Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. This week’s strategy is to learn Hilchot Shabbat. The sefer Yismach Moshe brings a beautiful peirushon one of the zemirot of Shabbat, which gives us insight into the importance of learning Hilchot Shabbat. It is a famous song written by the author of the Kuzari, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, called “יום שבתון אין לשכוח”-the day of Shabbat, don't forget.The zemercontinues, זִכְרוֹ כְר ֵֽיחַ הַנִיח ֵֽחַ -remember it like the good fragrance that comes from a Korban. What is the connection between these two beginning statements?Yismach Moshe explains that by remembering Shabbat, we bring the Kedusha of Shabbat into the week. This concept is even stronger when a person learns Hilchot Shabbat. The Gemara in מנחותtells us: עולהזאת תורת ה, this is the law of the Olah. This teaches us that if you learn the laws of the Olah, it is considered as if you brought the Olah. This concept is called ונשלמה פרים שפתינו, we can bring the bulls with our mouth. We don’t have the Beit HaMikdash anymore, so when we learn the laws of the korbanot, it is considered like we brought the Korban. Similarly, the Chiddush brought here by Yismach Moshe is that when you learn the laws of Shabbat, it is like you kept Shabbat then and there, even if you are learning on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday! Therefore, says the יום שבתון אין לשכוח,פייטן. If we do not forget Shabbat during the week, then it will be as if we actually had Shabbat during the week! זִכְרוֹ, it is the remembrance of Shabbat, חַ כְר ֵֽיחַ הַנִיח ֵֽ that will bring the fragrance like the Korban. Just like when I discuss a Korban and it is considered as if I brought it, so too when I remember Shabbat, it is as if I brought Shabbat down. This is a tremendous concept-the Kedusha of Shabbat can be there during the week. A further advantage is brought by the Sefer Egli Tal. He tells us that there are certain sins that are so severe that simple Teshuva does not help. Even so, those severe sins can be atoned for with learning Hilchot Shabbat. It says about Shabbat, כל השומר שבת כהלכתו אפילו עובד עבודה זרה כדור אנוש, someone who keeps Shabbat properly, even though he worships idols like the generation of Enosh, he will be forgiven. The power of Shabbat brings that Kapparah. When a person toils to learn and understand Hilchot Shabbat, that will bring him Kapparah as well. So we have another advantage: learning Hilchot Shabbat gives us Kapparah from sins. One can say, “Do I really have to learn Hilchot Shabbat every single week?” The Sefer Otzrot Yerushalayim brings down an idea from one of the tzaddikim of the Jerusalem of Old, Rabbi David Baharan. He said that before Pesech, everyone is careful to learn Hilchot Pesach because the Shulchan Aruch tells us שואלים בהלכות פסח קודם לפסח שלושים יום, we need to spend thirty days before Pesach learning the intricacies of Hilchot Pesach. He added that Hilchot Shabbat is no different. Pesach only comes once a year, but Shabbat comes every single week! He says that three days
before Shabbat, which is when Shabbat is supposed to be on your mind, you are supposed to be שואלין ודורשין בהלכות שבת. Rabbi Chaim Palagi says that if a person dedicates himself to learning Shabbat by diligently learning from a sefer, אני ערב בדבר, I am the co-signer, מובטח לו, he is guaranteed,שלא יבוא תקלה על ידו, he will not stumble in the laws of Shabbat. That is the power of Hilchot Shabbat-if you learn with the right intention of knowing the laws, the learning itself will protect you. שומר שבת כהלכתוbrings Kaparah. Lastly for this week’s installment on the importance of learning Hilchot Shabbat, the sefer Divrei Emuna tells us that when a person learns Hilchot Shabbat, he creates angels that will protect him from sinning. He gives a deeper understanding of what we learned from Rabbi Chaim Palagi (ie. that learning Hilchot Shabbat will protect you because it creates angels of protection.) The Maharsha quotes the Gemara (Mesechet Makkot) that says, בדרךרוצה לילךשהאדם , on a path that a man wants to take, בה מוליכין אותו, they escort him. If you want to go on the right path, they will escort you. The Maharsha asks, who is the they? It should say “if you want to go on the right path, He (ie. Hashem) escorts you.” What is the they? When you have a desire to do something right, that ratzoncreates positive angles and that will aid you to finish what you started, even though you did not do an action or even speak yet! Rav Wolbe says that you can have a fleeting ratzon, that is not real. For example, a person can say, “I want to finish shastonight.” Tonight is not a ratzon; it is a fantasy. A ratzon is real when you see something come out of it. Real will comes to fruition. If a person says that they want to keep Hilchot Shabbat, that is very nice. When they start learningHilchot Shabbat that is a real ratzon. That shows you are serious about your will to keep Shabbat. Now that you have the ratzon to keep Shabbat, you have created angels and those angels will protect you. In review, we have quite a few incentives for the important of learning Shabbat:1.When you learn Hilchot Shabbat during the week, it brings the Kedusha of Shabbat to the week. 2.Learning Hilchot Shabbat brings Kapparah, atonement, for previous sins, even serious sins. 3.Learning Hilchot Shabbat will create angels that will protect you from sinning on Shabbat. With all of these incentives, we should dedicate ourselves to learning Hilchot Shabbat. Go out and buy a sefer in English, learn it by the table or before the meal, and review. B’ezrat Hashem we will get all of those benefits of learning Hilchot Shabbat. Have a Shabbat Shalom.