Parshas Yisro: Singing Zemiros on Shabbos - 10 Ways It Will Mamash Change Your Life

progress. Okay, good afternoon everyone. Baruch Hashem haba'im. We have an amazing sheer today. So, I hope it was a worth your wait. Um Today's learning should be le-iluy nishmas Bracha bas Moshe Tubia be-Gan Eden menuchasa. She should be a melitz yosher for her family at Be As K'Il Tzedek. Uh for all you listening, we have very exciting news coming up. You could join us b'ezras Hashem February 17th to the 22nd in the footsteps of the Chida visiting uh many of the holy cities that the Chida lived and thrived and traveled to. Uh you could join us in uh the beginning of March for our first ever Yarchei Kallah in Miami. We have also amazing material and shiurim. It's a 2-day Yarchei Kallah. Please join us uh actually Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, 3 days. Uh it's an amazing opportunity. If anybody wants to participate in upcoming sefarim, the next sefer in the queue is on chinuch habanim. Um please uh let us know. Okay, we have a very important topic today for parshas Yisro. Parshas Yisro, of course, Klal Yisrael is given the mitzvah of Shabbos. And today we're going to speak about one of the important observances of Shabbos, maybe somewhat overlooked, and uh something that's of of utmost importance and utmost power in terms of elevating us and influencing us and our families. We know that minhag Yisrael is that we sing zemiros on Shabbos, not only in the Beis Haknesses, not only for Lecha Dodi, not only for Kehilah Adoy in a kol hamasim, and not only for uh Kedushah, but we sing zemiros at our table. We sing at the Friday night seudah, we sing at the Shabbos day seudah, we sing at the shalesh seudah uh seudah. And don't say, "Well, I don't have good vocal chords. I don't I can't carry a tune." There are people who have worse vocal chords than you and can carry a tune, and they subject themselves to the whole tzibur, so you're no worse than they are. And uh we're going to speak about this important observance. The first thing we need to do is what exactly is its source? Is it a minhag? Is it more than that? Rav Yaakov Emden writes in his siddur in Chida Hamitos, Mitas Zahav, Seudah Rishonah, that minhag avoseinu of the Ashkenazim is to be meshoyrer and be meranen on Shabbos during the seudah, and it's based on the sefer Chassidim that we're going to see. And Chazal say in Shaarei Teshuvah Rabbah, "Darko shel Yisrael when they eat and drink and they rejoice, they're oisek in shiros v'tishbachos." Not only that, but in the sefer Zechus Yisrael Eliyahu of Rebbe Eliyahu Mani, of Rebbe Eliyahu Mani, uh who was a contemporary of the Ben Ish Chai, that he says that singing zemiros on Shabbos is k'mo ad chiyuv. Not only by Friday night. I was in the shuls where they don't sing zemiros by shalesh seudos. No, by all the seudois you should sing uh zemiros. And Shabbos is no tree gun, shirah boi timer. Shabbos is no tree gun, you should say shirah on it. You hear this? The word Shabbos, the very definition of Shabbos is shirah boi timer. In fact, the Chida, Rabbeinu Chaim Yosef David Azulai in the sefer Pnei David on Bereishis, ois lamed gimmel, he brings that "Vayechulu Hashamayim v'ha'aretz is a remez to the guf. Hashem completed the heaven and the earth, it's a remez to the guf. V'chol tzva'am, those are the bones and gidim. Vayechal Elokim bayom hashvi'i, what does that mean? Kol im amar, he's goimer malachtoi. Vayechal Elokim bayom hashvi'i, Hashem finishes his malachah, that's the finishing touch of man is the peh. That after the umbar comes out, he doesn't yet have the koach hadibur, he doesn't yet have shinayim, so the peh is called number seven. Vayechal Elokim bayom hashvi'i, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the peh is the seventh. Vayevarech Elokim es yom hashvi'i, that Hashem blessed and chose the mouth of all the evarim, that the mouth learns Torah, the mouth is meshabeiach d'Hakadosh Baruchu, the mouth is meyiached Shemoi. And in fact, the word hashvi'i gematria 397 has the same gematria of shevach b'peh. So, the peh, the mouth, is a dugma of Shabbos. Accordingly, says the Chida, that we need to be meshabeiach and say zemiros on Shabbos and to learn Torah to be mekadesh one's peh, because the mouth itself is analogous to Shabbos itself. And the Mishnah Berurah even codifies, he brings from the Rokeiach, that after you eat, you should sing zemiros as a shevach d'Hakadosh Baruchu. So, my rabboisai, what we're going to uh speak about today is how singing zemiros on Shabbos 10 ways, how singing zemiros on Shabbos will mamash change your life. Now, many men, they