#18: Machshavah

We mentioned previously how Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik writes about being an “erev Shabbat” Jew. Rabbi Hillel Goldberg in his book “Countdown to Shabbos” offers some additional thoughts on how to achieve this:

“To be Erev Sabbath observant also means something concrete. It means that one will not save Sabbath preparations for the last minute and fall prey to the outbursts of anger, frustration or tension that punctuate many homes in the hours or minutes before candle lighting. It means, for example, that one will… take off work on Friday afternoon an hour earlier than is strictly necessary...

To be Erev Sabbath observant means more—it is an entire change in mindset... It means internalizing that Shabbos is not just an escape from, but a flight to; not just an end to the difficulties of the week, but a window to the Divine…

The more the mental anticipation and actual preparations for Shabbos, the more one will taste Shabbos. The more one will treasure it, the more one will center one’s life around it… The more grateful for Shabbos one will become. The closer to the Shechinah one will become. The holier one will become.”

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Dedicated by Fran Broder as a zechus for the hostages to be released safely to their families and may everlasting peace come to Eretz Yisrael in the merit of learning Hilchos Shabbos.