Podcasts about hashem's name

Asseret HaDibrot: Taking Hashem's Name in Vain | Shabbos, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Second of 5 shiuirim on what is arguably the single most important "unit" on mitzvot and values anywhere in the Torah! Individually they are all fascinating and important - and as a unit you can really appreciate them.

We've been talking about the great bitachon of Yosef HaSadik. How did he get there? Rabbenu Yonah writes in his perush on Mishleh that there's something called bitachon al hapratim, which means you rely on Hashem on every little, small thing . In that way, you will have Hashem on your mind, and you'll grow on Bitachon. We spoke yesterday about the fact that Yosef's ability to stay away from his boss's wife came from bitachon, and the opening words of Midrash Tanchuma ( Vayeshev perek ט ) say that “ He said No to his boss's wife; that's what it means Baruch Hagever Asher Yivtach B'Hashem.” It's clear that his ability to say no came from his bitachon, it's almost black on white in the Midrash. The midrash continues and says, “ Hashem was with Yosef.” Where do we see this? Because it says, “ His master saw Hashem was with him.” What does that mean, that he saw Hashem was with him? Could Potiphar see God? It means that, “ The name of God did not leave Yosef's mouth. Lo Zaz M'piv It was constantly there. He would walk in to serve his master, and whisper, “ Master of the universe. You are the One I rely on. You're my Patron. Let me find grace and mercy and favor in Your eyes, and all those that see me, and the eyes of Potiphar, my master.” So, he was asking Hashem for chen , and Potiphar asked, “ What are you whispering? Are you trying to put some incantations on me?” Yosef said no. He didn't hide it. He was very open, “ I'm praying that I should find favor in your eyes.” And therefore, whenever he poured something for his master, no matter what drink he poured, it would turn into the specific drink that Potiphar wanted. If he poured water, but Potiphar wanted wine, it became wine. No matter what he poured, it would turn into what Potiphar wanted, because Hashem was there. Why? Because he was constantly whispering and praying, every second of the day. His master saw this and he gave him all the keys. And that's what it means when Yosef told his boss's wife, “I have everything.” That is the power of Yosef. And where did Yosef get this from? From this ability to keep whispering Hashem's name. The Yalkut Shemoni in Bamidbar, Perek ז , Remez תשטו also talks about Yosef. And interestingly, it connects his bitachon to his his self control, as we discussed previously. It says that all people, when they're poor, rely on Hashem, when they're down and out. But when someone is wealthy, he's reliant on his own wealth, and he has no fear of God anymore. Notice the connection between bitachon and yirah . When you're poor, you rely on Hashem. You have fear of God. But when you're wealthy, you rely on your own wealth. You don't have bitachon and you don't have yirah . Yosef was different. When he was a servant, he feared Hashem. When his boss's wife was trying to seduce him, he said, “ How can I do this horrible sin against Hashem? And when he becomes a king, he says, “ I'm afraid of God.” The Midrash is clearly connecting Yosef's Bitachon and his Yirat Shamayim. The Midrash continues and tells us that when the Yosef's boss said, “ You're talking to this God? I want to see your God.” Yosef said, “ If you can't see the Sun, who's one of His servants,how you going to see see Him?” But Hashem said, “ Out of respect for you, I'm going to reveal myself to him.” Potiphar saw that Hashem was with Yosef. Hashem actually revealed himself to Potiphar HaRasha in order to back up Yosef's bitachon. Wonder of wonders. And where does it all start from? It all starts from constantly having Hashem on your mouth. That's the power of Yosef.

