The Value of Shabbat Preparation
At first glance, the concept of “preparing for Shabbat” seems like a very simple, practical matter. Food and other necessities need to be prepared ahead of time, before the onset of Shabbat, and so it needs to get done. If one has people working for him, he can have them make the necessary preparations, and if not, then he needs to do the work himself, but the main thing is that preparations are made in time.
From the teachings of our Sages, however, it is clear that this perspective is fundamentally incorrect. The Talmud tells of great Rabbis who had servants working for them but nevertheless made a point of preparing the food for Shabbat themselves. Indeed, the Shulhan Aruch rules that one should personally involve himself in Shabbat preparations, even if he has a full staff of housekeepers capable of making all the preparations for him. Why is it so important to personally get involved in the process of preparing the home for Shabbat?
Rav Yerucham Levovitz explained that preparation is an indispensable prerequisite for receiving any kind of inspiration, and for reaching any kind of significant achievement. He notes the Rambam’s comments regarding prophecy, which could not be achieved without preparation. The Rambam specifies the kinds of preparation prophets needed to make in order to receive prophecy, and emphasizes that prophecy was an outright impossibility until all these stages of preparation were completed. Rav Yerucham explained that the need for preparation is built into the nature of the world. Just as we feel hungry when we do not eat, and we feel satiated when we eat, similarly, one cannot access prophecy without the required preparations, and is able to access prophecy after making those preparations. No kedushah (holiness) or spiritual growth can be achieved without putting in the work to prepare for it.
This is true of the Yamim Noraim (High Holidays), as well. We gain inspiration from them, and grow from the experience, only if we prepare ahead of time, thinking about the themes and messages of these holidays and putting in the effort to apply those concepts. Once we make this effort, Hashem sends us His help and we will feel elevated and inspired.
In developing this principle, Rav Yerucham writes:
כל עבודת האדם היא רק להיות מוכן. כי הרי בההכנה, כל אחד לפי כוחותיו, הרי משרה עליו רוח שכינה מן מעלה.
“All a person’s work is just to be prepared, for through the preparation, each person according to his capabilities, one brings upon himself the spirit of the Divine Presence from above.
This is how we bring kedushah (sanctity) upon ourselves – through preparation.
When it comes to Shabbat, preparing means both spiritual preparation – through preparing divreh Torah and contemplating the messages of Shabbat – as well as the “down-to-earth” preparations, such as preparing food and preparing the home. Even these simple acts of cooking and cleaning are immensely valuable and significant.
The Gemara in Masechet Yoma comments that Avraham Avinu observed the entire Torah, even though it had not yet been given, and the Gemara adds that Avraham observed even the law of עירוב תבשילין. This law applies when Yom Tov falls on Friday, providing a permissible way to prepare for Shabbat on Friday. Although it is forbidden to prepare on Yom Tov for the next day, the law of עירוב תבשילין states that if one prepares some food before Yom Tov for Shabbat, then he is allowed to prepare further for Shabbat even on Yom Tov. By setting aside some food for Shabbat before Yom Tov, one is considered as having already begun his Shabbat preparations, thus allowing him to continue preparing thereafter. The message behind this law, as Rav Yerucham explains, is that it takes just a small, simple act to bring ourselves to the lofty level of Shabbat preparation, and this is something which Avraham intuitively understood even before the Torah was given. Even seemingly simple acts can elevate us to the level where we can absorb kedushah. And the more we involve ourselves in the preparation, the greater the impact will be. The more we show our yearning for Shabbat, our respect for Shabbat, and our anticipation of Shabbat by actively preparing for it, the more kedushah will be bestowed upon us. Every Shabbat, we receive a נשמה יתירה (“additional soul”), a special spirit of holiness, and the magnitude of this spiritual impact is proportional to the extent of our preparation ahead of time.
Rav Yechezkel Sarna, the famed Rosh Yeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva, noted that just as Hazal compared our world to an anteroom leading to a banquet hall – the world to come – similarly, the six days of the workweek are the “anteroom” leading to Shabbat, which resembles a banquet hall. Therefore, just as we are bidden to prepare ourselves in this world so we can reap the benefits of the next world, we must likewise prepare ourselves during the workweek so we can reap the great spiritual benefits of Shabbat. And the harder we work to prepare, the greater the benefits that we will reap. For this reason, Rav Sarna explained, Hazal teach, מי שטרח בערב שבת יאכל בשבת – “Whoever toiled on Erev Shabbat will eat on Shabbat.” They speak here not simply of preparing, but of “toiling.” The key is the hard work and effort that we invest in preparing. The harder we work, the more we will receive from the Shabbat experience.
While this message is relevant and vitally important every week, it assumes special significance as we prepare for Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Tradition teaches that the angels which we will welcome into our homes on Shabbat are the angels created through the mitzvot we had performed during the previous week. On Rosh Hashanah we performed special mitzvot, such as listening to the shofar, reciting the special prayers, and engaging in introspection and teshuvah. As such, we have special angels that come to be with us on the Shabbat after Rosh Hashanah. And, on Shabbat Shuvah we read a special haftarah, the prophet’s proclamation of שובה ישראל עד ה' אלוקיך, calling upon us to repent and assuring us that our repentance is capable of penetrating the heavens and reaching the Divine Throne. This Shabbat offers us a special opportunity to achieve kedushah, more so than ordinary Shabbatot, and the more we prepare for it, the more we will be able to reap the unique benefits available to us on this Shabbat. Additionally, our Rabbis teach us that each day of the Ten Days of Repentance offers us the opportunity to correct and atone for our misdeeds on that day of the week throughout the previous year. This means that on Shabbat Shuvah, we are able to retroactively perfect all the Shabbatot of the previous year, and reverse all the mistakes we may have made with respect to proper Shabbat observance. This is a very special Shabbat, and so we must pay extra attention to our preparations, in terms of both our spiritual preparations and the “mundane” preparations of food and the like. The more of an effort we invest in these preparations, the more we will benefit from the unique opportunities offered by this especially holy and significant Shabbat.