Turn Friday into Erev Shabbos #216 - The First Shabbos of the Year

Good shabas. Today is not Friday. Tonight, today is Shabas and we are turning our Friday into Shabas. No music because we're now in the period of but there there's no music listened to in our ears doesn't mean that there's no music playing in our head and in our hearts. There's always music playing in the background of our singing and we're dancing whether we can hear it, see it or not. Turn Friday into Shabas is generously sponsored by me Jonathan Sax. Today's turn Friday to shabas is sponsored by ma hershorn in loving memory of her husband our dear friend whom we miss greatly Marvin Hershorn aliyah on his fifth year we are on the first shabas after pes and this shabas is considered to be a great shabasita brings down he quotes from the first shabas after is designated is specifically one in which we can climb even higher and higher we're coming off of pes And instead of being let down by going back into the work into the world, we continue to climb. We continue to elevate. We continue to go higher and higher. Coming off of Pes, we become the count, the march toward Mount Si, to Hari. We're going to stand at that mountain and we're going to receive that Torah, be shaped and molded by the most seinal moment in human history. And so rather than led down, we are climbing up. We're going higher and higher and higher. The says we were supposed to let go. We're supposed to drag and take for ourselves the animal, the god of the Egyptians. We slaughtered that animal in an incredible display of courage and an incredible display of tenacity. And that is very similar to the avodara, what we're trying to get rid of and slaughter and destroy in our lives. Shabas. So mishamik continue carry on add elevate grow whatever high seder night when we saw the gula sed night when we were transformed by not commemorating part of history but living it in the present and present and then the rest of pes surrounded by friends and family telling the story sharing dorra resting relaxing enjoying we're supposed to not let down from that but only add on we're climbing we're counting we're counting higher and higher famously wonders Normally when you count looking forward towards something if we're counting towards shuahi normally you count down how many days left in school how many days left at work until vacation and here we're counting up not down why is that and the answer is because we're not counting down to let go for a release or for relief we're counting up to add on mostly we're growing we're adding we're accumulating we're amassing we're enriching we're empowering we're growing higher and higher and higher And so coming off of PES, this first Shabas, this first Shabas is a place to continue. In fact, PES is described. When do we begin counting Omar Shabas after Shabas? That's PES. This was a famous mlo a great debate between the stukim and the perushim between those who interpret the Torah only literally or those who interpret based on doesn't mean literally you start counting on Saturday night or after the first day of pes that's when you begin but you see that there is a notion of so means after and this is the first shabas after and the said gives us the power, the energy, the courage, the conviction, the faith, the hope for all the shabases of the whole year. So this is it. This is our first Shabas. If you begin that, if you believe that Nissan is the first month of the year, Pes is really the beginning of the year, then this is it. This is the first Shabas post and the first Shabas post. We're still celebrating our liberation, our emancipation. We're not bound. We're not shackled by technology and to do and work. We're not bound and we're not shackled by this world. We're climbing to a place called Haba. We're climbing into a place called Shabas, surrounded by friends and family, learning, reading, resting, relaxing, singing, storytelling, conversations. We're going in, we're immersing in this place, in this miklot. We're learning makos in the dafomi ear mikl. And this place, this ear mikl we have every week called shabas. we run to and we immerse ourselves in and we find refuge and we're able to replenish and to rebuild. We came off of Pes. We had a long wonderful week back at work and in life and now comes Shabas. It's the first Shabas Shabas the first Shabas after Pes that's called Shabas. And therefore this Shabas enables and empowers. It gives us the strength, the courage and the energy of the hol year. And this first Shabas is the Shabas of Parashmi, the Shabas of the number eight. It was on the eighth day. Mosher Rabenu's seven days assembled and disassembled dress rehearsal dry run of the Mishkan before he'd hand off the baton to his brother Aaron who would lead it in earnest who would lead it for real. And the B of the quotes from the B of that the notion of is to Shabas. So you say what Shabas is the seventh day not the eighth day. So how is a hint too shabas kesh because seven days are the days of creation. Six days of creation the seventh day we rested those seven days are the calendar days of this world. But if a person really immerses and elevates on shabas person really gets lost in shabas a person who takes in shabas a little early holds on to it a little bit late to shabas person who lives for shabas who lives and breathes shabas who's transported to another place called shabas. A different person puts on a shabas panim puts on the shabas pim shabas. We put on we let go of all the wrinkles and all the crinkles and we let go of all the tension and all the worry shabases. We go to that place and we put on that face called shabas. So we've climbed to the number eight. Eight is eight is one above seven. We're able to be transported even though it's seven calendar days the seventh day of the week in this world. But when we climb, when we ascend, when we go to that higher place, we go to this place called the number the number eight. We're going to a place called the number eight. So that's our mission. That's our message. That's what we're trying to achieve and accomplish the Shabas count. We're counting. We're counting. Hopefully, you're still in the count of and we're counting. What challenge are you taking? What will you do for these days of this is it a high intensity training time of the year called we're trying to act holy. So we'll be holy. So what are you taking upon yourself? What are you taking upon yourself? Taking Shabas a little bit early. Don't wait. Shabas shouldn't be waiting for you. You should be waiting for Shabas to enter a little tophea Shabas a little extra, a little addition, a little more Shabas. Bring in Shabas a little bit early. Hold on to it a little bit late. Don't be in such a rush. Don't be in such a rush to end Shabas. Is that the avoda of the sphere for you? Is the avoda of the sphere to prepare Torah for the Shabas table? To have a great story and a provocative a thoughtprovoking question is the avod of the shabas to go to the shar and shul to go have that to not walk out when there's a learning opportunity but to lean in and to take advantage of it this is not an ordinary time a year pes launched us it propelled us it got us going and nowish carry on carry on build that momentum build that momentum and let that momentum let that energy let it continue to carry us want to wish everyone a beautiful healthy happy holy shabas a shabashu a shabas that should go please God while we're still finishing up the month of Nissan and about to welcome the month of we should the month of Nissan is a month of miracles and redemption we should experience miracles and redemption the month of the say stands ali I am Hashem the one who heals you should be a month of great healing a month of great healing a month of great miracles a month of great salvation have a wonderful The four.