Throughout the eight days of Hanukah, one is required to add the section of Al Ha'nisim in every Amida prayer. Al Ha'nisim is added in the Modim section of the Amida, before the words "Ve'al Kulam." There is some discussion as to whether one should recite "Al Ha'nisim" or "Ve'al Ha'nisim." According to Halacha, it is more proper to recite "Ve'al Ha'nisim," with the conjunction "Ve" ("and"), since this sentence continues the text of Modim. In the Modim section, we declare that we thank Hashem for all the wondrous acts of kindness which He performs for us, and we then add that we thank Him as well for the miracles He performed at the time of Hashmona'im. It is therefore proper to recite "Ve'al Ha'nisim," rather than "Al Ha'nisim." If a person forgot to recite Al Ha'nisim, and he realized his mistake before he said Hashem's Name in the concluding Beracha ("Baruch Ata Hashem Ha'tob Shimcha…"), then he should recite at that point, "Modim Anahnu Lach Al Ha'nisim…" and then continue as usual. If he did not realize his mistake until after he recited Hashem's Name, then he simply continues with the Amida. He should not recite Al Ha'nisim after the Beracha, before "Sim Shalom," as this would constitute an unwarranted interruption in the Amida. Preferably, one who forgot to add Al Ha'nisim should recite, "Modim Anahnu Lach Al Ha'nisim…" at the very end of the Amida, before reciting "Oseh Shalom." If a person forgot to recite Al Ha'nisim during the Amida, and then, mistakenly thinking that he must repeat the Amida, began reciting the Amida again until he realized that he should not repeat the Amida, he must stop immediately. Any subsequent Beracha that he recites is a Beracha Le'batala (Beracha recited in vain), and he must therefore stop wherever he is and not even complete the Beracha which he currently recites. If a person mistakenly recited Al Ha'nisim in the section of Reseh, in the place where Ya'aleh Ve'yabo is recited on Rosh Hodesh and festivals, and he realizes his mistake during the Modim section, then he should simply recite Al Ha'nisim as usual in Modim. His prayer is valid despite the fact that he made an unwarranted interruption by reciting Al Ha'nisim in Reseh. A person should not skip Al Ha'nisim for the purpose of completing the Amida in time to recite Nakdishach or Kaddish with the congregation. One might have thought that since the Amida is valid even if one forgot to add Al Ha'nisim, it is preferable to skip the prayer in order to be able to join the congregation for Nakdishach or Kaddish. In truth, however, one should recite Al Ha'nisim as the Sages enacted, even at the expense of joining in the recitation of Nakdishach or Kaddish. Summary: One must add Al Ha'nisim in the Modim section of every Amida prayer recited throughout the eight days of Hanukah. If one forgot to add Al Ha'nisim and realized his mistake only after reciting Hashem's Name in the concluding Beracha of Modim, he simply continues reciting the Amida, and does not repeat the prayer. Preferably, he should add Al Ha'nisim before "Oseh Shalom" at the very end of the Amida.

There is an obligation to recite the complete Hallel ("Hallel Gamur") on each of the eight days of Hanukah. This obligation applies regardless of whether one prays with a Minyan or privately. One recites the introductory Beracha before Hallel – "Ligmor Et Ha'hallel" – as well as the concluding section of "Yehalelucha" which ends with the Beracha, "Baruch Ata Hashem Melech Mehulal Ba'tishbahot Amen." The reason why one answers "Amen" to his own Beracha is because when a Beracha is recited at the conclusion of a series of Berachot, one recites "Amen," as we do each night at Arbit, when we recite before the Amida, "Baruch Ata Hashem Shomer Amo Yisrael La'ad Amen." One may recite Hallel anytime from sunrise to sunset, as the verse in Hallel states, "From the sun's rising until its setting, Hashem's Name is praised" (Tehillim 113:3). Nevertheless, if one mistakenly recited Hallel before sunrise, but after Amud Ha'shahar (the point when light first appears on the eastern sky), he has fulfilled his obligation. If a person forgot to recite the Beracha before Hallel, and he remembered before he completed the Hallel service, he may recite the Beracha at that point and then continue. As long as he still has some part of Hallel remaining to recite, he may recite the Beracha. It is forbidden to make any sort of verbal interruption during the recitation of Hallel. However, if a person hears a Beracha as he recites Hallel, he should answer "Amen" to the Beracha. Likewise, one should interrupt Hallel to answer to Kaddish, Kedusha and Barechu. This applies only to the first five "Amen" responses of Kaddish; one should not interrupt Hallel to answer "Amen" to "Titkabal" and the later passages of Kaddish. If a person hears a Beracha, Kaddish, Kedusha or Barechu after he completed Hallel, but before he recited "Yehalelucha," he should answer "Amen," and does not have to rush to complete "Yehalelucha." Women are exempt from the obligation of reciting Hallel on Hanukah, even though they are included in the obligation of candle lighting. A woman who wishes to recite Hallel on Hanukah certainly may, though she should not recite the Berachot before and after the Hallel recitation.

