Are You Wasting Your Shabbos? The Parshas Emor Wake-Up Call

Why Shabbos Gets Repeated

Not once. Not twice. But twelve times does Hakadir Shbaru command the Jewish people to keep Shabbos. Shabbaz is to be to the Jewish people. Not Saturday. But different. It's to be Shabbos. For many of us, Shabbos Kaitish is the best day of the week. Shabbos Kaitish is a day that we have off of work. A day that we enjoy. But for some others, all of us, I guess, to a small extent. Shabbos Kaidash, because of our hedonic adaptation, meaning that we've been exposed to it so many times that it may have lost its novelty. For some of us, it can feel like a been there, done that approach to Shabbos Kadesh. And that's wrong. Shabbos is to be different. Shabbos is to be sacrosanct. And just like a mother who reminds her kid to clean his lunchbox, how often does she ask him to clean his lunchbox? Maybe once a month, once a year, if ever. It may not be that important. But a mother asks her daughter or her son, Did you brush your teeth this evening? Or did you say you're Brachos the right way? Something that is frequently reminded by the parents. It's because of its importance, its necessity. Shabbos, like a parent reminding a child, 12 times does God remind us, which tells us how important it is. Hardly any other commandment is reiterated more times than Shabbis Khaidesh throughout the Tanakh. This week, we want to jab our samurai swords into the ground and say that we're bringing Shabbos back. Not just so it's special and relaxing, but we're in reinvigorating ourselves to try to elevate our Shabbos Kadesh experiences based on how Unculus and the Ramban tell us it should be done. Perakchaf Gimel, Pasak Olif Bazin Gimel is where we begin. It's Parshas Emur, and we're learning all about the sacred and hallowed times that Hashem sets apart for us in a Jewish calendar. Suchis, Sheminiatzeris, Pesach, Shavuis, Raj Khadesh, all hallowed and sacrosanct times that we are to declare them as holy. Khaligastral is to declare them holy. It's up to us. God gave us the keys to determine by Chazal's keen and sharp eye. The Baisedin, with the help of Jewish witnesses as well, get to set the calendar. When it's the new Chodesh, when Pesach will actually happen. It is here, as we pause for a second for station identification. It is remarkable to note how the altar of Slobodka pointed out here the godless Ha'adam that mankind is actually capable of changing time. God gave us the keys to the calendar and said, you decide which day is hallowed and different, and you decide which day is mundane. It's amazing to see. It's on full display here to see the power that is in the human nature, the human species. But Shabbas Khaidesh is not in the hands of man. Shabbos Kaidesh is in the hands of God. Hashem ceased from his work on the seventh day of creation, and henceforth we are to cease from all productive activities on every seventh day after that. That's Shabbos Kadesh. Chazal doesn't decide when it is. Hashem decided. So here's something interesting. And here's where we put on our thinking caps to begin the podcast. These are to be fixed times. These are the sacred occasions. The first sacred occasion that should come up in the conversation is Posak Gimel. Shabah Shabasan Mikra Kaidesh Komalacha Komalacha La Isasu Shabasi Lashem Behomosh Vaisekhem. Six days should you work, six days should you work, and on the seventh day should be a total and complete rest. Mikra Kaidesh. Two words that are a bit obscure. Mikra Khidesh. Komalacha, Losasu, don't do any work. First thing to point out from the Pasuk, it's always wanted to be a rant of mine, is that you see from here that not only should the seventh day be a rest, be a restful day. But before that, it's six days should you work. Many people rest all seven days. Nain. It's six days should you get to work. Be osavtah estavuascha. Gather your grain. Work hard for six days. But the seventh day is Shabbos. Stop. Cease. Halt. It's Shabbos. Shabbas Shabbasom. But then the posak says these two words. The two words that are going to be the catalyst for our conversation. Mikra Kaidesh. Mikra Kaidesh. Call them holy. And don't do any work. But does it mean call them holy? Mikra Kaidesh, call them holy? We know that it's not up to us. Hashem's the one who decides when Shabbos is. It's not like the Moadim. Vos maint Mikra Kaidesh. Uncleus, the best place to start. The translator of the Torah. Shatter Yoimintis Abed Avida. Six days work. Ubi Yoimeshvi O'Oh Shovas. On the seventh day, pause. Me'orra Kadesh. Me'orah Kadesh. It doesn't sound like Unculus is translating the word to be that we should call it holy, that we should deem it holy, but me'orah Kadesh, what does that mean? I'm glad you asked. The Ramban wants to know what this means. The Ramban deals with this in a lengthy essay, trying to unpack the words of Mikra Khadesh. And at the end, he gives his approach, which is very similar to how Unculus is translated here, and he weaves them together in one symphonic and beautifully powerful unpacking of what the seventh day of the week is supposed to be. Vihine says Nachmanides. Like it says in Bab Midbar, those that are called to the