don't want to sing zemiros because their wife makes these faces at them, that "You don't know how to carry a tune, or you don't know the song, or you you don't know uh how to fit the words into the tune." So, just tell your husband you sing beautifully, your song selection is wonderful, even if uh you don't find it that way. Okay, so we're going to speak about um 10 reasons how singing zemiros on Shabbos will mamash change your life. And the first reason we're going to learn is that singing zemiros on Shabbos, it would seem it would be d'Oraisa. D'Oraisa? To sing shirah zemiros on Shabbos? How so? The sefer Chassidim writes, he brings from Rabbeinu Meshulam, why is it that we light neiros in the house on Shabbos? It says in the pasuk, "Lo sa'aru ish b'chom yom hashvi'i." So, doesn't that indicate you shouldn't have fire burning in your house? So, Rabbeinu Meshulam said, "No, it says 'Vayevarech Hashem es yom hashvi'i.' God blessed the seventh day." How did he bless the seventh day? What does blessing mean? So, says the sefer Chassidim, we find that when Iyov cursed the day he was born, he cursed the day that it should be a day of darkness. "Halailah hahu yikachuhu ofel, yikavlu or v'ayin." So, we see that the definition of curse is darkness. That means the definition of blessing is light. So, we we light candles for Shabbos because Shabbos is a blessed day. "Vayevarech Elokim." So, Shabbos is blessed, it has to be bright. So, whatever Iyov said that is the definition of curse, we have to do the opposite on Shabbos. One of the things that Iyov said to curse was "Al tivai al tivai r'nanah boi." There should be no song. Songlessness, the absence of song, is cursed. Cursed cursed means songlessness. Well, if cursed means songlessness, blessed means full of song. The reason why we sing shiros on Shabbos is because Shabbos is a blessed day. "Vayevarech Elokim es yom hashvi'i." So, if Shabbos is a blessed day, it has to be malei shirah. This is what sefer Chassidim writes in taf taf shin mem zayin. He repeats this again in ois taf tes, and again in um ois reish ayin tes, where he says that "Vayevarech Elokim es yom hashvi'i." How do we bless it? Well, one of the things that Iyov said in terms of curse is "Al tivai r'nanah boi." Therefore, we make sure that Shabbos is mizmor shir l'yom hashabbos. What else did he say? He said, "Al yichad tishkon alav anana anana, al yichad b'yemei shanah." So, we sort of cheshbon all the things that Iyov said about Shabbos. Miklal she'yesh lo b'Shabbos lasheves b'or v'yesh bo l'ranen shivchei Shamayim, she'ne'emar "Mizmor shir l'yom hashabbos." U'lismeyach b'Shabbos, "Pikudei Hashem yesharim mesamchei lev." So, one of the reasons to be happy on Shabbos is because cursed means the absence of happiness. So, by being happy on Shabbos, you're fulfilling "Vayevarech Elokim es yom hashvi'i." That's the first reason to sing on Shabbos as a fulfillment of "Vayevarech Elokim es yom hashvi'i." Reason number two. It says that in the Navi Yeshaya, "Im tashiv mishabbat raglecha asois chafetzecha beyom kodshi vekarasa lashabbat oneg." You should call Shabbat oneg. So, how are you me'aneg the Shabbat? How are we me'aneg Shabbat on How do we delight in the Shabbat? When I was 14 days old, I was given a gift that I was not aware of on my 14th day by a famous historian. And he gave me a zmirot book called Shalom Lev Shabbat. It was an old zmirot book with beautiful illustrations. And as a kid, it was a it was a favorite of mine. I liked to flip through it. And more recently, I looked in the introduction. And in the hakdama of Shalom Lev Shabbat, he brings on the pasuk "Vekarasa lashabbat oneg." How are you me'aneg Shabbat? With a lit candle and a set table and special dishes and zmirot. So, I sort of took it for granted that one of the ways to be me'aneg Shabbat is by singing zmirot. But then, as has become my custom, I don't trust any source unless I look it up myself. And I began to search. And I discovered there is no source in Shas, Midrash, that singing zmirot on Shabbat is a fulfillment of oneg Shabbat. This is not sourced in the Torah Shebaal Peh. Although, I do think you could find some mekoros that singing Shabbat singing on Shabbat does provide oneg Shabbat. The Eish Shalem of Buchach, he says that uh based on the Zohar, that Hashem Yisborach has nachas ruach when Jews enjoy themselves on Shabbat. In general, if a Jew eats a chicken cutlet or a piece of meat during the week, good. Ask gezunte heit. But if he is mechaven to eat it leshem Shamayim, then maybe the Ribono Shel Olam has nachas ruach from it. But on Shabbat, when a Jew enjoys himself either with good food or