Welcome to Embrace Shabbat.
In his sefer Daat Chochma u’Mussar (Volume 1, page 130), Rav Yerucham Levovitz cites one of the fundamentals of preparing for Pesach: חייב אדם לראות ולהראות את עצמו כאילו יצא ממצרים- in every generation a man is obligated to regard himself as though he personally had gone forth from Egypt. The main goal on the night of Pesach is for a person to attain the level of feeling they personally were liberated from Egypt. בעבור זה עשה ה' לי- G-d did it for me. All of the preparations and laws of Pesach are to bring a person closer to this goal.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz questions why there are so many external acts if the ultimate purpose is just to cultivate a feeling. For example, in the Sefardic communities, there is a minhag to say MiShaarotam. After breaking the middle matzah, the afikoman is carried on their shoulders, questions are asked, and the whole scene is acted out. Can’t a person just sit in their house and imagine leaving Mitzrayim? What is the purpose of all of these acts?
He explains that these ציורים- pictures, actions, and images that we create- are extremely powerful in changing us and are therefore employed often in our avodat Hashem. For example, there are many external actions that the Rabbanim would perform to welcome in Shabbat. The Gemara in Bava Kamma 32b says that Rabbi Chanina would go out on Leil Shabbat to greet the Shabbat queen. Rashi states that this is similar to a person who goes out to greet a king.
Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz says that these practices seem laughable! Is Shabbat walking in through the back door?! Why is Rabbi Chanina going out to the field to greet Shabbat? It is not a person! Wouldn’t it be better for a person to relax in their house and accept Shabbat serenely?
We live in a world called עולם המעשה- the world of doing. Chazal teach that through our actions, we come to understand and accept Shabbat. We must go out to the field in order to feel like Shabbat is literally coming into our home.
Rav Yerucham teaches that anyone who does not understand this is ignorant of the concept of how to internalize these critical ideas. These external actions prepare our inner world, our penimyut. The Sefer HaChinuch teaches that there are so many preparations and activities on Pesach because our efforts impact us. This idea can be applied to Shabbat, as well. We go out to greet the kallah by Kaballat Shabbat. In our shul, we have a custom to turn around by Lecha Dodi. This can be compared to a person turning around at a wedding to see the bride come in. Some people argue that it is not their custom to turn around by Lecha Dodi, however this is not a custom! People just naturally turn around to see the bride walk in, and therefore we should naturally turn around to see the “bride”- Shabbat- enter; it is not a halacha!
The כוח הציור, the power of imagery, is a powerful tool for Pesach, Shabbat, and for so many other critical areas in our life. Going through the imagery and acting things out has the power to change us.
Before taking three steps back in the amidah, the Syrian community has a custom to wave to one another. This is based on the fact that during the amidah, we are like angels. (This is why we keep our feet together.) It says: עושה שלום במרומיו, there is peace among the angels. We want to imitate the angels, and therefore we wave a sign of friendship to each other as we are about to start the amidah. That is the כוח הציור.
Have a wonderful day, a Shabbat Shalom, and a Chag Kasher v’Sameach.
Lastly, a reminder for those who want to give to Lev Chana, an organization which gives cards to needy families that they can redeem in certain clothing stores. Anyone who wishes to participate in this special mitzvah can:
● Click on the link below.
● Send a check to
Lev Chana
c/o Rabbi David Sutton
1059 E. 10th St.
Brooklyn, NY, 11230
● email me: rabbisutton@gmail.com with your pledge and we will bill you.
● Quickpay rabbisutton@gmail.com