assembly. Those that are called, those that are summonsed. On full display here, as he brings four different proofs, proofs to show you. Off the top of his head, that the word mikra here is that you're being summonsed, you're being called. Not that Jewish people call it, but that they are being, the Jewish people are being called in order to step forward and assemble themselves for this holy day. The uncleus. The unkalis hits hard. Ramban explains it. When unkalus says ma'kadesh, he's translating as something significant befalling you. Like when the verse says, Ashar yikra eschem, ba akharas ha yamim, what will happen to you at the end of days? Yikre is not calling, but yikra means befalling. What will happen to you? What remarkable event will happen to you? That's what ma'ira means. That behol yoim she ro Tasu as some Kaidesh. That what's the posak means by mikre kaidesh, according to the Ramban, it means that you're being summonsed, and according to Unklus, it means that something that's befalling you in a significant way. But the Ramban says we're all saying the same thing. The Ramban says, Chazal told us what Hashem wants in this pasak. Based on a sefri parshas pinchas kufmamzaim. Make it different. Make it that you're summonsed. Make it that something's befalling you. How do you do that? With food and with drink and with clothing. That's the chazal. Do it with food, do it with drink, and do it with clothing. Kiloimar. Whenever a great medieval Torah scholar says the words kilomar, you listen in because you're about to get where he's explaining it to exactly what Hashem means. Kiloimar, as if to say, What does God want from us when he says mikra kaidesh? God doesn't want you to see Shabbis the same way that you see all of the other days of the week. Avil Taselohem mikra shell Kaidesh. Rather make it a significant calling, a significant assembling, a significant bee falling. Let something remarkable transpire for the sake of holiness. Lashanosum, change, change Bemaicho, change what you eat, Uvin Malbush, change what you wear, Michol from the weekday from the mundane Levi's jeans, Le Kodesh to the holy black frock from hat box, or insert whatever holy garment you know. Change, Lashan knows some, change that the day should be different. And he finishes Vegamza das Unkulus. This is also what Uncleus means. He and I, Uncles and Ramban, were singing the same tune that Shabbos should be totally different than the other days. The three ways that we're given to actually show that it's different, the concrete ways that you'll find in Halacha, change your clothing, change your food, change your drink. Make Shabbos remarkable. That's this week's podcast. Make it remarkable. Not in the way that people say remarkable in the way that it's spectacular, but remarkable in the way that when somebody, God forbid, goes to the who's the bone doctor? Somebody goes to the orthopedist and they get an x-ray to see if the wrist is broken. And after the x-ray is taken, they put those pieces of paper upon the bright light on the wall for the orthopedist to see if there's a break in the bone. He'll then comment and he'll say there is either is a break or he'll say it's unremarkable. There's nothing to notice, there's nothing conspicuous, there's nothing distinct, there's nothing out of the ordinary. But if there is something broken, they say, the break's remarkable. It's clear on the third metatarsal. It's different, it's distinct. That's what Chazal wants us to be like when we approach Shabbos. And it's our jobs to do that. And it's even more so our jobs to do that for our children and for our spouses. If you're a leader of a house, a mikrecoidish to make it totally different. Should be remarkable. And with this in mind, so many of the halochos of Shabbos, the Hilchos Shabbos, start to fall into place. When you realize that Chazal are trying to show us and impress upon our minds that we need to make this day different and treat it with the holiness that it deserves, so that all of the godly Shefah can pour onto us, all of it start to fall into place. You know that it's supposed to be different. Chazal wants us in our appearance and our personalities to be different by our activities, by our enjoyment, by our mental and spiritual activities, make the day different. Think about how many ways Chazal have instituted so that a Jewish person should be able to be slapped in the face by the halacha, that it should tell you that today is different. Number one, it's to be that you're literally supposed to have different clothing. Unbutton the white shirt from the Friday and put on a new Shapis bagged. You're to in your cleanliness, go into the hot water to ready yourself with preparation. Your entire bearing, your entire home should be with clean beds and a clean house. The cleaning lady should come on Friday, or you should get on your hands and knees like a good Jew and clean up yourself for the sake of Shabbos to make it different, to make it remarkable. You're to refrain from work. What's the avoidas hayom? On such, it's a lulov. On chanaka, it's a minoira. On shavuis, it's well, we'll talk about that. What is it? On Pesach, it's a matzah. On