Please join the leading Rabbis in Israel TODAY, Wednesday, 10/25/23 live at 1:25pm (NY/NJ/FL time) at Kever Rachel for a powerful and unified Tefilah as we come together to pray for Israel during this challenging time. Click here to join: https://gocast.co.il/central- live/ Our Avot and Imahot were from the greatest people who ever lived. They brought so much satisfaction to Hashem and were so loved by Him. Yet, their lives were filled with difficulties. They had to wait years and years to have children. They had to cry buckets of tears and pray thousands of tefilot until they finally got their yeshuot . Esav and Yishmael, on the other hand, had children right away with no difficulty. They were able to marry right away also with no difficulty. One might ask, does that seem fair? The answer is, if this world was only about this world, that would be a good question, but there is so much more than meets the eye. We have so much to achieve in this world of toil in order to live on forever in the real world of eternity. One of the greatest ways to elevate ourselves is through heartfelt tefila and, usually, when a person has a very pressing need, that brings out the most heartfelt tefilot . We are in this world on a mission. We need to get as close to Hashem as possible and when we find ourselves in need of salvation, it usually brings out the spiritual part of ourselves the most. And then, after all the heartfelt tefilot , if we see that glorious salvation from Hashem, it brings us to such a state of closeness to Him. We feel overwhelming gratitude knowing that it was Him who helped us. The Bet Yisrael from Ger once said about a young man who got married right away, then had a baby boy right away, his parnasa was completely taken care of, his shalom bayit was perfect, the Rabbi said, “How is he going to recognize Hashem in his life?” Now it is true, there are people who know how to cry tears of gratitude to Hashem for the blessings He has bestowed upon them, however, it is obvious that those who first didn't have and had to spend countless hours of heartfelt tefila and only after received their needs, their tears of gratitude are much more heartfelt, and their journey has brought them much closer to Hashem. So, although we all prefer to have everything we want right away and we may feel that Hashem is angry at us when we don't get what we want, that is not the case at all. Hashem withholds things for our own benefit. He loves to hear us pray for our own good. We can't imagine how great we become from each prayer. This is what life is all about, forging a bond with HaKadosh Baruch Hu . People who have been waiting so many years to get married, or so many years to have children, or so many years for whatever other need that they have, they should know, they are part of a very elite group which includes the great Avot and Imahot . Sarah had to pray for decades to have a child. There is no such thing as saying, “I tried prayer already, it didn't work, so I'm going to stop.” There is so much more to life than just getting what we want as quickly as possible. Our greatness is determined by the way we act before the salvation comes. Hashem told us that, kavayachol , He has needs as well. His Throne is not complete. He needs us to do our jobs, ישראל מפרנסים את אביהם שבשמים . So just like we have a yearning for Hashem to take care of our needs, kavayachol , He also has a yearning for us to take care of His. When we go to pray and beg for what we need, we should also beg for the geula and the Mashiach and for Hashem's Name to be glorified once again. Then, kavayachol , we are doing for Him as well. When a person is lacking in life, it is not a punishment, it is a blessing in disguise, but only on condition that he answers the call and uses that need as a catalyst to get closer to Hashem.

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 2417 The Gemara in Berachot says the reason the earlier generations merited to have miracles performed for them is because they showed great self-sacrifice to honor the Name of Hashem. Rashi writes there they were willing to even degrade their own honor in order that Hashem's Name should be honored. This means, when a person is ready to do the will of Hashem, which is how we honor Him, no matter what it entails, even if it will make him feel very uncomfortable, he merits miracles. I read a story about a girl who was a student in one of the top high schools in her community. She had been accepted there by the skin of her teeth. She was very refined and bright, but her spiritual level was not up to par with the rest of the students there. The school accepted her with the hope that she would grow over time, however, that hope was not being realized. When it came to tzniut – modesty – she pushed the boundaries. Teachers warned her, her parents warned her, but nothing was changing. There was one teacher there who always defended this girl. She told everyone how this girl had so much potential and they had just not been able to bring it out yet. Towards the second half of the year in 11 th grade, the board was thinking of sending this girl out of the school. One day, a rebbetzin was invited to speak there on the topic of tzniut . One of the things she said was, “Whoever takes it upon herself to give up something that is very precious to her for the sake of Hashem, then Hashem will fulfill what she wants in life.” After that speech, the girl who was having a hard time dressing properly went over to the teacher who always stood up for her and asked her if she started dressing with tzniut , would she get what she wanted? The teacher asked the girl what she wanted. The girl said, “I want to marry a ben Torah , but I am afraid that because of my reputation and family background, it won't happen.” The teacher told her, “If you start dressing with tzniut , you will marry a ben Torah .” After that, the girl made a dramatic transformation and completely complied with all the halachot of tzniut . She then made huge strides in her spiritual level in 12 th grade. When she finally started dating, the biggest obstacle was that her family had no money. She was not getting too many offers. And then, when a truly special shidduch fell through because her parents didn't have money, it completely broke her. She called that teacher to ask her what happened to her guarantee that she would marry a ben Torah ? The teacher asked her, “How much more money does your side need to contribute besides what you already have to offer to make this shidduch work?” “Fifty thousand dollars,” was the girl's reply. The teacher told her, “Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Tell them you have it.” The shidduch concluded successfully and the couple became engaged. Several weeks passed and the teacher only managed to get together a few thousand dollars. She was under a lot of stress, not knowing how she would get the rest. A week before the wedding, a certain respected man in the community called that teacher to ask her about a girl in her class for a shidduch . At the end of the conversation, the teacher told him about the money she needed to collect and asked him if he would contribute. He told her, just a half hour before he called her, someone brought him the will of a widow from the community who left a generous sum to benefit a poor bride. There were two conditions for the bride. Number one, she had to be very careful with the mitzvah of tzniut , and number two she had to agree to pray under the chuppah to elevate her neshama . He wasn't sure of the amount and so he went to check it more carefully. He then exclaimed, “I don't believe it! It's $40,000. You can stop collecting, you'll have the money in time for the wedding.” In this story, both the girl and the teacher portrayed great self-sacrifice to do the will of Hashem and He helped them in the most amazing way.

