The more we appreciate the value and importance of Shabbat, the more eager we will be to invest time and effort into preparing for it each and every week.
I once heard a relative of Rav Avraham Kalmanowitz tell a story of an experience that Rav Kalmanowitz had which gives us a greater appreciation for the merit of Shabbat observance. Rav Kalmanowitz was once at a meeting to raise funds for the yeshivot in Poland, and the Hafetz Haim, who was by then an elderly man, was also present. A man came into the meeting and approached the Hafetz Haim. His wife was in labor, and he wanted to receive a blessing from the great sage on her behalf.
“We are now talking about raising money for yeshivot,” the Hafetz Haim told the man. “Why don’t you make a donation, and this should be a merit for your wife?”
A half-hour later, the man came back and told the Hafetz Haim that there were complications, and the situation is serious.
“The Mishnah teaches that there are three reasons why women do not survive childbirth,” the Hafetz Haim told the man. “They are because of negligence regarding the mitzvot of hallah, family purity, and Shabbat candle lighting. Nowadays, the mitzvah of hallah outside the Land of Israel is not required on the level of Torah obligation; it is required only by the enactment of the Sages. Family purity is something which people are very careful to observe. But the third mitzvah – Shabbat – is an area regarding which many people are not as careful as they should be. Many people are unaware of the many halachic details of Shabbat, and thus unknowingly violate the laws. For example, if a person gets a small stain on his shirt and rubs it off, this could constitute a Torah violation. If your wife is experiencing difficulty during childbirth, it could be this is because of laxity in this third area.”
The man accepted the sage’s words, and said that he would commit himself to studying the laws of Shabbat so he and his wife can observe Shabbat properly henceforth.
“This is a time of danger,” the Hafetz Haim added. “Your wife’s life is at risk, and committing yourself to learn in the future might not be enough of a merit.” He turned to Rav Kalmanowitz, who was standing next to him, and recalled that recently they – the Hafetz Haim and Rav Kalmanowitz – had gone together to a nearby town to speak to the barber, who had been closing his shop on Friday evening after the onset of Shabbat. Friday was a busy time in his shop, and he succumbed to the temptation of making extra money by leaving his shop open into the evening hours. The Hafetz Haim and Rav Kalmanowitz succeeded in persuading the barber to close his shop before the onset of Shabbat.
“You have great merit for accomplishing this,” the Hafetz Haim told Rav Kalmanowitz. “You have the merit of Shabbat observance. I want you to make a legal transaction – with a handkerchief – to transfer that merit to this man’s wife, and this will help her during childbirth.”
“But I was not the only one there,” Rav Kalmanowitz said. “Maybe you should give your merit.”
“I’m already an old man,” the Hafetz Haim said. “I need my merits for myself. But you are still young and have many opportunities ahead of you.” Rav Kalmanowitz agreed, and he and the man made a kinyan – a formal legal acquisition – transferring Rav Kalmanowitz’s merit of Shabbat to the man.
Soon thereafter, the man returned and jubilantly reported that his wife had delivered a healthy baby boy. He asked the Hafetz Haim if he could serve as sandak at the berit. The Hafetz Haim refused, insisting that Rav Kalmanowitz should be given this honor, as it was through the transfer of his merit that the delivery was successful.
After this incident, Rav Kalmanowitz was bothered by a question. At the time this occurred, his wife was also sick. He gave his great merit of Shabbat to a complete stranger at a time when his wife desperately needed merits. Why, he wondered, did the Hafetz Haim urge him to transfer his merit to this stranger, instead of keeping them for his own wife?
Rav Kalmanowitz went to Vilna and proceeded directly to the home of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky to receive an explanation. He told Rav Chaim Ozer of what had happened at the meeting with the Hafetz Haim.
Rav Chaim Ozer replied that two things amazed him. First, he was amazed by how real the Hafetz Haim’s perception of the merit of Shabbat was. For the Hafetz Haim, this merit was a real, tangible asset that could be legally transacted. Secondly, Rav Chaim Ozer said, this incident made it clear to him just how brilliant a man the Hafetz Haim was. He could have told Rav Avraham to keep his merits for the sake of his wife. Instead, he did something better. By giving his merits to a stranger, he earned even greater merit. Handing over his merit to somebody he did not know was a great act of selfless kindness, and in this way he earned immense merit through which his wife could be saved. And thus the Hafetz Haim managed to find the merits to save the wives of both men.
The merit of Shabbat observance is something real. It is an invaluable asset. Once we recognize the immense value and importance of Shabbat, we will recognize the value and importance of preparing for it extensively and having it on our minds all week long.