Turn Friday into Erev Shabbos #82 - Recreation Means to Re-Create

welcome back to turn friday into arab shabbos thank you so much for being here as we get ready to welcome and observe the holy the sacred the precious shabbos [Music] big thank you here comes the siren big thank you our generous turn friday into heir of shabbos sponsors our dear friends mendy and super fishman in thank you so much for your generosity it is friday and it's time to phone friday into arab shabbos my dear friends we think we don't need shabbos you need to know that you need shabbos wherever whenever we are the measures tells us that even in mitzrayim even in the deep dark slavery persecution and oppression of egypt mosh rabbin was able to appeal to paro to give the jews shabbos one day off some respite some refuge some capacity to return to believing in themselves why was that why was that so critically important so we have a tradition the measures tells us that the jewish people were redeemed from egypt why because of emunah because of faith you know all week long we're so immersed in our work all week long we are pursuing the material all week long we are fighting off the distractions the temptations the drive that it's hard to be navigated by faith shabbos one day we unplug shabbos one day we disconnect shabbos one day we reboot and restore we return to our roots and we renew our sense of faith we need shabbos not to rest it's not the schluff it's not the food we need shabbos for the faith it's the ability to quiet all that noise around us and to return to the relationships that matter relationship with hashem the relationship with others and the relationship with ourselves it's the ammuna it's that faith the faith in hashem the faith in the people around us and the faith in ourselves that we can be who we're meant to be who we know we want to be shabbos is when we do that we're not driven by drive by temptation we're not being drawn to watch to look to listen we're not being drawn to go to do but we're present we're present where we are we're reading our parsha mushroom in that holy place when that bush is on fire but not being consumed tells us take your shoes off why do you have to take your shoes off the answer is when you are in the presence of holiness then you're meant to be still shoes give us independence shoes give us that capacity to move to travel to go when we're in the presence of holiness of the sacred we're not meant to be anywhere else don't have your foot out the door don't have your foot into the next project don't be going and running to the next thing be present be fully immersed where you are and that's shabbos shabbos we are fully in what we are doing we need shabbos we need shabbos to remember we need shabbos to have faith and we need shabbos to be able to believe in ourselves we need to disconnect to take advantage yes the shlokhan chabas is wonderful nothing like a great nap and yes the food is fantastic but it is the faith it is being able to escape into our quiet time in space it's reading when otherwise we are watching it is talking when otherwise we are busy listening to podcasts it is being still when otherwise we are running it is thinking when otherwise we are always acting shabbos gives us that capacity for that faith it was true even in the time of the jews of egypt certainly all them all true now we may have a freedom today we're not oppressed or persecuted thank god we are not slaves to others but how much are we enslaved too are we not enslaved to technology are we not enslaved to our drive our insatiable appetite for more for consumerism and materialism are we not enslaved shabbos is liberating that's why in shabbos mitzrayim we lift that cup of wine we make that kiddish and we say it's mitzrayim throughout the prayers throughout the kiddush throughout the sanctification of the day we are celebrating freedom freedom what am i enslaved to all week all week people drive their luxury car they go enjoy their luxury things they go work and accumulate and amass more success where's the slavery where's the servitude the answer is we're slaves we're slaves to our ego we're slaves to our drive we're slaves to our appetite we're slaves to technology shabbos we set ourselves free shabbos we set ourselves we taste freedom and when you taste freedom that is we rediscover and we recreate who we are recreation is to recreate shabbos is the ultimate recreation not recreation of driving to the beach not recreation of going to play sports or watch sports the recreation of shabbos is recreating who we are through liberating ourselves from that slavery from that servitude from feeling bound and shackled by all of that during the week okay back to provider meyer morgenstern back to bayam so we talked about hishachis that renewal that freshness that's starting again that we bring that just like the lachem upon him just like that showbread which was replaced replaced each and every shabbos it never got stale it never got old it remained fresh so to our avodah our attitude toward shabbos our excitement and countdown to shabbos our dharvani and chavez ours mirrors our kiddish our conversation our board