Halacha requires a person to recite Kiddush over a cup of wine on Friday night. This includes the recitation of "Vayechulu," the Beracha over the wine ("Boreh Peri Ha'gefen"), and the Beracha of "Mekadesh Ha'Shabbat." The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 271:8) rules that if a person, for whatever reason, did not recite Kiddush on Friday night, such as if he fell asleep without reciting Kiddush, then he must recite Kiddush the next day. Based on the ruling of the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204), the Shulhan Aruch rules that this applies even if one intentionally missed Kiddush. As opposed to a missed prayer, which one makes up only if he neglected to pray unintentionally, the Friday night Kiddush can – and must – be recited on Shabbat day if one did not recite it on Friday night. The reason is because the obligation extends even until Shabbat day. One who did not recite Kiddush on Friday does not "make up" the missed Kiddush as one makes up a missed prayer, but rather still bears the original Kiddush obligation. As such, he must recite Kiddush on Shabbat day, even if he intentionally did not recite Kiddush.In such a case, however, one begins Kiddush with "Sabri Maranan" and the Beracha over the wine; he does not recite "Vayechulu." The verses of "Vayechulu" tell of how G-d completed creation after six days, which is relevant only on Friday night. Therefore, if one did not recite Kiddush on Friday night and recites it on Shabbat day, he omits "Vayechulu" and begins from "Sabri Maranan." This is the ruling of the Rama (Rav Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1525-1572) and the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909).The Halachic authorities address the case of a person who did not recite Kiddush on Friday night or during Shabbat day, and remembers to recite Kiddush during the period of Ben Ha'shamashot – the 13.5 minutes after sundown – on Shabbat afternoon. Should he recite Kiddush at that point, or is he unable to recite Kiddush since the sun had already set?The Ben Ish Hai (Parashat Bereshit, 19) rules that the Halacha in this case depends on whether or not the person had recited one of the Shabbat prayers. Reciting a Shabbat prayer fulfills the Torah obligation of Kiddush, and what remains is the Rabbinic requirement to recite Kiddush over a cup of wine. Therefore, if one had recited one of the Shabbat prayers, but did not recite Kiddush until Ben Ha'shmashot, a period which we do not know whether to treat as day or night, he is in a situation of "Safek De'rabbanan" – a halachic uncertainty concerning a Rabbinic obligation. A famous rule allows one to rely on the lenient possibility in such situations, and thus the person in this case is not required to recite Kiddush again. Nevertheless, the Ben Ish Hai advises a person in this case to recite Kiddush without Hashem's Name. But if the person had not recited Kiddush and had also not recited any of the Shabbat prayers, then the Torah obligation of Kiddush is at stake, and he is therefore obligated to recite Kiddush. This is also the ruling of the Hafetz Haim (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933), in Sha'ar Ha'siyun (271).The question arises, however, as to how one is allowed to drink the wine in such a case, given the prohibition against drinking wine after sundown on Shabbat until reciting Habdala. The Sha'ar Ha'siyun suggests that this Halacha applies only if one is eating Se'uda Shelishit during "Ben Ha'shamshot," as eating and drinking are still permitted throughout the meal. Additionally, he adds, perhaps the Torah obligation of Kiddush overrides the Rabbinic prohibition against eating and drinking before Habdala. Hacham Ovadia Yosef adds another factor, namely, the fact that according to Rabbenu Tam (Rabbi Yaakob Ben Meir, France, 1100-1171), "Ben Ha'shamshot" does not begin until later, well after the 13.5-minute period after sunset. As such, the prohibition against eating during this period is subject to two halachic uncertainties – whether "Ben Ha'shamshot" is to be treated as daytime or nighttime, and whether this period is indeed "Ben Ha'shamshot." Therefore, we may allow drinking the wine in such a case for the purpose of fulfilling the Misva of Kiddush.Hacham Ovadia further notes that in such a case, where one must recite Kiddush during "Ben Ha'shamshot," he must drink at least a "Rebi'it" of wine. Normally, one must drink only a "Melo Lugmav" (cheekful) of Kiddush wine, but in this case, since Halacha requires "Kiddush Bi'mkom Se'uda" – that Kiddush be recited in the context of a meal – one must drink a "Rebi'it" so the Kiddush will be considered to have been recited as part of a "meal" of sorts.There is one view among the Poskim (the Orhot Haim) that if one did not recite Kiddush on Friday night, he must recite Kiddush twice on Shabbat day – the Friday night Kiddush, and the Shabbat morning Kiddush. Other Halachic authorities, however, including the Aruch Ha'shulhan (Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein of Nevarduk, 1829-1908), rule that the Friday night Kiddush which one recites on Shabbat day in this case suffices for both obligations. This is, indeed, the Halacha.Summary: If one, for whatever reason, did not recite Kiddush on Friday night, he must recite the Friday night Kiddush on Shabbat day, but without the verses of "Vayechulu." This applies even if he intentionally missed Kiddush. If one had not recited Kiddush until after sundown on Shabbat, he is not then required to recite Kiddush, though if it is still within 13.5 minutes after sundown, he should preferably recite Kiddush without Hashem's Name. If he had not recited any of the Shabbat prayers over the course of Shabbat, and it is still within 13.5 minutes after sundown, then he must recite Kiddush.