with good singing, and a Jew has oneg from that, it gives Hashem nachas ruach. The lashon is "Yesh Hashem Yisborach nachas ruach kevayachol gam mitaanugim gufaniyim." Even from our physical pleasures beShabbat Kodesh. Why is it that on Shabbat many people they sing at the meals? They just sing. And they sing gishmaka songs that maybe are not even connected to Shabbat. So, the Eish Shalem says that on Shabbat the Ribono Shel Olam has nachas when a Jew is enjoying themselves. So, from the this lashon of the Eish Shalem, it seems like there's a degree of oneg Shabbat that is experienced by singing zmirot. Furthermore, the Vilna Gaon says on the pasuk "Vehaya ki savaya al ha'aretz." The gematria of the word "ha'aretz," calculating a final nun as 900, so then ha'aretz is 1,106. 1,106 is the gematria of Shabbat Kodesh. Now, "Vehaya." "Vehaya" is a lashon of simcha. "Vehaya," you'll be besimcha when? On Shabbat Kodesh. And the the Vilna Gaon says "Tima'aneg the Shabbat with shirot vetishbachot." So again, you see there's a degree of oneg Shabbat by singing zmirot. Furthermore, the Radak says on the pasuk "Vekarasa lashabbat oneg," "Ve'az tisaneg al Hashem." "Vekarasa lashabbat oneg," the Radak says, "It's a mitzvah le'aneg haguf beyom Shabbat with sweet foods. Because by differentiating between Shabbat and other days, you'll remember creation. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mechadesh it yesh me'ayin. And he rested on the seventh day. And by doing so, you will praise Hashem. And then you will delight in him. So, it seems like oneg brings to shira. Oneg brings to shira. So, we see there's an idea that an expression of oneg brings to shira. By the way, the Imrei Noam of Yaakov brings a beautiful idea that the kedusha of Shabbat is mashpia on Klal Yisrael spiritual gifts and physical gifts. From the physical foods we eat on Shabbat, it's mamshech shefa gashmiyus. Somebody sent me a message for with different segulot for parnassa that eating lokshen is a segula for parnassa. And eating apples, he sent me as a segula for parnassa. And eating kugel is a segula for parnassa. And eating challah is a segula for parnassa. But the the point is, enjoying Shabbat is a segula for parnassa. It's a medium through which Hashem is mamshech on Klal Yisrael shefa gashmiyus. But the Imrei Noam writes by singing shirot on Shabbat, it's mashpia on Klal Yisrael a shefa of ruchniyus. So, truth is that when it comes to oneg Shabbat, we don't really have an explicit source that singing zmirot on Shabbat is an a fulfillment of oneg Shabbat. But I think many people would indeed uh acknowledge that there is a certain delight that they experience by singing zmirot on Shabbat. Number three. Number three is we know there's a mitzvah of kavod Shabbat. The Sefer Yesh Nochlin, the father of the Chida, he brings "Mikan nohagu leshoireir ulezameir besudot Shabbat beshir be- shvachot uvezmirot hamshubachot. Uvadai shezehu kavod Shabbat Kodesh ukavod hasudot hakdoshot." This is certainly honor to Shabbat Kodesh and honor to the holy meals. Why is it a kavod? Because they're melaveh the king. As the king enters and as the king exits, and this is the proper way to be melaveh the Melech Hashem as he comes and he goes on Shabbat. Likewise, the Yesod Veshoresh Ha'avodah writes that a person should be careful to be mechabed Hashem from his wealth and from his throat. "Mecheinoi umegrono lezameir zmirot ushvachot al hashulchan." And by doing so, this is a way of being mechabed Hashem. "Lechabed Hashem migrono." So, this is the third reason why we sing zmirot on Shabbat. It is kavod Shabbat. Next, is there a mitzvah of simcha on Shabbat? Usually, we say "Vesamachta bechagecha." However, when it comes to uh Shabbat, many poskim say that in fact, perhaps uh there is no um mitzvah of simcha on Shabbat. Some acharonim write on Shabbat there's no chiyuv simcha. Look in the Bechor Shor of Taanis daf lamed, who says there's no mitzvah of simcha on Shabbat. But the Zohar Kodesh says "Yoma deShabbasa chedva ihu lekhula." It is joy for everyone. "Vekhula is natar le'ila vesata." So, the Zohar talks about the chedva, so the joy, the happiness on Shabbat. Likewise, in the Siddur Derech Chaim, he says "Ki vesimcha seitzei'u." You need to be besimcha likrat Shabbat Hamalka with clean clothing, by eating, drinking, bathing, singing. That by singing on Shabbat, it's an expression of simcha. Rabbeinu Yisrael comes the Baal HaTurim Mima and he says if you look in Mo'ed Katan daf kuf gimel amud bet in Tosafot, who brings it from the Yerushalmi, why why is there no aveilus on Shabbat? Because it says "Birchas Hashem hi ta'ashir velo yosif