Erev Shabbos
R’ Pam[1] once remarked that what he missed from Europe was the Erev Shabbos. “Chatzos came and people stopped their activities, focusing entirely on the holy Shabbos. People would come to shul early and say Shir Hashirim, learn a sefer on the parsha and so on. You felt Shabbos entering.” R’ Yaakov Kamenetzky expressed it in this way: “At the beginning of the 1900s, there was Chillul Shabbos in America. Over the years we recaptured the Shabbos. However, we have yet to reclaim the Erev Shabbos.”
Preparing for Shabbos is biblical[2] as it says v’hayah ba’yom ha’shishi v’haichinu es asher yaviu,[3] on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring.[4] The importance of preparing for Shabbos is shown in the gemara[5] that says Eliyahu will not come on Erev Shabbos[6] because of the difficulties this would impose on those who would need to interrupt their Shabbos preparations to greet him.
We know that there is a distinct Yetzer Hara for arguing and getting angry on Erev Shabbos. This is portrayed in the story related in the gemara[7] of two people whom the Satan regularly incited so that during every twilight period on Erev Shabbos they fought with one another… What is the origin of this Yetzer Hara? Because the first sin occurred on Erev Shabbos, the Yetzer Hara has dominance then. We can be in such a rush on Erev Shabbos that it can lead to quarreling. Indeed, the word nachash, the snake who was the instigator of the first sin, is rooted in chish, to act quickly, rush.[8] To counter this, we need to be ready early.
Erev Shabbos should be peaceful and not rushed. Then we can live up to v’zakeinu l’kabel Shabbasos mitoch rov simcha, to receive Shabbos amid abundant gladness.[9] This can be attained by following a unique interpretation of meis b’Erev Shabbos siman yafeh lo:[10] make yourself like you are dead on Erev Shabbos. Meaning, that you only deal with matters of Shabbos so that Shabbos can be brought in early and without tension.
We say in Kabbalas Shabbos pnei Shabbos nekablah, let us welcome the Shabbos presence.[11] Another explanation is to put on your Shabbos face (pnei Shabbos). All week a person walks around with expressions of anxiety, tension and the like. But on Shabbos we should feel as if all our work is done and that our worries are gone. Our faces should radiate tranquility. This is how we should welcome (nekablah) Shabbos.[12]
We need to be ready with time to greet Shabbos. We should live up to the words likros Shabbos lechu v’nalchah, let us go welcome Shabbos.[13] The Rambam[14] writes that …a person should wrap himself in tzitzis and sit with proper respect, waiting to receive Shabbos as one goes out to greet a king. R’ Chanina would wrap himself in finery and stand towards evening on Friday and say bo’u v’naitzei likros Shabbos hamalka, come, let us go out to greet Shabbos the queen. R’ Yanai would put on his Shabbos clothes on Friday and say boi kallah boi kallah.[15]
One can already feel Shabbos on Erev Shabbos. Indeed, the word Erev (Shabbos) means mixture like ta’aroves since Erev Shabbos has the kedusha of Shabbos mixed into it and one can already feel it on Erev Shabbos.[16] The Meor Einayim would actually feel Shabbos through his Shabbos preparations such as the Mikva and the like. Once, on Erev Shabbos after his preparations, he still felt some kedusha lacking. He then realized he was wearing his weekday socks!
[1] In 1993, a Sefer Torah was written to coincide with R’ Pam’s 80th birthday. Posters with R’ Pam’s picture were posted informing people of the event. Rebbetzin Pam noticed a poster with her husbands’ picture on their block and she felt it violated the privacy of her neighbors, most of whom were non-Jewish. Since it was late at night, she decided that in the morning she would remove the poster, but the next day she noticed that the sign was gone. Nevertheless, she still felt an apology was due at least to the neighbor whose house was closest to the sign. She went to apologize to the neighbor (Just to get a picture of who these neighbors were: They were Italian and owned a huge German Shepherd dog. Their son who also lived there was a lieutenant in the police force.) explaining that she didn’t post the sign but she felt it was a violation of their privacy. Rebbetzin Pam said that the sign was gone although she was unaware of who removed it. Her neighbor interjected and said, “We live next to R’ Pam all these years and are so enamored with him, as we never met anyone like him. We admire him! All this time we wanted a picture of him in our house and now the opportunity arrived when we saw that poster. We are the ones who removed it from the outside to have it in our dining room!” And so it was: This Italian family with their big dog and lieutenant son had a picture of R’ Pam hanging in their dining room!
[2] See Biur Halacha 250, s.v. yashkim. See there regarding one going shopping prior to Shacharis on Friday because preparing for Shabbos is biblical in contrast to tefilla which is Rabbinical.
[3] Shemos 16:5. So, we should bake and cook what we wish to: es asher tofu eifu v’es asher tevashlu ba’sheilu (Shemos 16:23).
[4] The holy Amoraim would prepare for Shabbos in their way. To name just a couple: Rava would salt fish for Shabbos whereas R’ Huna would light lamps (Shabbos 119a. See the Rambam, Hilchos Shabbos 30:6). This shows happiness and anticipation for Shabbos. This isn’t just for Friday but the entire week like we see with Shamai. Beis Shamai said from Sunday, one should prepare for Shabbos (Beitza 16a).
[5] Pesachim 13a, Eruvin 43b.
[6] or Erev Yom Tov.
[7] Gittin 52a.
[8] As in ki gaz chish va’naufah, for it is cut off swiftly and we fly away (Tehillim 90:10).
[9] Ribon Kol Ha’olamim on Friday night. When this is done, one can fulfill showing special warmth and love to his wife on Erev Shabbos (Mishna Brura 280:3).
[10] Kesubos 103b. The simple meaning is that if one dies on Erev Shabbos it is a good omen for him. Another explanation is that he truly lived his life and fulfilled his purpose and then died (meis b’Erev Shabbos), so that is a good omen as he is prepared for the next world, the world of Shabbos. This is similar to the idea of mi she’tarach b’Erev Shabbos yochal b’Shabbos, whoever toiled on Erev Shabbos will eat on Shabbos, meaning one who labored to perform mitzvos in this world will be rewarded in the next world (Avoda Zara 3a).
[11] The question has been raised as to why we only have Kabbalas Shabbos and not Kabbalas Yom Tov. This is because on Yom Tov, the mitzvah is to go to the house of Hashem as we are oleh l’regel. As a result, we go to Hashem. On the other hand, Shabbos is Hashem coming to us. Consequently, we go out to greet Hashem with Kabbalas Shabbos.
[12] See R’ Menachem Bentzion Zaks, the son-in-law of R’ Tzvi Pesach Frank, in his sefer Menachem Tzion.
[13] Lecha Dodi.
[14] Hilchos Shabbos 30:2.
[15] Shabbos 119a. The gemara says that one is permitted to run through the public domain just prior to Shabbos so that he can greet the incoming Shabbos and wouldn’t be liable to pay for damages (Baba Kamma 32, See the Rambam, Chovel Umazik 6:9).
[16] See Sichos Hischazkus, Chanuka, 5758, 1.