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 2411 Rabbi Menachem Reizman quoted Rashi at the end of parashat Bereshit who explained the word nechama , which we normally translate to mean consolation, as מחשבה אחרת – to think a different way. The Maharal, in his Chiddusheh Aggadot in Sanhedrin explains, the essence of being consoled is when a person looks at the very same situation that brought him pain and agony with a new understanding. And because of that understanding, he is able to feel better about what happened. When Yosef HaTzaddik was trying to console his brothers for the guilt they felt for selling him, the pasuk describes it with the words וינחם אותן . Yosef gave them a completely different understanding of what had taken place. He told them it was all the doing of Hashem for the benefit of Klal Yisrael. He needed to go through the tests in Mitzrayim and pass them so that the people would have the strength to withstand the tests they would be given in Mitzrayim during their long exile in Egypt. And indeed, Hashem testified that the Jews remained pure that entire time. Yosef did not tell them something different happened, rather he made them see what happened already in a new light. This is the idea of nichum avelim . A mourner is in great pain over losing his loved one. There is a mitzvah on his friends and family not to divert the mourner's attention from what happened, but rather to give him a new understanding of what took place. It appears that the mourner's loved one is gone forever, buried under the ground. The people are supposed to give the mourner chizuk by telling him about the great life that the departed is currently living - everything he did in this world was just the prelude for the real life that is just beginning for him. The Midrash says on the words וירא אלוקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד – Hashem saw everything He created and behold, it was very good. “ טוב מאד ” זה מיתה - – What was “very good”? The day of death. Life is not called very good, but death is. The Sefer HaYashar writes, this world is filled with trials and tribulations. There is nobody that has complete tranquility. Even the wealthiest individuals with everything they could ever possibly want do not have tranquility in this world. There is so much worry and anguish. There are so many things that people are filled with anger over all the time. When does it become very good? When the person goes on to the Next World. There, they have complete tranquility and bliss. If someone in mourning was made to understand that their loved one was enjoying immensely, that would ease their pain somewhat. This is the idea of nechama. To look at the very same circumstance that seems to be a tragedy and see it from a new perspective. The Gemara says, in the future we will only say the beracha of hatov v'hameitiv and not Dayan HaEmet . The Tzlach explains, this does not only mean that everything in the future will be revealed good. Rather, we are also going to look then on all of the occasions that we ever said Dayan HaEmet on in this world and we are going to say on that exact same situation hatov v'hameitiv . We will then see the inherent goodness in every tragedy that ever took place. Hashem is called the Baal HaNechamot. He is the only One who can give us real nechama , because He will show us the real reasons why things were good, even the unthinkable like the Holocaust and persecution of the Jewish People throughout the generation. Even those tragedies Hashem will show us the inherent good in and we will truly be comforted. The great avodah we currently have the opportunity to perform is to use our emunah and feel nechama in every situation that life presents us with as a challenge. Nachum Ish Gamzu, the Rabbi of Rabbi Akiva was a master at this. His name is Nachum, the same lashon as מתנחם , to be comforted. He was always able to see every situation from a different vantage point and see the goodness of Hashem in it. Rabbi Akiva learned that lesson and taught his colleagues how to feel comforted even as a fox walked through the ruins of the Bet HaMikdash. We say in the Kaddish, Hashem's Name should be exalted לעילא מן כל ברכתא שירתא… ונחמתא – more than any blessing or praise or nechama that we could possibly utter in this world. What does it mean that Hashem should be praised more than any nechama ? What does nechama have to do with praising Hashem? The answer is, when Hashem shows us the good in everything that ever happened, His honor is going to be raised so high because of the praises that everyone is going to give Him then. When we get the ultimate consolation, we will have the ultimate praises. We are asking that Hashem's Name now be more exalted even then that. We can console ourselves and praise Hashem now for everything that happens before He reveals the goodness, and those would be the most valuable praises possible.