atzev ima." That the blessing of Hashem brings wealth and no sadness with it. And on Shabbat, it says bracha. Shabbat is day of bracha. And the definition of bracha is no sadness, happiness. So, the Turei Zahav asks, "What does the Yerushalmi have to say that Shabbat is a day of simcha?" Because it says "Vayevarech Elohim es yom hashvi'i." And bracha means without sadness. Isn't it pashut why Shabbat is a day of simcha? Shabbat is a day of simcha because the Yerushalmi itself tells us that if the se'udas Purim comes out on Shabbat, we delay se'udas Purim until after Shabbat. Because on Purim it says la you may mish Simcha and Shabbos already is a day of Simcha Shamayim. That means you shall be old Shabbos is already a day day of Simcha. So why do I need to say Shabbos is a day of Simcha because it says that God blessed it and blessing means without sadness. Just say straight up Shabbos is a day of Simcha. Says the tart you have to say that Shabbos is called a day of Simcha. How does you shall we know Shabbos is a day of Simcha? It's because it says in Mishlei because it will and Shabbos is called bracha like it says like we. Okay. So the bottom line is says the about tart Shabbos is a day of Simcha because since it has to be a blessed day, blessed means without any sadness. And by the way the about tart says that he found further the Torah itself calls Shabbos a day of Simcha like it says in Simcha and there's a Russia. In the way we are in Simcha is Shabbos as the girl learns. And that's the reason says the about tart on Shabbos we say the over. Why do we keep on adding the over in shmaneh esrei because Shabbos is a day of Simcha. That's why the says in Shabbos any mitzvah that we're the Simcha they still do it the Simcha. One of those mitzvahs that we were the Simcha is Shabbos. So another reason why we sing on Shabbos is because keep it Simcha say say you. You need to bring in and take out the Shabbos with joy and part of joy is song. So when you're singing on Shabbos the first thing you need to think is it's a blessed day and the definition of blessing is song. Number two, it's a way of fulfilling I next Shabbos. Number three, it's a way of fulfilling cover each Shabbos. Number four, it's a way of experiencing Simcha on Shabbos. This perhaps is my favorite one. Tosis and Sanhedrin Zion lamed Zion brings that cloud Israel are the only ones who say kedusha on Shabbos. Actually, excuse me. Bene Israel only say kedusha on Shabbos. Why? It says by the by the cannot fire in the hard. The have six wings and each wing sings shira on a different day of the week. Come Shabbos and the say to we have no more wings to sing and says don't sweat it. Don't worry. There's another wing who sings shira before you. In other words there's another kind of that sings shira on Shabbos and that is cloud Israel is a wing. We can have a shamano. There's an idea that on Shabbos the pick up the slack for the the sing to God six days a week. On Shabbos the Jewish people pick up the slack for the so on Shabbos we sing as a way of making up for the shores. Says the that's the reason why on Shabbos they were in in the dining. For example and we say and we and we say also say and then we say all of these additions to the is because we have to pick up the slack for the but in addition to that the that we sing throughout Shabbos is a way of us picking up the slack for the so come Shabbos and all of a sudden your family hears you singing. And they look at you. What's wrong with you? You haven't sang in 20 years and now I realize I have I have to pick up the slack for the so in the week one they might look at you like you landed from outer space. But they'll eventually come to appreciate that you're in fact fulfilling a very spiritual activity by singing on Shabbos. Number six and that is during the rest of the week you may not have the emotional physical the head space the peace of mind the joy to sing but on Shabbos Shabbos is dedicated for song. Shabbos the Shabbos. A mar the of Shabbos is the Shabbos. The says better than any other day of the week because the rest of the week a person is cleared out. A person is free from his regular affairs and his soul is pure from the busyness of the body and the soul is able to engage in wisdom and in and therefore it's good to be to name. In fact it's brought in the the Shabbos war. And they both quote the but I'll tell you the truth it's not in the the problem is with many times they they quoted an earlier who quoted an earlier but the first did not exactly look up his sources precisely and because of that he contributed that this mistake repeats itself in dozens of other