Turn Friday into Erev Shabbos #199 - Transform Your Shabbos Table

[Music] shabas Friday a big thank you to our series sponsors a very big thank you to fisho Jonathan beautiful shabas a holy shabas a healthy shabas only good news and good things to all of us I want to continue our learning continue what we're learning by Morgan we've been learning about our attitude our approach our philosophy to the GM of shabas is a day of shabas the day of our has expanded our soul is more attuned the antenna is more more raised so why are we immersing ourselves in the physical eating and drinking and and food and rest and sleep and so we've been speaking about introduced us to the idea of bribing the body distracting the body indulging the body satisfying the body so that it doesn't detract it doesn't compete and now the Nish can Thrive now the Nish can flourish that the Ben who gets a letter from his father and is so excited that his father is thinking of him that his father wants him home but the people he's with would have no idea what that means so what does he do he gives them they that they know they understand what it means so they drink they're drinking they think that's the end into itself he's drinking it's a means to celebrate the fact that the Ben the wants him home and we too shabas we give a to the body body thinks it's happy but really the body's happiness is just accompanying the happiness of the soul and the Soul has legitimate good reason to be happy shabas is the day of the Soul no technology no to-do no tasks no work no distraction no pressure all there is is our n so how do we get there how do we do that and Reicher gives us the path forward he gives us the tools first of all he says you can't you can't create this divide or these barriers within our shabas it's not that in I'm singing and I'm dancing in I open the sitter in SCH I'm connecting and then I go home and I got the religious stuff out of the way I'm done with the religious stuff shabas and Mar shabas morning Shak and M and laning and all the I got that out of way stuff the doing the sitter the standing and I got that out of the way now I go home o now I'm diving in head first now I'm indulging now it's about the food now it's about the drink now it's about the rest no no saysay the daving leads bleeds right into the Su of the meal at home I'm taking the energy and I'm taking the enthusiasm and I'm taking the spiritual high and I'm bringing it to my shabas table my shabas table is not like my Tuesday or Wednesday night table it's not stama dinner table it's not just a table of of of wonderful of wonderful food of a wonderful menu of wonderful schorg of wonderful Delicacies I'm elevating this entire shabas experience and the same way that my my feet moved and my hands clapped and my heart sang through the a beautiful cabala shabas I bring that home into the suda into the suda so he describes says there's three ways there's three things that a person that a Jew has to do how we can continue to be clinging to hem that we're not creating this divide we're not abandoning the religious experience how can a meal how can Delicacies how can and be part of a religious experience not just part of physical material experience and the path forward is built of three things first of all the way we see things our philosophy our attitude our approach number two how we carry ourselves how we practice and number three is the what we think about so let's start Rous look at the meal as exalted Meal look at the meal with ambition with drive with big eyes and big goals don't just think how full can I make my belly how quickly can I fall asleep how how uh what kind of a buzz can I get from the no how can I Elevate how can I transform how can I be exalted even though it's true that you want to eat well the delicious kala and the wonderful dips and the delicious wine but all that's not an end to itself it's only a means and how do you know because if it's a distraction if it becomes the ends if what's you worship if it's what you look forward it's what you compare if it's how you're competing if it's how you're keeping up then you're in trouble all of it is there in order to create a platform and a stage and a meal in which you're going to laugh and learn and share the Torah and sing and tell stories and connect the is not a place that we lower ourselves the m is not a place that we indulge in gluttony the meal is a place that by engaging in the physical and finding a little Gish a little Joy a little buzz then all of a sudden we're able to elevate everything else how do you dress at the shabas table sud it's a sud how do you dress do you keep your shabas clothing on do you undress do you dress do you dress up do you dress special do you come in a robe a shabas robe or what kind of a robe who wears a robe to the table you wouldn't wear a robe on a Tuesday night you're wearing a robe on a Friday night how do we come to the shabas table what's our posture what's our demeanor what's our dress is it a sud is it a sud if our children were to look if our children were to be asked which is the most significant meal of the week which one is your most formal meal of the week what would they answer thanks giving we got dressed up or Friday night Tuesday night they were still wearing the suit and tie from work or Friday night which is the meal that's this is not an event it's not a family reunion we are at the king's table we're in the Royal Court this is a state dinner a presidential dinner L it is lighting or on fire on fire there are those who don't take their jacket or tie off there are those who put on a Tish there are those who still wear whatever you do I'm not coming here to dictate what it means but it should be thoughtful shouldn't just be how quickly can I KCK off my shoes undo my belt loosen my tie how much can I put on the shabas robe and wear the most relaxed comfortable thing in my closet it's not about being comfortable because the more casual the more comfortable we are doesn't mean we have to be uncomfortable but the more casual we are the more that we are revealing the more that we are demonstrating that this is a very casual meal it's not a sud sud when a person goes to a state dinner they dress up it's a formal dinner you have to dress formally for a formal dinner so we demonstrate our demeanor our posture is a disposable I'm not again sometimes a person's in a situation they have to use disposable dishes and silverware you have many many guests or it's too hard or it's too much work or there's no judgment whatsoever but to the best of our ability within each of us in our own way are we putting for our best putting forth our best foot forward is the shab is this the meal of a king are we demonstrating it's the meal of a king are we dressing are we formal like the meal of a king So number one that's his stus how do we view it how do we view it how do we view the formality number two sh are we carrying ourselves in a lofty way if someone were to take a snapshot of this meal would they say here are a group of gluttonous people indulging in physical material gluttony or would they say wow the food was fantastic but the conversation the zirus the songs the stories the D Torah the relationships the energy the love that's what made the house that's what made the meal what makes the meal how do you want your guest to leave think about it this way when your children go to sleep that night do you want them to be thinking about how full their belly is or how full their heart is when the guests leave do you want them to only comment on the many courses and side dishes how many dips how many desserts or do you want them to comment on the Love on the energy this all takes work why we're turning our Friday into a of chabas we don't just stumble or trip you don't just land in a chabas that's m in sud DEA to be at AAL of a king it takes time it takes work State Dinner a formal dinner there's energy there's effort there's planning there's work the behavior the way carry ourselves what we speak about what we do the impression that we're leaving what are we talking about are we talking about weekday are we talking about weekday different things as it about politics and finances and the stock market there's a place for that and a time for that and it's not the shabas table shabas table is exalted it's elevated it's a the it's the meal of the king of the king there has to be a shabas atmosphere we're Jews we're Jews we're sitting with the King of Kings holy of holy the ultimate presidential State dinner this is the day of the is on fire and the third thing is Hold On Tight To Remember to think to be to be aware to have intention in all that we do so hisus how do we view it is this casual relaxing or are we coming to a formal State Dinner the meal with the king the sud of the number two Han that carries out into how do we carry ourselves how do we dress what's our demeanor what do we speak about what do we do what do we demonstrate and number three our intent and our cavana it would be Z should be Z to such a shabas a shabas be exalted to be elevated [Music] [Applause] [Music]