Turn Friday into Erev Shabbos #215 - Make Shabbos Ha'Gadol Great

We have [Music] trles. We're getting there. [Music] Getting ready. We are here to turn our Friday into Shabas. Friday is not just Friday. It's of Shabas Shabas. In fact, the Shabas Hag Russia might have been given last week, but technically Shabas is this week. I want to thank our sponsor memory of our brother Jonathan Sax for sponsoring. As always, this is an extraordinary Shabas. It is the great Shabas. It is one of two big Shabas of the year. We've shared many times that if we'd only kept if we'd only keep two shabases immediately we'd feel we would receive immediately we'd be saved the gul of the redemption. Which of the two Shabases maybe Shabas Shabas but Shabas Shouba and Shabas Shabas has an incredible power an amazing ability. And so this Shabas Shabas the great Shabas. Why is this Shabas called Shabas the great Shabas? So we know that in the original pes when the Jewish people left Egypt before we actually offered the sacrifice before we actually were redeemed and we left Egypt first on the 10th of Nissan which that year in the original year happened to be a shabas on the 10th of Nissan we took the god the deity of the Egyptians of our oppressor of our taskmaster we tied it to the bedpost we let it sit there for several days until we slaughtered the god of our oppressor. What courage that took what a statement that made. a conviction that put in our hearts and then we used the blood to mark our doorpost so Hashem could skip over them. And since since that first display of courage to face and look down the all powerful taskmaster who had oppressed us for more than two centuries to take their god to tie it up that originally happened on a shabas the tent of Nissan was a shabas. Therefore, the Shabas before Pes is called Shabas. But famously, everybody asks, "What does it have to do with Shabas? If the 10th of Nissan is significant because we demonstrated courage and conviction, then let's observe a quasi holiday on the 10th of Nissan every year. What does it have to do with Shabas?" And the answer they gave many makadoshim bring is that it wasn't just the 10th of Nissan, the date on the calendar. It was also the day of the week. It was Shabas. Shabas is a day of courage and conviction. Shabas is a day that we go from moatnos. All week long our thinking is constricted. All week long our thinking is narrow. All week long we're overwhelmed. And Shabas when we free ourselves from technology and to-do lists. Shabas when we take that step back. Shabas when we're no longer concerned with the news and the stock market and sports. Shabas we have mo the godless. Our mind is expanded. And Shama is and in that we can feel the connection of Hashem. We feel a love and a loyalty. We feel a sense of mission. We feel a sense of protection and safety and security. And it was Shabas that gave us what we needed, that energy, the mo and the godless, that great and big and broad thinking that enabled us to do what was necessary to face down our oppressor to free and liberate ourselves. And so ultimately the Pesak that we would celebrate began. It finds its beginning in the Shabas that comes before not just the 10th of Nissan the day on the calendar but significantly also the day of the week and that's why when it records why on the Shabas before we observe Shabas we read a special after it's the Shabas why because of a n miracle that happened then and more normally If you think of what was the miracle that happened then it was the miracle of the courage to stand up to our oppressor. But others suggest read the word n like we say in we say spread a nace. A n is a banner. A n is a flag. A n is a proclamation. A n is a declaration. Shabas. There was a big declaration, a big proclamation. We were able to tap into the best of ourselves. We were able to see beyond what was right in front of us. We were able to act with courage and conviction. We were able to partner with Hashem and bring about our own redemption. And the same is true this Shabas. We're not just turning our Friday into Arab Shabas. And this is no ordinary Shabas. This is Shabas. We're getting ready for the big day for the big gula. We're getting ready for Pes to be liberated, unshackled, unburdened, taken out from whatever is holding us back. The zoradosa writes that everything that is destined to happen in the week to come already finds its energy its underpinnings in the shabas that precedes it. That means that mo shabas will be the first seder next week shabas Sunday are pes it's shabas that energizes and drives and is the engine in what's going to come. Now all the miracles that were destined to happen they were already they already began they were already designed they were already in the making in the creation on the shabas that happened before. So this shabas our attitude towards this shabas gets us ready for our pes and on the one hand shabas is shabas relative and in relation to pes but on the other hand pes can't take away or compromise the beauty of each and every shabas you know this shabas usually on pes every parent urges encourages maybe a bribes or threatens the children take a nap stay up for the seder you got to take a nap you got to take a nap you got to take a nap and who on a weekday is ever able to take a nap it never works even if you lock in the room, it usually is never effective. But this this week, we're going into the seda, we're going into pes shabas, we can we can rest and it's a long day because you have to have two meals by the time of the end of in the morning in order to get as well. It's a shabas everybody's more concerned, more committed to shall than ever is the holy each and every week. Even if you're having the two meals in the morning, nevertheless, still that afternoon, have some fruit, have some fish, have some meat, have something in the time in the of the holy auspicious time and moment of the week. So, we're all going to want to nap and sleep and learn and read and prepare the but here's the thing. You're not allowed to say take a nap so that you're awake for the seder. You're not allowed to say take a nap so you're well rested for pes. You can't say that because to do it would be preparing on Shabas for after Shabas. Even though it's preparing for PES, it's preparing for something which is holy. Still, we don't prepare on Shabas for after Shabas, which reminds us about protecting the dignity and protecting the honor of Shabas. that even though it is Shabas Hagod, even though it is Shabas before Pes and even though Shabas is going into the beautiful and holy Pes and it's Shabasul, it identifies but still on the other hand you can't bring Pes into Shabas because that's preparing for after Shabas on Shabas. Shabas deserves the honor we give it. It's a long Shabas be done with both meals yet early in the morning. What are we going to do with the rest of Shabas? learn, read, laugh, sing, play and and rest for Shabas because Shabas deserves it because it gives us the godless. It expands our mind, our horizons. It broadens our thinking. It liberates and it frees us. That's why every shabas, not only Shabas is so may it be a beautiful and a restful and a holy and a happy and a healthy Shabas. A Shabas which is gul which is great which gives us moas which gives us a big perspective and broad vision and big ideas for shabas for ourselves and so that we can have the most beautiful we should meet in wishing [Music] everyone shine.