farm. So always have to look everything up. They quote that singing on Shabbos transports the Jew to an elevated realm in a place where he's not found the rest of the week and on Shabbos a person could appreciate more the gun. And even in could sing like usual on Shabbos. Basically this reason is and I it's not in the but it seems like the is saying a similar idea that on Shabbos a person is able to enter a different type of realm and connect with and in a way that during the week he's not able to because of during the week a person is worried and busy and anxious and full of stress and full of a. And can't really tap into the gun but Shabbos affords that person a great opportunity to do that. Number seven, this is another a. Great fulfillment that one could be by singing on Shabbos namely the safer them. Safer them was as kiri. His greatness was revealed by none other than the himself. And as kiri in the safer talks about the great myth of Hashem. And how the says it's the and the of all the voice. And there's no higher than that. And then he brings that someone who really loves someone. Someone who has a a burning interest and passionate pursuit of love for someone else. One of the natural expressions of love is shira via didos. If somebody really loves someone you would sing to them songs of love and friendship. The writes shabbos yashir shira of of. Songs of love. By the way authored you did you did he wrote the words not the tune. The tune is the words as kiri. So by singing on Shabbos friends it's an expression of love so when you're singing on Shabbos and they say you found what are you doing? What are you trying to do? We never heard you sing before. No, I'm a new person. I'm fulfilling the greatest mitzvah and the highest it's an expression of a Hashem. Number eight, this is one of the most incredible I've ever seen. He says this comes from the brother of all of Prague in the safer them. He says out of the love of Hashem to cloud Israel and to remove from their heart any doubt God gave Shabbos as an ice and a bris between him and us. That no gentile can experience the breath bit of Shabbos. Every Jew could feel in his in himself a spiritual influence and the light of his countenance and an extra happiness that befalls a person not because a person's prepared, but a person is just overwhelmed with a tremendous influence of shefa eloke and how Friday night is just all light and oiz vechedva kemai. How is it? Why do we have this other worldly spiritual elation Friday night? There's no doubt, says the sefer hachaim, that this is a spark of light and happiness that actually is a remnant from the makom of nevuah. It comes from the makom of nevuah because even though nowadays we have no navi and we have no seer and we're on impure ground God did not forsake us that the influence of nevuah that used to come and rest on the Jewish people, we have a a a semblance of that through the spiritual influence of Shabbos. And this is also the nature of the soul which is the source of happiness and the teva of a the teva of the soul. The the sefer hachaim writes zol gam ken mi teva hanefesh she makor hasimha she mesamche lev that both of them are yun from the place of light and simcha that they rejoice opposite each other when the day of Shabbos comes the neshama and the the nature of the nefesh nefesh which is the makor of simcha and the nature of mitzvahs which are mesamche lev they all come from the makom ha'arav hasimha. In other words, what the brother Maral of Prague is saying is that the feeling of spiritual elevation that a Jew experiences on Shabbos is no less than a semblance of prophecy that Hashem does not forsake us galus and he wants us to have some clear demonstration and testament that there's no doubt that there's a hakadosh baruchu from the great love of Hashem he wants us to feel that at least some absolute iron clad demonstration of his existence and that's the feeling that we have on Shabbos. In fact, in the zemiros of Shabbos Mishnas Zachar Rabbi Zachar Dov Taichthal he quotes this sefer hachaim of the brother Maral mi Prague and he says that kol hamarbeh leshoirel hashabos hareizeh meshubach and he says something very beautiful that one who is misoirer for devekus has to sing and it's the nature of Shabbos to cling us to be misdabeikus Hashem so that devekus should propel us to sing. Now it's interesting we find in the zemiros of Dovid two different levels. Sometimes the shechina rests on him and then he sings and sometimes he sings and then the shechina rests on him. Like we find in the Gemara Maseches Sukkah and the Zohar and the Medrash meaning first Dovid would come to