games are reading and shabbos should never grow stale they should always be fresh but what happens when they're not being we've talked about we've talked about how to be mindful how to be mindful when we bathe and cut our nails and get dressed i'll be mindful in every action and every aspect and every component of getting ready for shabbos how about when it's not working every benalia everyone is striving to elevate everybody who's reaching and striving for more knows sometimes you run into the proverbial wall sometimes you hit that ceiling sometimes you feel the light's been turned off you're cloaked in darkness sometimes it's light and you're breaking through yes but there are other times where it's hard what do we do in those moments what do we do in those times how do we break through when we fit that wall when it feels dark this shabbos i was meant to be elsewhere i was going to be by my new holy friend yetzi preda and his family i was meant to be in baltimore the beautiful community but due to the corona and due to the spike and due to so many complications we've had the delay have to postpone it feels dark going at the shop is dark so much preparation so much effort so much excitement so much anticipation so much light and the light was dimmed it was turned off so much darkness there was so much excitement people have been quarantined people have been sidelined people who've struggled with not feeling well people who are struggling in this pandemic what do we do in this darkness says you have to stop and pause and think and identify there's a re-bonus there's an almighty so you know when it's frustrating when i'm in control when i'm in charge and things didn't go to the way i planned but when you realize i have to submit and surrender i have to forfeit let go i have to recognize i'm not in charge i'm not in control hakara vahasaga i have to see and i have to grasp and i have to accept her gosh i have to feel mathias hashem god is not theoretical god is not abstract god is not a subject for a yomiyun or a seminar or a conference god is real he's palpable he's in a conversation with me he's in the room her gosh is my second vegas and therefore there's a sweetness there's a gentleness there's an affection there's a love you know rashid tells us the beginning of our passion we're going into the galas we're going into the exile we're going into the the reading of pashas the book of shemos the story of our servant to 210 years but first the jewish people are counted it says to tell us god's love is affection for us lodia whom is god telling the answer is every one of us you're going into a period of exile we're going to a period of separation of isolation we're going to a period of disappointment or frustration nevertheless hashem wants us to know he loves us he loves us there is an affection there is a love there is a sweetness person feeling the the sweetness and feeling that pleasure is not the point vada kashya yuhudi magesh is when it tastes sweet when it feels sweet when you feel his presence when you embrace the affection of course that's the highest level of course that's what we strive for and here's the critical point and we'll pick up with this next week shabbos cannot be cannot depend on being excited shabbos cannot depend on the perfect circumstance shabbos cannot depend on all of our dreams being realized what did we do in the lockdown if shabbos depended on being together the tish the shul the singing the mirrors the shallots the sheer the kiddush if that was shabbos then without it what do we do we forfeit we don't keep shabbos we only observe or only inspire we're only elevated by shabbos when it's exactly the way we want and when all the pieces are there it can't be our commitment to shabbos our commitment to hashemisburg has to be even when it's not the perfect circumstance even when everything's not working in our favor it has to be fundamental we don't really love our spouse with romance and energy and electricity when it's our when it's our anniversary and when we're getting away and when we're on vacation when everything's right when we hit that wall when we encounter that crisis we have to overcome that catastrophe when it doesn't feel right and when we don't feel romantic and when there's frustration when there's disappointment is when we have to dig deep and remember that commitment and that devotion to return and restore the roots of why we're in what we're in our service of hashem can't depend on our feelings it can't depend on our feelings we have to be all in no matter how we're feeling in that moment hagashi davis because feelings change and feelings fluctuate and if we only do it when we feel right then where is that commitment what kind of relationship is it we need to be committed no matter how we're feeling a lot more to talk about we'll pick up with it next week until next time stay happy stay healthy and stay holy have a phenomenal shabbos look at shabbosh whether you feel like it or not put on that music sing and dance get into that shabbos mode in the shabbos mood [Music] shabbos is coming it's ready for us will we be ready for it have a fantastic shabbos everybody