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 2382 In parashat Shelach , the meraglim gave a negative report of Eretz Yisrael and caused the entire nation to have to wait forty years to enter the Land of Israel. The midrash quotes Hashem as saying, I told them the Land is good, but they did not trust Me. One example was, when the meraglim saw numerous funerals taking place there, they reported it is an ארץ אוכלת יושביה – a land that eats its inhabitants. In truth, however, Hashem arranged the funerals to take place at that time so the people would be too preoccupied burying their dead and not notice the spies. Hashem said, אני חשבתי לטובה – I planned it for your benefit – ואתם חשבתם לרעה – but you are the ones who looked at it negatively. These words אני חשבתיה לטובה are words that we have to live by. Every single thing that takes place in our lives is Hashem acting for our benefit, even though sometimes it may appear exactly the opposite. The pasuk says, ה' צדיק יבחן – Hashem tests the tzaddikim . And the name of Hashem in that pasuk is Yud-keh-vav-keh , which represents His Name of Mercy. Yet, when Hashem tested Avraham with the Akedah , it says there והאלוקים ניסה את אברהם . There it uses Hashem's Name of Din . The explanation, perhaps, is although when the command came to Avraham to sacrifice his son, it looked like the worst thing. In actuality, it was Hashem צדיק יבחן , it was all love and mercy. Hashem wanted Avraham to reach his potential and become the great individual that he was capable of becoming. That required a hard test that looked like din. It looked like Elokim , but it was really rachamim . Our purpose in this world is to pass our tests. Everyone is tested based on what they came into the world to accomplish. Sometimes it may look like Hashem is trying to push someone away from serving Him, but in those instances, the person must ingrain in his head אני חשבתיה לטובה – Hashem is acting for his benefit. If he overcomes the test, he will rise to great heights. The Rivash writes, if someone is trying to pray and all of a sudden there is a distraction right next to him. For example he was in an airport and needed to pray before the time was up. And so he searched for a private spot to concentrate properly. Then, during the Amida , a man comes by and starts talking loudly on the phone right next to him. The person may think, Why is Hashem disturbing my tefila now? Doesn't He want me to concentrate? I made sure to find a quiet spot, and now this happens? Says the Rivash, that person who came to disturb is the Shechina disguised in the form of a man, in order to make that individual's tefila much greater. If he will strengthen himself and still concentrate, despite the distraction, his tefila would become so much greater. The person should think, especially if the one who is distracting him is a goy , look at what Hashem is willing to do to help my avodah, He is even willing to speak from the mouth of a goy, just to lift me up. It's true, the initial reaction of a person when met with adversity, especially when he is trying to do something good, is to feel like he is being pushed away, but in reality Hashem wants that person's avodah so much, He just wants it to be at the high level that it is capable of being at. The distractions and tests are only there to lift us up. Hashem tells us אני חשבתיה לטובה . If we accept it that way, we will be able to lift all of our avodah to much higher levels. Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Bier and Rabbi Fox delve deeper into the meaning and depth of the "Shema Yisrael" prayer, focusing on the depth and meaning of the Tetragrammaton (Hashem/YHVH/Sheim Havaya), and why it is "unpronounceable."

