Transcript
A very good Yom Yerushalayim everyone, a good Erev Shabbos. Today is not Friday, today is Erev Shabbos. We're turning our Friday into Erev Shabbos. I want to thank our generous series sponsors: Mentsch for Fishman, in the zechus of חיה רבקה בת אבה refuah sheleimah, memory of Abbot Lord Jonathan Sacks, רב יעקב ז' בן דוד אריה, and sponsored by P4P Team, Professionals for Positions. For inquiries email Mark with a C, M-A-R-C, at p4p.team, p4p.team. This is not an ordinary Erev Shabbos, it's Yom Yerushalayim first of all. Be grateful, thank the Ribbono Shel Olam for the united eternal capital of Klal Yisroel, Yerushalayim. We longed for, we davened for for 2,000 years, V'liyerushalayim ircha ובנה ירושלים עיר הקודש במהרה בימינו Lashana haba'ah b'Yerushalayim. And here we are and here we have it. Such gratitude to the Ribbono Shel Olam for the miracle that is Yerushalayim. But it's also Erev Shabbos of the last Shabbos before Shavuos. And that's significant. It's not an ordinary Shabbos. Every Shabbos is meaningful in its own right, but the Shabbos before Shavuos, a Shabbos Derech Eretz because דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה. Derech Eretz, the way we conduct ourselves, who we are, our character that precedes the Torah. So it's Shabbos Derech Eretz, the Shabbos to reinforce our sense of Derech Eretz, our sense of interpersonal relationships, our sense of Ahavas Yisroel, our sense of Menschlichkeit. It's the Shabbos that we prepare, we become the vessel worthy of receiving the Torah, Shabbos of Derech Eretz. Each Shabbos of Sefirah is very significant because in fact Sefirah is depicted, it's communicated to us as Sheva Shabbosos Temimos. Seven complete Shabbosos. Now Shabbos in this context can mean a week. Seven complete weeks, but it also means seven beautiful Shabbosos. Not just some Shabbos that we sleep away, not a Shabbos that we waste our time, not a Shabbos that we speak things we shouldn't be saying, but a Shabbos we make the most of, a Shabbos we lean into, a Shabbos we get so much out of, a Shabbos that enriches and empowers and inspires, a Shabbos, a Shabbos of learning and davening, of laughter and stories, a Shabbos of zmiros and of beautiful meals, Sheva Shabbosos Temimos. Seven real complete beautiful whole pure Shabbosos, that's what we long for. I want to share with you a Sfas Emes. Sfas Emes writes במדבר תרס\"ד בשבת שלפני שבועות צריכין להכין לקבלת התורה. Shabbos before Shavuos a Jew needs to prepare to receive the Torah. כי השבת ניתן קודם התורה שיהא הכנה לקבלת התורה. Because Shabbos was given even before. Shabbos was given at Marah. Shabbos was given before we stood at Har Sinai because we needed Shabbos to be worthy, we need Shabbos to be ready to receive the Torah. וישבתו העם ביום השביעי ומשם נסעו להר סיני. First we rested, first we experienced Shabbos and from there we went to Har Sinai. ויש אומרים בשבת עצמו ויש אומרים ביום ראשון אחר השבת אבל בכח השבת באו להר סיני. What makes us worthy? So this week Thursday night we're going to come together. Many will stay up all night. Friday morning we'll be at the base of that mountain, we're going to receive the Torah, but the power to do so comes from the Shabbos before. So this is no ordinary Shabbos, it's Shabbos Derech Eretz, it's Shabbos before Shavuos and the avodah of this Shabbos is to get ready, is to be ready. The avodah of this Shabbos is to become the kli kibul, to become the vessel that we're worthy. How do we do that? We do that with achdus. We stood at the mountain, ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר. It says Vayichan not Vayachanu, כאיש אחד בלב אחד. This is a Shabbos of achdus. Connect, inquire, care about, say Gut Shabbos, not to the Jews who look like and act just like you. Say Gut Shabbos to those who maybe are different in whatever way. They vote different or they dress different, a different yarmulke, their children go to a different school, but extend, reach out and offer a Gut Shabbos to those who are different. Achdus, achdus is how we become ready and worthy to receive the Torah, to be standing at Har Sinai. Become humble. Torah was given on Har Sinai, Shabbos is a time of great humility. Shabbos we surrender, we submit to Hashem. All of our work is done, no matter how much more there is to do, we're not in charge, we're not in control. Shabbos is the day that we recognize it all comes from Him, it comes from above. And that's our avodah of this Shabbos: surrender, submit, get ready, learn, daven, grow, get excited. Some people stumble into Shavuos and they don't understand why it doesn't go well. Even if they stumble in, you gotta get ready, you gotta prepare. אין קדושה בלי הכנה. That's what Shabbos is, that's what Erev Shabbos is. So my friends, dear friends, let's turn our Friday into Erev Shabbos, let's turn our Shabbos into Erev Shavuos by getting ready, by preparing, by being mechin, by having a שבת קודם מתן תורה, a Shabbos Derech Eretz. by getting ready in the highest and the holiest of ways. Don't let the Shabbos go by, and a Shabbos of gratitude for the gift of Yerushalayim, the holiness, the sanctity, our greatest dreams coming true, hayinu kecholmim. Our greatest dreams are coming true. We should take this Shabbos to say thank you to Hashem, to elevate, to grow, to spend time, wishing you a beautiful, a healthy, a happy, a holy, and a most magnificent Shabbos. למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך. למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך. למען בית ה' אלוקינו אבקשה טוב לך. למען בית ה' אלוקינו אבקשה טוב לך. ויהי בשלום סוכו ומעונתו בציון. ויהי בשלום סוכו ומעונתו בציון.
