Turn Friday into Erev Shabbos #155 - Entering Shabbos

welcome back to turn Friday into AR of chabas this Friday it's not an ordinary Friday there are no ordinary Fridays not an ordinary Arab shabas as things continue to heat up in our beloved Israel beloved AR Isel so we prepare to go into chabas while theim might be going into Gaza such a different experience certainly in our hearts on our minds and our thoughts and our [Music] sosem please continue d as we are going in but today is not Friday it's a of shabas we turn our Friday into of shabas by preparing to for shabas a shabas as I say in which so many might be putting their lives at risk I got back this morning a small delegation went for three days and saw army bases in the North and the South hospitals injured spread our love and hugs and and resources with as many as we could and very difficult and hard to return but certainly in our thoughts and in ouros shabas is the weav shabas is the source of all blessings so if in fact they're going in on the ground on chabas that chabas may shabas be a source of great BR and bring great success and sweeping Victory to the so many of whom would be sitting around the shabas table or would be having their shabas schu would be reading the shabas paraa would be playing with their children and listening to their shabas Torah and instead instead of doing what Jews have to do which is to go fight and protect our people so our shabas if you are not on the front lines if you've not been asked to go into Gaza and instead are going into chabas then the shabas is not only about you but it's experiencing and celebrating it's honoring and elevating a shabas on behalf of those who can't in their ordinary ways shabas the notion that saving a life suede shabas takes on a whole new level when it's when we're talking about saving a whole Jewish Nation the whole Jewish people not only those in Israel but those front lines of the front lines of the war that's being waged around the world this week's par has a beautiful Insight we don't usually read it or think about it in this way but the opening of the par and the test that hasem gives Abraham is really a test about chabas the B of says get up and go to the land that I promis the promised land in is Shas get up and leave your your land the place of your birth the place of your father's house to the land the first time speaks the Torah Hashem is giving AB what's the way to live this entirely elevated life how do we achieve our best version of ourselves how do we live our most mindful meaningful presence here on Earth and what does it include there are three ways to tap into eternity immortality three ways to live our best selves fulfill our purpose in being created and they are Express themselves in the world the physical world sh in time and Nees and in spirit in Soul the first is means quite literally The Singularity the uniqueness of Isel Israel we couldn't be in Uganda and Jews don't belong in the five towns and boka and La temporarily may be there for whatever reason but ultimately the promised land the one land the singular land the land that is the intense presence of hasem felt most deeply is we know that the prophets could only prophesize hasem only revealed himself in this most intense way in Israel there are no prophets outside the boundaries and borders of Israel the second way we tap into and we Elevate is time and what is the ultimate day of time if Israel is singularly the holiest space on Earth then chabas is singularly the Hol holiest time of the week our NE the Third Way is in the soul when we purify our soul when we aspire to Holiness when we live for Holiness not for happiness when we are able to elevate over the physical trappings of this world we're able to taste a little bit of our immortality and Eternity we bring Heaven down here to Earth that's how we can live our highest our best selves and all three of these can be found in this Hashem is telling a it's time to get up and grow up it's time to go to who you're meant to be and where are those in three ways on three levels in three different dimensions me the in you this world is life is not about gmas it's not about how much pleasure how many things it's not about how much you can accumulate it's about people and relationships and connection it's about immortality enjoy the pleasures of this world there's nothing wrong with it Comfort convenience Hashem gave us resources and he said enjoy my world but don't ever get confused that that's a ends into it is a means don't ever think it's a priority it's less than secondary and and the more a person is pure and holy the more they can appreciate and tap into connect with the sanctity of the land of Israel the sanctity of shabas and here we go this is what quotes from the Tora from the altar this is what we say in ouring hasem did not give this gift of shabas to the nations of the land doesn't mean the nations of the lands who live outside of Israel means those who are steeped Inus in and hasm also didn't gift or Grant shabas to those who are confused in their ideology in their Worship in what they idealize the the sanctity the rest the peacefulness the Tranquility of shabas is not available to those doesn't mean only literally someone who doesn't have bre but it means somebody who gives into their urge who indulges their impulse who doesn't know how to live a Sanctified disciplined life gave shabas only to us only to the people who Elevate over Theus he doesn't give it if you are part of the of GM you don't get it and he doesn't give it to if you're worshiping and bowing down to the wrong things he doesn't Grant it to you who does he give it to the peace doesn't go to you only it has to be shabas is the of is a love ofm a presence of hem the feeling ofm hasem gives us a big hug I had the great honor this week when I was in these few days with a group of soldiers to go to the G rash the alar he gave a br to the soldiers he gave a br to the whole Army the situation obviously so deeply connected and touched and doing so hard that sad gave a great BR but he mentioned to them to these soldiers that had the presence to be the privilege to be with them and to be present for it he said you know a person gives a patch to their child today we don't give patches but if a person for whatever reason the situation demands a child it's something dangerous and the person has to give a patch to a child so parents know when they give a patch to a child what do they do they can't help it right afterwards they give their child a hug they hold their child the can't help it gave us a huge patch a huge patch it's not over with those who are taken captive with families who are still grieving in such pain with 1,400 casualties with an army that's perhaps right now as we are turning Friday enter of shabas we're entering chabas and they're entering Gaza that patch is still reverberating but a parent after a patch gives a hug and we DAV and we hope shabas is that that Hashem gives us Collective hug with a sweeping Triumph with a victory with a quickly restoring Safety and Security that the Jewish people so deserve so deserves so we doid as we turn this Friday into Arab shabas that we elevating our experience of chabas through like that's the promised land we don't wait for shabas to end to get back to the week we work all week so we can go to the promised land and where is the promised land the promised land of a is shabas shabas this place of Promise shabas the promised land shabas the place of a of love between us andem shabas all of the of are really elevating and immersing and experiencing chabas and all of its Glory going to that promised land in our lives the Mak may all the BR of shabas of yiden of Jews around the world really experiencing a true chabas May that BR May that BR succeed that our precious soldiers be successful in all that they do that they should have a shabas that is not only shabas of a taste of the world to come we long for the world the day that the will come will experience a day that is only [Applause] [Music] shabas please continue D for all those in Israel especially this