If three people eat together and have bread, they are required to recite the introductory Zimun before Birkat Ha'mazon. If there are fewer than ten people participating, they recite the simple text of the Zimun, which does not include the Name of Hashem, whereas if ten or more people participate, they recite "Nebarech Elokenu" and "Baruch Elokenu," including Hashem's Name.The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 193:3) addresses a case which might at first not seem very relevant nowadays, but is actually important in terms of practical Halacha – the case of people who are riding together on animals and eat as they ride. If three people ride together on horses, for example, and they eat bread at the same time while riding, then they do not recite a Zimun before Birkat Ha'mazon. Since they eat while they are moving, the Shulhan Aruch writes, they are not considered as having assembled together for a meal, and so there is no requirement of Zimun. If, however, they stopped the animals before eating, and they ate while stationary, then they recite a Zimun even though they are each on a separate animal.Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1924-1998) applied this Halacha to the case of people who are in a vehicle and eat together during the trip. If the car stops while they eat, then certainly they recite a Zimun, just as in the case of people traveling on animals who stop to eat. However, if the people in the vehicle eat while the vehicle is driving, then it is uncertain whether they are considered formally assembled such that they recite a Zimun. Therefore, Hacham Bension writes, if there are fewer than ten people driving together, they recite a Zimun. Since the Name "Elokenu" is not mentioned in the Zimun when there are fewer than ten men, there is nothing lost by reciting a Zimun. And if there are ten or more men who eat together in a moving vehicle, like on a tour bus, then they recite a Zimun without "Elokenu," due to the uncertainty as to whether they are considered as having eaten together.Interestingly, however, Hacham Bension distinguishes in this regard between vehicles and airplanes. When people eat together on a boat, he writes, they recite a Zimun even though the boat was moving when they ate, because it is the water that carries the boat. Since the boat does not move on its own, it not considered "moving" with respect to this Halacha, and therefore, the people who eat together – such as in the dining room of a cruise ship – recite a Zimun, and if they are ten people, they include "Elokenu." Hacham Bension asserts that an airplane resembles a boat in this regard, and is considered stationary. Therefore, in his view, if ten or more people eat together on an airplane, they recite Zimun with the word "Elokenu."Others disagree. Rabbi Moshe Ha'levi (Israel, 1961-2000), in his work Birkat Hashem, distinguishes between the case discussed by the Shulhan Aruch, of people riding on animals, and people traveling in a vehicle or plane. In a vehicle or airplane, the people are together within the same walls and under the same roof, and so it makes no difference whether they are moving or stationary while they eat. People eating while riding animals are not considered to be eating together because they are out in the open. But in a car, bus or airplane (or in a cruise ship), the people are all together in the same room, so-to-speak, and so they recite a regular Zimun. This is also the ruling of Hacham David Yosef, in his Halacha Berura.Every person should consult with his Rabbi for practical guidance.Summary: If a group of men eat together while riding in a vehicle, such as in a tour bus, then according to some opinions, they do not include "Elokenu" in the Zimun before Birkat Ha'mazon, even if they are ten or more men, unless the vehicle was stationary while they were eating. Others disagree, and rule that "Elokenu" is recited even in such a case. On a boat or airplane, "Elokenu" is recited according to all opinions.

For more inspiration visit: kingdavidkabbalah.comTeachings by Rabbi Yakov ShepherdBackground music producer: Pablo @pablovamil

Knowing Hashem's Name

Knowing Hashem's Name

S22:E3 • Reb Joey continues his series of shiurim on Shlomo Elyashiv, also known as the Leshem. 'Inward' is a production of the Shefa Podcast Network, and is supported in part from a grant from the Hadar Institute. Please support Rabbi Joey's teaching and this podcast by contributing here, designating "Inward". Music is by Zusha. Help support them by purchasing their music. Audio is by David Kwan. Production & Cover Design is by Zev Gavriel.

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The Living Jewishly Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and appreciating the greatness of Jewish heritage and the Torah through the simplified, concise study of Halacha, Jewish Law, thereby enhancing our understanding of how Hashem wants us to live our daily lives in a Jewish way.In this Living Jewishly Podcast episode, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe discusses the laws of proper Kavana and intention when praying, reciting a blessing and mentioning Hashem's Name.Download & Print the Living Jewishly Halacha Notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RL-PideM42B_LFn6pbrk8MMU5-zqlLG5?usp=sharing*****To listen to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: https://linktr.ee/ariwol Jewish Inspiration Podcast - https://linktr.ee/jewishinspiration Unboxing Judaism Podcast - https://linktr.ee/unboxingjudaism Parsha Review Podcast - https://linktr.ee/parshareview Living Jewishly Podcast - https://linktr.ee/jewishly Thinking Talmudist Podcast - https://linktr.ee/talmudist Please send your questions, comments and even your stories relating to this parsha to awolbe@torchweb.org.Please visit www.torchweb.org to see a full listing of our Jewish outreach and educational resources available in the Greater Houston area and please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help support our global outreach at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php.Thank you!For a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at https://www.TORCHpodcasts.comRecorded in the TORCH Centre - Studio B to a live audience on December 8,  2022, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on December 8, 2022 ★ Support this podcast ★