devekus which would propel him to song and sometimes he would come to song through devekus. Meaning first sometimes he would first have devekus that would bring him to sing and sometimes the song would bring him to devekus. Same thing on Shabbos. One who is on a very high level he could immediately experience kedushas Shabbos and from that devekus it will propel him to song and sometimes someone who's not on this bechina hu bimargish immediately meaning sometimes someone who's not on this madrega to feel immediately the devekus by singing the zemiros the zemiros will propel him for devekus. This is the meaning, says Rabbi Zachar Dov Taichthal, of the zemer mah yedidus menuchasech ad Shabbos where we say like this we say mah yedidus menuchasech ad Shabbos hamalka and then in the end we say u'vechein nafshi lecha arega. So first you need to arer your nefesh beshirah that from the shirah comes to devekus. This is what we mean after I saw sing then nafshi lecha arega. That's either the so either the devekus brings to song or if we're not on that level then we sing and the so and the song brings to devekus. Meaning either the devekus brings to song or the song brings us to devekus where we say mah yedidus ad Shabbos hamalka that brings to u'vechein nafshi lecha arega. Okay, number nine. There's an amazing Medrash on the words baruch dod i. And the Medrash says it's a mashal that a king made a seudah and he invited guests. Some ate, some drank, some blessed the king, some ate and drank, some cursed the king. The king was very upset that there were people cursing him. So a matron a maiden came and she was melamed saneigoria. She said, "My master the king, instead of looking at those who are eating, drinking and cursing you, look at those who eat, drink and bless you." So too when klal Yisrael eat, drink and are meshabeach hakadosh baruchu it assuages assuages and it it brings rechoi from hakadosh baruchu. When the nations of the world eat, drink and they dis and they disgrace hakadosh baruchu through their lewd behavior Hashem wants to destroy the world but the Torah enters before Hashem and says ribono shel oilam, instead of looking at those who are mecharef and machis you, look at those Jews that are mevarech and meshabeach you. So actually so singing to hakadosh baruchu brings Hashem to run away from the nations of the world and cling to the Jewish people. Listen carefully. Because you know it's interesting Shir Hashirim ends baruch dod i. I don't understand we're singing this love song to Hashem and then we say Hashem run away from us? No, what we mean is and this is uh we could we could suggest this is why Shir Hashirim ends this way. We say Hashem now that we've sung to you baruch dod i run away from the nations of the world and cling to us. So another great maila of singing zemiros is it causes Hashem to run from the nations of the world and it is melamed saneigoria on the Jewish people and it brings great protection and advocacy to the Jewish people. By the way, this is what we find in the Gemara Megillah where it says that bayom hashvi'i keitav leihamelach bayayin where the Gemara says and until now Achashveirosh's heart was not good in wine. So the Gemara says no, it was Shabbos. What do Jews do on Shabbos? They eat, they drink, they say divrei Torah and they sing zemiros. Of what and the nations of the world when they eat and drink they speak nonsense and lewd conversation and that's how the conversation began about Vashti and how beautiful she was. And the question is okay, so of what relevance is it that the Jewish people when they eat and drink they sing zemiros. The answer is it's of great relevance. This is actually what protected the Jewish people. The zechus that klal Yisrael had in the times of Purim that saved them from the decree of Haman were the zemiros that they sung. So especially at a time like this when it's an eis tzara leYaakov when klal Yisrael is in a very perilous situation the zemiros we sing on Shabbos brings great protection to the Jewish people. And then finally um a great benefit of singing zemiros on Shabbos is I call it an insurance policy for your family. There's a story about a young man from a very wholesome God-fearing family who learned in a uh wonderful yeshiva and he had a big yerida ruchnius and he then went to yeshiva for people who needed chizuk and uh ultimately he uh he fell to very uh improper behavior. And they came and they asked Rabbi Michoel Yehuda Lefkowitz what to do with this bachur. Should they kick him out because he's not really observing Shabbos even and Rabbi Michoel Yehuda said, "Does the bachur sing zemiros on Shabbos?" And