Transcript
Welcome back to Turn Friday into Erev Shabbos. Today's not Friday. Today in fact is Erev Shabbos Kodesh and we are here to turn a Friday into Erev Shabbos. I want to thank our generous series sponsor, our dear friends Mendy and Tzipporah Fishman, who sponsored חיה רבקה בת ציפורה פרידל, l'zecher nishmas Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks, רב יעקב בן דוד אריה, and also in memory of Mendy's father who recently passed away, his neshama should have an aliyah. I want to learn with you a piece, a beautiful piece, from the brand new Nizer HaParsha on Sefer Bereishis, רב אברהם שור שליט\"א, ספר הלקח והליבוב. And here he quotes a beautiful Rabbeinu Bechaye. The pasuk in our parsha, parshat Vayechi, Yaakov is giving brochos to his sons, to his children, what's highlighting the beauty, the best in each of them, challenging them to be the best version of themselves. And in the parsha, Yaakov tells Yehuda: יהודה אתה יודוך אחיך. כל ישראל נקראו יהודים, says the Midrash, על שמו של יהודה. The Midrash on our parsha says that we are called Yehudim, Yidden, Jews, all because we follow in the footsteps of Yehuda. Yehuda, hoda'ah means to admit. Yehuda admitted when he was wrong, but more than that or also with that, Sfas Emes says Yehuda comes from hoda'ah, הפעם אודה את השם. Yehuda was grateful. And we have within us, each of us have within us the capacity, an attitude of gratitude. Not to see what's missing, to see what's there. Not to see what we need, to see what we have. Not to see what to complain about, but to see what to be grateful for. Yehudim, Yehuda, we are a people and we are grateful. Listen to this Rabbeinu Bechaye. In the brocha to Yehuda in our parsha, Vayechi, נזכרו כל אותיות האלף בית. Every letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the osios ha-aleph-beis is used chutz me-os Zayin. The letter Zayin, the seventh letter of the alphabet, is missing. Why? Says Rabbeinu Bechaye, first, לפי שיהודה הוא אב שביעי בנפשות. Because Yehuda was number seven of the patriarchs: אברהם יצחק יעקב ראובן שמעון לוי יהודה. Number seven in the count is Yehuda, so therefore Zayin is missing in the brocha to Yehuda. Moreover, יהודה כנגד יום שביעי של שבת, says Rabbeinu Bechaye, says Rabbeinu Bechaye. Also Zayin, seven, is missing. Why? Because Yehuda corresponds with Shabbos, and Shabbos is Zayin, shevii. ומסיים שכן תמצא בשבת טוב להודות להשם והוא כוחו של יהודה. That's why on Shabbos, מזמור שיר ליום השבת טוב להודות להשם. The song we sing on Shabbos is the tov l'hodos, it's good to be grateful to Hashem. How do we know that? Yehuda. Yehuda who is number seven, and Yehuda who corresponds with number seven, the seventh day of the week, seven is missing from the brocha to Yehuda because Shabbos is all about being grateful. Shabbos is a time to look and to see not what's missing, not what we need, not to work, rest, what we have, what we need, we're good to go, we're grateful, Ribono shel Olam, thank you. Yes, all week long we're fighting, we're pursuing, we're chasing, all week long we're working to get more, all week long we're working to fix, to repair, to redeem. Come Shabbos, all we have is gratitude. I see what I have, I'm grateful for what's there. Shabbos is the bechina of Malchus, says Rav Schorr. יום זין בשבוע כנגד מידה שביעית, because the seventh day of the week corresponds with the seventh midah, and that's the midah of Malchus. מידת מלכות זו הכרה דלית לה מגרמה כלום. ולכן בשבת זוכין להאיר על הבריאה, כי מה שהכל שייך להקדוש ברוך הוא. Shabbos is mi-loshon shav. Shabbos, the root of the word Shabbos is shav, to return. Hakol shav l'shorsho. Everything returns to its root, everything returns to its source, everything returns to its beginning. Umimeila, every Shabbos we return to being grateful. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I need more, I want more, I'm working towards more, I'm fixing, I'm repairing, I'm pursuing, I'm chasing, I'm on a mission. Come Shabbos, I return to just being grateful. Menuchas hanefesh. בא שבת בא מנוחה. I have what I need, I'm happy, no complaints, no work, no effort, all there is is the attitude of gratitude. Shabbos is Yehuda, hoda'ah, Yehudim, Yidden. Moshe davened on Yehuda: שמע השם קול יהודה, כי יהודה הוא כוח תפילה תיקון הפה, because Yehuda is Loshon Hakodesh, Yehuda is the capacity. בשבת זוכין לכוח הדיבור. ודבר דבר שבת קודש לא נדע דבר דיבורים לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא. Shabbos is a day that we find the power of speech to Hashem and what's the speech to Hashem? Two words: thank you. Thank you, Hashem. Thank you, Hashem. That's what Shabbos is all about. Yehuda, Yehudim, Yehuda's the seventh of the avos, Yehuda is corresponding with number seven, the seventh day of the week, seven is missing from the brocha to Yehuda because Shabbos is all about being Yehuda, being modeh, being Yehuda. being Yidden, being grateful. So here's how we turn Friday into Erev Shabbos. Already on Friday start to make your gratitude list. Already on Friday start to think about things you're grateful for. And come Shabbos, this great day of Malchus, the great day of Yehuda, the great day of Yehudim, the great day of gratitude, Shabbos is a time we come together with whoever's at our table: family, friends, guests, we're hosted elsewhere, and mention something you're grateful for. It's an amazing exercise for the Shabbos table. What a beautiful thing to introduce to every family, to go around and everyone say something from the past week you're grateful for. Something that worked out you didn't think would, something that came that you didn't think was going to happen, something that is ordinary and expected and yet you want to show that nevertheless you won't take it for granted. Shabbos is the time of gratitude, the attitude of gratitude, that's why it's the day of Yehuda, and that's how we turn our Friday into Erev Shabbos by identifying and listing and expressing and articulating what we're grateful for. מזמור שיר ליום השבת, the song we sing for Shabbos is Tov L'Hodos L'Hashem. Tov L'Hodos, it's good to be modeh to Hashem. Tov L'Hodos L'Hashem. So all of us, I'm grateful to you for listening and watching. I'm grateful to you for learning with me. And as we go into Shabbos, it should be a Shabbos of gratitude, Shabbos of appreciation, Shabbos of Yehuda, Shabbos of Yidden, Tov L'Hodos L'Hashem. Have a wonderful Shabbos. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay holy. Azai be'acho. Azai be'acho. V'shnay dodecha. V'shnay dodecha. Azai be'acho. V'shnay dodecha. Azai be'acho. V'shnay dodecha. Azai be'acho. V'shnay dodecha. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי. כשני עפרים תאומי צבי.
