Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, one of the great sages of the generation, who passed away five years ago, often emphasized the importance of recognizing and appreciating the special sanctity of Shabbat. Many times, when people visited him and asked for advice, he urged them to sing zemirot on Shabbat and to explain the songs’ meaning to their children as a source of merit for Hashem’s help. Rav Lefkowitz studied in Yeshivat Hevron, where for many years, the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Yechezkel Sarna, gave a weekly lecture on Friday night about the special kedushah of Shabbat, and Rav Lefkowtiz attended these lectures and wrote down the material after Shabbat. Two remarkable stories are told about Rav Lefkowitz that teach us the importance of recognizing this kedushah.
The first story was told by Rav Steinberg, who was once walking after the prayer service on Shabbat morning through the streets of Bnei-Brak with a group of people, including Rav Lefkowitz. As they walked, they came upon a non-observant Jew who was tending to his garden. Taken aback by the sight of a Jew gardening on Shabbat, the young men stopped and spoke to the man about Shabbat observance.
“What do you want from me?” the man said. “I am not observant, and besides, Shabbat is my only day off from work, so this is my only day to tend to my garden.”
Realizing they were not going to dissuade the man from working in his garden on Shabbat, the group moved on. Rav Lefkowitz, however, remained for an extra few minutes, reciting Kaddish. He recited Kaddish without first reciting a chapter of Tehillim or the passage of רבי חנינא בר עקשיא אומר; he simply recited Kaddish. The other people in the group found this strange, but they did not say anything, and just kept on walking.
Some forty years later, Rav Steinberg thought again about this incident, and he came up with a possible explanation for the Rabbi’s decision to recite Kaddish at that time. The purpose of Shabbat is קידוש ה' –to glorify Hashem’s Name by publicizing the fact that He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. If somebody publicly desecrates Shabbat, then he defames Hashem, as he conveys the message that he does not accept this tenet of faith. And so when Rav Lefkowitz observed a Jew publicly violating Shabbat, he sought to counteract this חילול ה' (defamation of G-d’s Name) through the recitation of Kaddish, which is a proclamation of the greatness of Hashem. He approached Rav Lefkowitz and asked if this was, indeed, why he recited Kaddish at that time. The Rabbi said he did not remember the story, but agreed that this would certainly be a reason to recite Kaddish.
When we observe Shabbat, we essentially recite Kaddish for an entire day. Just by conducting ourselves differently, we bring honor to Hashem and glorify His Name.
Hacham Ezra Attieh once expressed his amazement that there are people who do not observe Shabbat but ensure never to miss a Kaddish recitation after a parent’s passing. We all have a Father in heaven, Hacham Ezra said, and we should be no less careful about reciting Kaddish for Him, through our Shabbat observance, than about reciting Kaddish for our other parents.
Recognizing this aspect of Shabbat will help us appreciate its significance, which will, in turn, enhance our Shabbat experience.
The second story involved a certain kollel student who one morning looked especially fatigued. His Rosh Kollel approached him to ask him why he was so tired, and the student explained that he began taking a certain medication that caused fatigue. He said that he had a nervous habit of pulling his hair, and this habit posed a serious problem on Shabbat, as he invariably removed hairs as a result of the constant tugging. The student went to a therapist for help, and the therapist prescribed a drug which would help him stop pulling his hair. A side effect of the drug was drowsiness, and this is why the student was so tired in the kollel.
The Rosh Kollel advised the student to consult with a Torah sage for advice before taking this medication which had such serious side effects.
The student went to Rav Lefkowtiz and explained to him the situation. The Rabbi asked him if he found himself unable to stop pulling his hair even on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and the man replied that on those days he managed to stop.
“Evidently,” Rav Lefkowitz said, “you are capable of controlling yourself. It’s only because you do not properly appreciate the kedushah of Shabbat that you cannot stop on Shabbat.” He explained that Shabbat in a sense is even more sacred than Yom Kippur, as evidenced by the fact that on Shabbat we call seven people to the Torah for aliyot, whereas on Yom Kippur we call only six. (Many Rabbis have noted that the number of aliyot reflects a day’s status of kedushah. We have three aliyot on a normal Monday or Thursday, four on Rosh Hodesh and Hol Ha’mo’ed, five on Yom Tob, six on Yom Kippur, and seven on Shabbat.) And so if this student related to Shabbat with the proper attitude and mindset, he would be able to refrain from pulling his hair on Shabbat just as he was able on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rav Lefkowitz recommended that the student read books that discuss the special sanctity of Shabbat, and this will enable him to stop pulling his hair on Shabbat, without any medicine. The student followed his advice, and soon enough, he had no problem refraining from this habit on Shabbat.
If we understood just how sacred Shabbat is, that it is a daylong recitation of Kaddish and even greater than Yom Kippur, we would approach it differently. We would be excited to prepare for and welcome it each week, and we would experience genuine joy throughout the entire day. The more we study and reflect upon the special kedushah of Shabbat, the more meaningful and impactful the experience will be for us and our families.