyone in that woman as well to uh to light candles for Shabas. But here he speaks about it doesn't in that story that I read it doesn't doesn't share what he you know what teaching what was that teaching. But here I found the following teaching about lighting candles for Shabas from uh from Rkook. And let's take a look at that. And I think it's very much in line with this idea that we just saw a few moments ago in terms of in terms of what Shabas does for us personally and and uh aligning our values and our priorities and how Shabas is a day to do that. So for those that are familiar with us on kabal during kabala shabas we have the mishnayos that we say and right before marv we say a number of mishnayos that speak about of shabas that's the that's the general minhug at least in ashkanaz the way that we d so it speaks about different oils that can be used different oils that cannot be used and one of the oils that cannot be used is called shemen kikik that's what it says that's what the mishna says below the shemen and this is we're going to look now at the garra This is in chabas. Not to use sheman kik. The gumar itself doesn't know. I don't think anybody here in the room knows what that is. What? She ke well the gamarra doesn't didn't know what it was either. It was shemanik. Well, what is sheik? And again, she ke should not be used for the lighting of the shabas candles. Emmer, by the way, the basic reason is that it didn't light well. It shouldn't be used. It doesn't bring honor to the home. There is also an issue that maybe somebody is going to adjust it. If it's not oil that's effective that works well and it's there, you may accidentally, you know, move especially again in the old days that that was your source of light and you were used to doing it during the week. So you might come to adjust it on shabas. So it says not to use sheman. What she my she's the gar gives there going to be three interpretations. Interpretation number one we ask all the sailors of the sea, right? They know I guess they know oils and they know all this exotic stuff. They said there's one kind of bird. It's really found in quite a distant place. So what sheman kik is? It comes from a particular bird. A kind of bird. You use that oil and that's this oil. It's called the shemik oil that comes from a bird which I guess is called the kik. Yeah, it's the kik bird. So that's one interpretation. Our mashka de kaza. What is that? That's cottonseed oil. Does anybody here use cotton seed oil for anything? People cook with that? I don't know. Well, look at what, by the way, look at what Rashi what Rashi says. Ju just to the right side. Mashka daza. It says sheim. It's oil that's made me mate segen. It's made from the seeds of cotton seed oil. Shikorin. Look at the word that he used cotton, right? It's called cotton. So he's using that word. Rashi is using that word a thousand years ago. It's cotton. Cottonseed oil that should also not be used for lighting the shabas candles. And the third and the third uh opinion raakkesh Amar kikayon deona. It's oil that comes from that if you remember that story going back to yum kipper or whenever you study it's the kikayon. There was some kind of plant that grew and it was the one that covered Yona. If you remember a gour what? What do you say? I think it's a gourd. A gourd. Okay. In today's heat is considered castor oil. Castor oil. Okay. Interesting. Interesting. Okay. So, these are the three kinds of oil. So, one way of interpreting the scammer. Yes. These are all uh you know these are all possibilities. Rufk sees in this and we spoke about this the other week a which means there's something a little bit deeper here that's being said that all three examples are referring to something in particular not only that oil which by the way even when it says the kikayon of yona right that doesn't sound like a particular oil it sounds like something else is going on there as well so let's just let's just open with what Ravuk says one line from RVuk he says shabas so what is the oil of shabas what's the light of shabas shabas who yum shikulo Kodesh. It's a day. Again, I'm reading from Rafuk right after the bold where he begins his commentary. We'll just see the opening sentence. Shabasuloesh. It's a day that is all holy. It's a day of joy. It's a day of rest. When we light the candles of Shabasa shalom, it brings a inner sense of joy and of tranquility. And by looking at the candles and again I don't know if it means literally looking at the candles but the idea of that purity of the candles is to remind you of the purity of life and what's really important in life what the real values are in life sort of cook says the following three examples one is you can find this oil across the seas and this bird what does that represent? present. He says it represents somebody who is very much engaged or maybe overly engaged in business that he's traveling. He's put that as his number one priority. Right? If that's your life dedicated to your business alone, so that is puzzle. That kind of oil is not to be used on chabas. That chabas is teaching us what real purity is. And pure again it doesn't mean that you can't be a businessman. Obviously work hard. Yes. But if it goes too far to the extreme that is a problem that is number one. Secondly, the other example is the cotton the cotton seed oil. He says cotton represents the cotton of clothing. He said also that represents a kind of gashmuse that a person is overly engrossed in that uh in those concerns and that kind of oil should not be used again literally that kind of oil. But again the message is that chabas is a time to recognize that there's a place for that it should not one should not be overly indulged in cotton right in gashmuse and the third example