CHASSIDUS

TEACHINGS OF JUDAISM FROM THE CHASSIDIC REBBES

Insights to the Sabbath
 






According to the way a person acts during the six days of the

week, with holy thoughts and with prayer, so shall be his Shabbos. He

can add to it's holiness and make it greater and greater. (sefer Noam

Elimeilech teachings of the Rebbe Reb Meilech of Lizensk)








'Remember the Shabbos to keep it holy.' This means that you should

remember [Shabbos] during the six days of the week, even from the

first day. Chazal say that during the whole week the fear of it

[Shabbos] should be on your face, in order that you should not lose

any of it's holiness. The holiness and purity that descends on a Jew

on the holy Shabbos is very great. Therefore be very careful all the

days of the week to watch yourself in all your ways, both internally

[your thoughts] and externally [your actions] according to all that I

have said until now. You should do this in order that there should

not be anything to hold back the holiness [of Shabbos] from resting

on you. Your Shabbos should not become shamed and you should ruin

it's holiness. You should always 'remember the Shabbos to make it

holy'. You should bring it's holiness upon yourself, and on the whole

world. And when your whole camp will be holy, there will not be found

in you any impure things. The exact opposite, you will make it holy

and you will become holy in every place you go. (sefer Bar Mayim

Chaim teachings of Rebbe Chaim of Charnovitz)



 





With regards to preparation for the making of Kiddush* it is worth

relating what was told by HaRav Shaul Brock Z'L*, in the name of

Rebbe Shlomoh Z'L [the first] Bobover Rov*, in his sefer 'Shaul

Buchir HaShem.'



When he was learning with his Rebbe the Chasan Sofer in Matersdorf 

he became acquainted with one of the Rebbes of the Tzanzer dynasty,

the first Rebbe of Bobov, the Holy Rebbe Shlomoh ZY'A* Halberstam

[see below.] For health reasons the Rebbe had traveled to Zoarbrun in

the Burganland area of Austria which was close to Matersdorf. A large

number of the Yeshiva* talmidim* of the Chasan Sofer including R.

Shaul (who was 16 at the time) traveled to the Rebbe of Bobov. He

would many times relate the spiritual enjoyment that they felt when

they were in the company of that Tzaddik. The Rebbe would be friendly

with the talmidim of the Yeshiva more then would be normally

expected. He spent most of his time with those talmidim which was a

disappointment to some of his older Chasidim who came to visit him

there. R. Shaul decided then that he would travel to the Rebbe of

Bobov as a Chasid when he would grow up.



R. Shaul related that on the first day after Shabbos the Rebbe was

sitting in a small forest, near where he was staying, together with a

number of the bucharim* from Matersdorf. He was discussing with them

Torah and telling them interesting ideas. In the middle he turned to

them and asked, 'I am certain that from among you there are some who

have questions or wonder about something that I have done. It could

be that you think something was not in accord with the law as it is

related in Shulchan Aruch* or what is customary. I ask you not to be

afraid, but anyone who has what to ask, should reveal to me what he

is thinking. I will not be angry at all with him. Actually the

opposite, I will rejoice to hear some words of musar* and reproof.'

He added, 'You shouldn't think that it is not possible for a Rebbe to

make a mistake, or to forget something.'



As would be expected they were all silent and it did not occur to any

of them that there was something to ask. However there was one boy

from Germany who learned in that Yeshiva whose name was Chaim. He

wanted to ask something, but his friends didn't want to let him

approach the Rebbe to ask. The Rebbe saw that there was something

going on there and he spoke to Chaim by name and told him not to be

afraid to ask what bothered him.



Chaim asked him, 'I learned in the laws of Shabbos that when one

comes home [from the evening prayer] one is require to hurry to make

Kiddush.  But I see that the Rebbe makes Kiddush 11 o'clock [which is

long after the prayers have ended.]'



The Rebbe said to him warmly, 'Chaim you are a big Tzaddik. But tell

me Chaim, does it say in Shulchan Aruch in which hour one is to make

Kiddush? It is proper that it does not say that. It only says one

should hurry to make Kiddush. Believe me Chaim if I did not hurry I

would make Kiddush on the next day.' R. Shaul related that this Chaim

became a Bobover Chasid and for his whole life traveled to Bobov to

be with the Bobover Rebbes. (Zemeros* L'Ater Pesorah)









Copyright (c) 1997 by Moshe Shulman



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