Rav Weinberger spoke Friday night between mincha and maariv about the mitzva of "v'heichinu es asher heiviu," preparing for Shabbos. He told over this morning that Shabbos morning someone told him that he had a chalishas hada'as because he cannot involve himself in the Shabbos preparations because he has to work until very close to Shabbos in the winter, he has to run to the train, he gets home 20 minutes before Shabbos, runs into the shower, and then runs to Shul.
Rav Weinberger told him that it's not true. For him, in his situation, every time he anxiously looks at his watch at work, every feeling of anxiety when he receives a new phone call, and every leap he takes running to the train is only because of Shabbos.
As he runs to the train, he should literally say "l'chavod Shabbos kodesh." Not only that, but he is mezakeh and elevates the seat in the train that is zoche to carry a Jew home for Shabbos. Every piece of sidewalk and every part of the train he uses to make his way home for Shabbos becomes a kli for hashra'as haShechina. He should therefore say l'chavod Shabbos kodesh" over the whole trip.
Of course he wants to have a nice slow Shir Hashirim before Shabbos. But for the person who's in the matzav where he cannot do that, who knows, Rav Weinberger said, what is more precious to Hashem... His beads of sweat as he runs to catch the train for Shabbos or someone else's leisurely Shir Hashirim.
May we be zoche to the hachana l'Shabbos that is right for us IY"H!
Rav Weinberger told him that it's not true. For him, in his situation, every time he anxiously looks at his watch at work, every feeling of anxiety when he receives a new phone call, and every leap he takes running to the train is only because of Shabbos.
As he runs to the train, he should literally say "l'chavod Shabbos kodesh." Not only that, but he is mezakeh and elevates the seat in the train that is zoche to carry a Jew home for Shabbos. Every piece of sidewalk and every part of the train he uses to make his way home for Shabbos becomes a kli for hashra'as haShechina. He should therefore say l'chavod Shabbos kodesh" over the whole trip.
Of course he wants to have a nice slow Shir Hashirim before Shabbos. But for the person who's in the matzav where he cannot do that, who knows, Rav Weinberger said, what is more precious to Hashem... His beads of sweat as he runs to catch the train for Shabbos or someone else's leisurely Shir Hashirim.
May we be zoche to the hachana l'Shabbos that is right for us IY"H!
10 comments:
The sweetest of the sweet!!
This Rabbi of yours is awesome.
:)
Boruch Leff
אשרנו ומה טוב חלקנו שיש לנו רבי כזה!
I am sure that went over well when husbands told it over to their wives.
Neil, shouldn't the concept of "Serving Hashem Through Work" also apply to wives? or is it only wives who are allowed to give spiritual mussar to husbands while husbands put a lot at risk when they attempt to bring such mussar into the home?
MP, of couse "Serving Hashem Through Work" applies to both the husband and the wife.
My jovial comment was because, coming home from work on Friday when you're already into the 18 minutes (like I did last week) and telling your wife that you were preparing for Shabbos by saying "L'kavod Shabbos Kodesh" on the train to yourself probably won't cut the mustard.
Helping to get the house as ready as possible on Thursday night, on the other hand does help.
Whenever I bring mussar into the home, it goes straight onto the bookshelves. :)
Aslo, regarding "Serving Hashem Through Work", if I recall correctly, Rav Weinberger mentions a similar concept in one of the first "Insipired Parenting" shiurim.
http://tiny.cc/clickthisman
Rav Weinberger mentions that one night one of his children really had a serious accident in the crib and needed to be changed. I think his loshon was along the lines of "It was so bad that there wasn't a sheilah about saying a bracha in the child's room."
Rav Weinberger then relates that while his wife as attending to the baby and cleaning things up, he heard her say that she's m'kiem the mitzvah of Ahavas Yisrael.
If I got this wrong, please comment with a correction.
Neil, as I recall that story, I think you basically got it right.
And I agree that if it's possible, the husband can and definitely should help Thursday night (both mitad hachan l'Shabbos and mitzad helping his wife).
But that's not always possible. And very often (for me as well), I come home very late Thu. night as well and it isn't always possible to help with the cooking/cleaning then.
I hear that!
I can see someone reading this post and think that they are totally exempt from helping to prepare. :)
Point well taken. I don't think that was Rav Weinberger's intent. He was talking to someone who was dissappointed that he was not able to help at home.
I once heard that theres a mikvah shel mayim and a mikvah shel esh. Mikvah shel esh is the sweat of rushing to prepare for shabbos.
Wow!!!
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