is rakish and that is the kikayon yona and what is that well just the puk when it talks about the kikayon at the very end of yona it says shabin you can look at the uh the very bottom source peralid is the very the last sukim of safer yona it says shabbin lia haya Laya Aad, right? It's something that's here today, gone tomorrow. So what is Shabas? Shabas is teaching us to put values or values in the right place. Right? There are things and we put a lot of effort into things that don't necessarily that are not lasting, that are not eternal values, that are not Torah values, and to make sure that Shabas So don't bring any of these oils into Shabas. Right? This is not how one lights the Shabasa candles again on a literal level. Yes, these kinds of oil should not be used the sheik. But it means that the anduk is talking about the spiritual idea, right? These spiritual ideas when it comes to shabas that we recognize and that's what chabas does. It sensitizes us to to the ideals and the values of uh that are eternal um that are Torah values that are the values of the of mitzvot and the Torah. Yes, please. How many men look at the candles? How many men emphasis on candles? The women it's it's for every men are running around and leaving. Ah, okay. It's uh Well, it's for it's for everyone. The candles are for everyone. A lot of people have it on the table or they have it near the table. People see it. By the way, there was a minute that I know the wasp on this on this that he would set the candles before his the wife would light the candles, but that the man would set the candles before Shabas would prepare the candles before Shabas. What? Some people also light the light that the men light prior. Yeah, they're supposed to look at Kdish. They're supposed to look at the candles. Ah, okay. Looking at the candles are in Kdish. Okay, good. Okay. Anything else? Okay. Okay. Good. Um, one last source from RV cook and then we'll uh we'll just we'll end with uh with a uh with a story or two. So, one last uh one last source. This is the top of page four. And yes, please go ahead. Very nice. Very nice. Very nice. Very nice. Yes. Good. this week's parala that the kanim would prepare not only to light the candles but they prepared for the lighting of the candle that was also considered navoda. So that's true and that's yeah some some have that minog the men of the home it was the it was the min of the so it's a good for the men out there it's not something that I do maybe I should take it on but um it's a beautiful minog to be the one to prepare the candles that they're all in place so the wife is ready to light the candles before shabas so one last one last teaching from the gamarra which is a well-known line from the gamarra and cook gives it gives it a very beautiful interpretation so so the holy one blessed be he does the top of Page four, Gamarra Shabas Davi, the Holy One, blessed be he said, L Moshe said to Mosher Rabenu, Matana Tova, I have a very wonderful I have a very good gift. I have a beautiful gift in my storehouse, the Shabbat Shama. And the name of this gift is Shabasi is I want to give this gift to the Jewish people. go and tell them about this gift that I'm going to give them. So, it's a very beautiful statement. A little interpretation, one little interpretation that Ravkuk gives to this and what does it mean? And I guess what's strange about this statement or one could ask is what does it mean bin? It's something that's in my store in my genea if you know that term a genea where people sometime will put sheamus. I get that question every few weeks. Does Torah tibbits need to go into the genea? The answer is yes. Ideally, it should be. Um, but that's the word here, gin. I have shabas. It's in my genea. It's in my storehouse in this special place, and I want to bring it to the Jewish people. Go and tell the Jewish people that I'm going to give them shabas. That's what the gamarra says. So, Rook, one line from Rook in interpreting this Gamarra. Hashabashata. Again, you have the quote from the Gamarra and now the Rifook's interpretation. Hashabata. He says shabas and its holiness that one cannot see one cannot fathom one cannot grasp all that there is within chabas all the treasures all the gifts that's found within chabas it's a long process shabas now I think there are different ways of interpreting this but we'll I'll I'll say the following in a moment It represents this moment but it represents a future moment as well. So if cook says what is gin? What does this treasure house mean? Mean that shabas itself is something of a it's something like a gina. There's something very deep within shabas itself. You have to search inside of shabas for all that it contains. And I think you know when we're young and I remember not that long ago right as a young man you're kind of like waiting for shabas to end. I mean, it's sort of like a nice day, but you're like kind of waiting till Shabas is over. You can get back to what you really want to do. So that Shabas at one level, you get a little bit older and you realize that there's really more to Shabas. And as you're maybe I mean I have found that in my own life as I'm moving on, getting older in life, like recognizing just how special Shabas is, right? That we don't want to let go of Chabas. There's a story Rabbi Salvich tells when he was a young man. He was a boy I think just 8 n 10 years old and he lived near a majitibble where he lived and again he was not of that world per se but he would often go there and he tells one story he was coming towards the end of Shabas and he wanted to David Marav he walked in to the and he said like would be a normal question what time are you ending Shabas and the who was there just couldn't believe that he was asking the