Today we continue with the theme of yesterday‘s class, and the mashal of Shlomo HaMelech, that this world is one big party; G-d is the Host, and we are the guests.
Rav Yitzhak Isaac Sher, who was a Mashgiach in Slobodka also discussed this mashal, and added a very important insight, based on a Midrash.
The Midrash says that G-d created the world in six days, and the seventh day was the Hanukat HaBayit- the day that Hashem invited everybody to see His beautiful house.
When people build a beautiful, new house, they invite others to come see it. The people ooh and ahh, impressed by the house.
That is what we are supposed to be doing every single Shabbat. Shabbat is the day that Hashem makes His Hanukat HaBayit, when everyone is supposed to come look, see what’s going on, and be impressed. That is why on Shabbat we say,
מזמור שיר ליום השבת טוב להודות ה’
It is good to praise G-d.
Why is it good to praise G-d?
Because that is what one does when they are invited to somebody’s new house. And Shabbat is the day that we focus on this.
Of course, ideally, we should focus on creation every day, but the goal and purpose of Shabbat is to ooh and ahh, and appreciate what the Host has done for us. This is a new way of looking at Shabbat.
Furthermore, we know that the Gemara talks about great rabbis who spent their whole week preparing for Shabbat; they always had Shabbat on their minds. We too can add additional insight into the way we prepare for Shabbat, by considering that there are people that are hired as professional party planners.
As we prepare for Shabbat, we should imagine that G-d hired us to be the party planners, for His party.
And there will be a nice fee that we will get for it. I’m not sure what percentage party planners get, but it seems to be a lucrative field.
In the Mizmor Shel Yom Shabbat, it talks about creation, but it also talks about how the wicked are flourishing like grass, but will ultimately be cut down.
Rav Yitzhak Isaac Sher makes a beautiful point about this. He brings out a Midrash that discusses the greatness of the architecture of G-d.
He says that when a person makes a building, they don’t build it in a way that the sewage pipe is right by the front door.
In Israel it is common to have a sponga, (or a squeegee) to clean the stone floors. The water is often drained through a pipe that spills out onto the street below, so passers-by have to be careful not to get in the way of those sponga drains.
But no one puts that drain-pipe by their front door. Otherwise, if someone were to stand by the front door, they would get the dirty water splashed in their face.
No one who plans a house puts a sewage pipe by the front door.
But the Midrash says that G-d, in His wonderful architecture, places the sewer pipe on the front door, and that is the beauty of the house!
What does that mean?
Our noses are placed in the middle of our faces. The nose is technically a sewage pipe. A lot of waste comes out of the nose. But, as the Gemarah says, the nose is also the beauty of a person. It identifies the person. A head without a nose can’t be recognized as a person. So your nose is your identity, and your beauty, and it is a sewage pipe in the front of the building!
What an Architect, Who is able to weave such wisdom into His building!
Rav Sher continues and says that this is what David HaMelech was saying when he referred to בִּפְרֹ֤חַ רְשָׁעִ֨ים ׀ כְּמ֥וֹ עֵ֗שֶׂב
The wicked flourishing like grass...
G-d is able to take waste, and make a beautiful structure out of it.
It is obvious to anyone watching that the world has gone mad. The liberal thinkers have taken our world in a different direction than what it’s supposed to be. You may wonder how in the world this can bring mashiach. How in the world can this happen?
But we are supposed to look at this tremendous Architect, Who is not just the Architect of creation, but the Architect of history, and in the end we will all appreciate
צורי ולא עלתה בא
My Rock, Who has no iniquity
My Rock is the One I rely on, the One I take refuge in, that I feel secure with.
That’s my Host. Not only did He make a beautiful house, but He put in a security system as well. He is taking care of me. He is watching over me.
B’ezrat Hashem, we should continue to appreciate all of the work of our wonderful Host, dedicate Shabbat and every day of the week preparing for Shabbat, which is a Mitzvah.
As we say, היום יום ראשון לשבת
And B’Ezrat Hashem, we will all be zoche to continued blessing from our wonderful Host.
Have a wonderful day.