he explained a bachur that sings zemiros on Shabbos he still has the the moisture of kedusha and ruchnius and he still has hope. And Rabbi Michoel Yehuda Lefkowitz and and that um situation he says it is responsibility on rabbeim in yeshiva and parents with their children then on Shabbos Kodesh to sing with them, to learn with them, to sing with them the songs of the Vayechulu Hashem, longing and yearning for Hashem that the Ibn Ezra and other great paytanim um composed. And in fact, the story ends that this bachur was able to make a recovery. They asked um they once asked Reb Shach I'm sorry. They once asked Reb Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz that there are bachurim in Yeshiva that they think that singing on Shabbos is bitul Torah. So they wash their hands. They have in mind not to be mechayev in a zimmun. They eat, they say Birkas Hamazon, and they go to the Beis Hamedrash. And is that okay? Especially sometimes there's a chasan at the seudah and it's sort of shter's the seudah. It's shter's the chasan. And Reb Michel Yehuda said it's assur. They are moynea simcha from the chasan, they are goyrim tza'ar for Shabbos, and it's not right. And then the story, the well-known story is brought down. I don't want to get into all the details, but it's a well-known and documented story that Reb Shach once said and sort of lamented that he had a quite a quick seudah Shabbos. And if he would have devoted more time for zemiros on Shabbos instead of running to the Beis Hamedrash, he would have uh enjoyed more nachas from his descendants. So singing zemiros on Shabbos, I call it an insurance policy for one's children. My grandfather would say, my mother's father, that he grew up in the Bronx during the Great Depression at a time when the uh winds of assimilation were fierce and uh the majority of boys uh in in that neighborhood in the Bronx in the '30s, unfortunately assimilated. And he attributes his loyalty and devotion to Judaism to the fact that he had a grandfather who would sing with great hislavos Karibain. And when he would sing Karibain, the uh rafters would shake. And this is uh what he attributes had made a big impact on him and his observance. In fact, in the Sefer Yosoid Yoyseif, he brings that the authors of the piyutim and the zemiros were eminent and holy individuals and you should be mechaven uh to the name of the mechaber, whether it's the Ibn Ezra or Reb Yehuda Halevi, that there's chos should be oymed leratzoin. And and it brings a nachas ruach to that mechaber. So in summary, the 10 ways how singing zemiros on Shabbos will mamash change your life. Number one, singing zemiros on Shabbos is a biblical fulfillment of Vayevarech Elokim es Yom Hashvi'i. Shabbos is a blessed day. The definition of blessing is song. Number two, singing zemiros on Shabbos is a fulfillment of Oneg, delighting in the Shabbos. Number three, it's a way of honoring of Kavod Shabbos, the Yishnach Lem says. Number four, singing zemiros on Shabbos, the Reikach says, is a a fulfillment of simcha on Shabbos. Number five, singing zemiros on Shabbos is picking up the slack for the Malachei Hashareis who only have five wing six wings and the seventh wing the wing is reserved for the Jewish people. Miknaf ha'aretz zemiros shamati, we're the ones who sing on Shabbos. Number six, on Shabbos our souls are more attuned to niggun, to zemer, because we're free, we're not we're not busy, we're not anxious, we don't have stress, and we're more attuned to the power of niggun. Number seven, singing on Shabbos is an expression of avas Hashem, which is the highest madreiga. Number eight, on Shabbos we're able to tap into a spiritual shefa which is a semblance of no less than prophecy itself as a way of Hashem communicating to us and giving us a certainty of our spiritual connection to him. Number nine, Shabbos is a protection for the Jewish people and it causes Hashem to run from the nations of the world and cling to the Jewish people. And finally, number 10, zemiros on Shabbos is an insurance policy for our children. And uh we should be zocheh that uh to be able to mekayem this very important practice on Shabbos and be zocheh uh like the Imrei Noam says that by singing zemiros on Shabbos, Hashem is mamshich a shefa of ruchniyus, of uh spirituality onto the Jewish people. So I wish everyone a a wonderful week. included Are women included in this mitzvah? Are women included in this mitzvah? Women are included in this mitzvah. However, if there are men who are not immediate relatives at the table, they cannot sing in a way that it's audible to any men. Have a good day, everyone. Bracha vehatzlacha. Kol tuv.