question what time are we finishing Shabas are we concluding Shabas Like we don't want Shabas to end like what does it mean what time is Shabas ending right in my house that's like a regular you know what time is Shabas over what time is Shabas over that's a normal thing for kids to ask that question but Rufuk says that as we learn more about Shabas right the Aana that we have the desire for Shabas as we anticipate Shabas we wait for Shabas that's going to affect our Shabas as well and it's going to affect also the the ending of Shabas that we want Shabas you know ideally to to continue on and on. Um just two uh two anecdotes just to to end our learning this morning. One is from the saddic of and he was of course a very close talmet of so he was as we know he was the great sadic the he would do every single day he would fill his day with visiting people with taking care of people bringing people into his home every day also he received mail right in those years you would receive mail I think they stopped I don't know I haven't gotten a piece of mail in a while but in the old in the old days they would uh there was mail that was delivered and he would get tens of pieces of mail on a regular basis of people asking for his help and really difficult difficult stories for uh for him to read that he would really take to heart from orphans and from widows and people that were really struggling people that needed sedaka. So he writes that it was as his custom Revar Levvin that an air of Shabas that he would not read any of that those hours before Shabas where normally he would read in the afternoon he would save that mail that day for after Shabas that he wanted to go into Shabas not with that heaviness and to think about how we how we go into Shabas the appropriate way to go into Shabas. So that's uh that's one story and that that was a hakana a preparation that he had for Shabas that Shabas should come in with uh with a lot of joy and happiness that he shouldn't have the burdens of the week. Maybe we stop reading our emails and our WhatsApps a little bit earlier or certainly some of the news that we're reading read stop reading it a little bit earlier in the day and just to bring in Shabas with uh with the joy of Shabas and I'll just end with the following uh the following story. This is a kasidic story of classic a classic balshmub story the founder of kasidus it comes from a book called goodvak stories that you can read after shabas goodv from art scroll but this is an air of shabas story I'll just uh I'll I'll read it I'll read it from uh from the s we'll we'll end with this uh once at Friday night at the Friday night suda of rais balmtov the famous balchtov he started to laugh after the fish course had been served. No one present could figure out the reason for this and when he laughed again after the soup they were further puzzled. It happened a third time after the main course and the begged the rebi for an explanation. The balmtov promised that one would be forthcoming after shabas. That mozzy shabas the balmtov and his kasidum set out for a certain village. They came to the house of Rabshabsi Hopstin an impoverished bookbinder and Rabbi Israel the balm said tell us what happened on Shabas replied the man well it seems you already know that something happened I will tell you what it was this era of Shabas we had no food in the house we had no wine so I thought we would make kdish on me but we had no me either I thought we could use kalas but we had no kalas in fact we had no food at all there was nothing I could do but go to the base Medish and to study on that air of Shabas. Before I left, I cautioned my wife not to borrow from any neighbors. Of course, Rashabsi went on. His wife was despondent about the lack of necessities for Shabas, but she was determined to do what she could in honor of the special day. Recalling that she had a beautiful dress left from her mother stored in the attic, she went upstairs to look for it. To her delight, she realized that it had three gold buttons. Hurrying to the market, she sold them to buy food for Shabas. When I returned from Shul and saw the Shabas table laden with food, continued the simple book binder, I thought my wife must have broken her promise. But I decided not to say anything. She told me how Hashem had provided for us by causing her to remember about her mother's dress so that she could prepare a beautiful chabas without having to accept any help from others. I was so overjoyed that I danced with my wife around the table. And after the next course, we danced again. And after the chicken, we danced again. Said the BMT to the bookbinder, "When you danced, the angels in heaven were so delighted that they danced as well." And when I saw this, I laughed. Tell me, Robabsi, is there anything you wish for? Sang Rhabsi told the sadic that after many years he and his wife were childless. The Balshtov told him that they would have a son that year who would grow up to be a great sadic and so it was they named their son Israel after the balshtov and he became the famous magid of kajnitz. So that is a classic classicidic story but it's a story thinking back to what Rabbi Salvich what we open with this morning the beautiful idea of the er of shabas Jew right not only that we observe the shabas itself but the anticipation the love the way that we look forward to shabas the way that we prepare for shabas and that preparation has great meaning has great value and it brings great meaning and purpose to the shabas as well so we should all be z to uh to celebrate Shabas beautifully and to celebrate our Arab Shabas, the days before Shabas with great meaning and uh they should be uplifting. All right, wish everyone a wonderful day and a wonderful week ahead and thank you for