Shabbos, it's the cessation from work. And we'll talk about exactly what that means: a cessation from work to be an Avaidas Hayom and why it is that way. But we're not done there. Cause I'll say, pause your regular eating habits. Lay down the tuna fish sandwich and pick up two whole loaves. Complete loaves. Lift the glass. Pick a holy liquid to pause your life with so that you'll be plucked out of the weekly mundane grind. Pull everyone to the table and then have a moment where you realize that this day is different. Sing Sholam Alechem. Sing Kabbalah Shashabis. So that you should realize that you're going into something that's different in a preparation, in a readying of yourself. Have multiple meals. Wake up a bit later. Have more time to study. Make havdallah. Make havdallah so that you also mark the turnover from the different remarkable day back to the regular mundane. And while we're speeding through a lot of the Hilcho Shabbis, the point is that at the surface it should be clear already that Chazal and the Halacha are trying to impress upon your mind that this should be a mikra Qaidesh, a holy summoning, and a holy and remarkable experience, something different. But too many times is a Jew's relationship with Shabbos unremarkable. Too many times are we uninspired? Too many times are we back to our phones and our weekly mundane habits just seconds after the Havdallah, as if that the person can't wait to escape. So it is now that we remind ourselves as parents, as guardians, as growers, as steigers, that Shabbos is a day that is different and remarkable for the sake of holiness. It's a time that you should come home from shool. And you should take a deep breath. And you should pull yourself out of the mundane. And you should strive to dance with your children. To dance with the Torah. To get back to the holy practices that you wish you could involve yourself with the whole week, but you can't because you have a job to do, and God wants you to do that. But on the seventh day, He wants it to be remarkable. And if our Shabbos isn't, then we have work to do. We have Sephorim to learn and a mindset and some new information to gather. And every person has to have their sechel at work to try to figure out how it is that I can make it special. How it is that I can connect with it. In our house, I remember hearing a podcast from Arye Walby who said over a story about how Rebshlim Vulba was sitting in at his Shabbos table when across the hall there was singing and dancing, loud, ruckus. A father dancing with his children could be heard through the hallways and into the Walby house. And Ribshleim Vulba said, Khevra, you hear that? That father across the hall, that's a Tati. That's a Tati. He comes home for Shalom Aleichem and he sings and he dances with his kinderloch. That's a remarkable Tati making a remarkable and memorable Shabbos. That story always had an effect on me. Because that's something that I could do. And that's something that you can do. It's not out of our potential. In some areas of Torah, we aren't capable. But in the area of making Shabbos code that's special and remarkable for us and for our families, we are indeed very capable. It's not impossible for us to think about getting special focus when our kids bring their parsha sheets or when our Rebitson is looking for our attention. Undivided and honest, finally happy and peaceful attention. It's not our out of our potential to cook a little bit nicer, to dress a little bit nicer, to break out something different that you had bought in the grocery store, but instead of serving it on a Tuesday, you hit it away to be able to then make a big deal and bring it out just for shoppers. You'll be surprised what the people around you will be content with in a way to make something remarkable. A candy, a dress in our house, we'll even. And a way to try to spice up shallow shuddis? Try to buy something a bit extra for a time that is so, so holy, but sometimes can feel a little bit harder to connect with. So, in order to spur us on, we'll grab a nice bottle of wine, one nice piece of tilapia, something special to make it remarkable, to make it extraordinary, noteworthy and uncommon. There are so many ways for us to get in touch with Shabbos, so many books to read. But the podcast for this week was that to be a reminder that not all time is created equal. And all of time, except for Shabbos, was given to man to make special. Hashem already made Shabbat special. It's our job to simply make it remarkable for us and for our families. So wherever you're listening to this, hear the words of Unculus and the Ramban. What does it mean, mikre khadesh? It means ma'orakadesh. It means shalo yehe shar hayomim abotasalahem mikra shall kaidash la sha noisum bimaicha ubimalbush umbecholka. Take it from a mundane spot and bring it into a holiness type of setting. In short, think about your schedules. Think about how you prepare. Think about how you dress. Think about how you eat. Think about what you think about. Think about what you talk about. And make sure above all else that for you, for yourself, for your spouse, for your children, for the Abister, make sure that Shabbos is remarkable.