The Living Jewishly Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and appreciating the greatness of Jewish heritage and the Torah through the simplified, concise study of Halacha, Jewish Law, thereby enhancing our understanding of how Hashem wants us to live our daily lives in a Jewish way.In this Living Jewishly Podcast episode, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe discusses the laws of proper Kavana and intention when praying, reciting a blessing and mentioning Hashem's Name.Download & Print the Living Jewishly Halacha Notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RL-PideM42B_LFn6pbrk8MMU5-zqlLG5?usp=sharing*****To listen to other podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: https://linktr.ee/ariwol Jewish Inspiration Podcast - https://linktr.ee/jewishinspiration Unboxing Judaism Podcast - https://linktr.ee/unboxingjudaism Parsha Review Podcast - https://linktr.ee/parshareview Living Jewishly Podcast - https://linktr.ee/jewishly Thinking Talmudist Podcast - https://linktr.ee/talmudist Please send your questions, comments and even your stories relating to this parsha to awolbe@torchweb.org.Please visit www.torchweb.org to see a full listing of our Jewish outreach and educational resources available in the Greater Houston area and please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help support our global outreach at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php.Thank you!For a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at https://www.TORCHpodcasts.comRecorded in the TORCH Centre - Studio B to a live audience on December 8, 2022, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on December 8, 2022 ★ Support this podcast ★ ★ Support this podcast ★

Lekh Lekha | Vayikra BeShem Hashem: Avraham's Altars Upon his arrival in the Land, Avra(ha)m builds a מזבח; he then builds another one where he sets up his camp and there, he "calls out Hashem's Name"; he sets up another מזבח when he settles in חברון and then, again, calls out in Hashem's name at Beer Sheva, without building a מזבח. How are we to understand the purpose of these altars - which are inherently meant for offerings? We also note that each of these acts is followed by a challenge, a calamity or a threat - until he builds his final מזבח, atop Har haMoriah, and he offers up an animal (in lieu of his son) as the denouement of the Akeida. We analyze these passages in their context and then propose an explanation for Avraham's activity, as well as proposing a reason for the Akeida itself. Source sheet >>

Chareidim 24.2 Hashem's name in vain

During the Amida prayer and Birkat Hamazon on Rosh Hodesh, one must add the paragraph of "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo." One who forgot to add "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" in the Amida of Shaharit or Minha on Rosh Hodesh must repeat the Amida. At Arbit of Rosh Hodesh, however, one who forgets to recite "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" does not repeat the Amida. This applies even on the second night of a two-day Rosh Hodesh.Must one repeat Birkat Hamazon on Rosh Hodesh if he forgot to add "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo"?The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 188:7) rules that if the person realized his mistake immediately after completing the Beracha of "Boneh Yerushalayim," then he should recite the phrase, "Baruch She'natan Rosheh Hodashim Le'amo Yisrael Le'zikaron." This phrase is recited without the words "Hashem Elokenu Melech Ha'olam," and the text appears in many editions of the Siddur.If a person did not realize his mistake until after he recited Hashem's Name in the next Beracha (the Beracha of "Ha'Kel Abinu Ro'enu"), then he simply continues Birkat Ha'mazon without reciting Ya'aleh Ve'yabo. One cannot add Ya'aleh Ve'yabo in the "Harahaman" section of Birkat Hamazon. If one realized his mistake after he began the phrase, "Ve'tibne yerushalayim," before reciting Hashem's Name in the Beracha, then he recites "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" and then proceeds as usual with "Ve'tibne yerushalayim." If he realized his mistake after he recited Hashem's Name in the Beracha, but before he recited the words "Boneh Yerushalayim," then he should recite the words, "Lamedeni Hukecha" so that he will have recited a complete verse ("Baruch Ata Hashem Lamedeni Hukecha" – Tehillim 119:12), and will thus not have recited Hashem's Name in vain. He should then recite "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" and proceed as usual with "Ve'tibne yerushalayim." These Halachot apply throughout Rosh Hodesh, both by day and by night.Summary: One who forgets to add "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" in the Amida on Rosh Hodesh during Arbit does not repeat the Amida; if this occurred during Shaharit or Minha, he must repeat the Amida. If one forgot to recite "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" on Rosh Hodesh in Birkat Hamazon, and did not realize his mistake until after he recited Hashem's Name in the Beracha of "Ha'Kel Abinu," he continues as usual and does not recite "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo." If he remembered after the Beracha of "Boneh Yerushalayim," but before the Beracha of "Ha'Kel Abinu," then he should recite the phrase, "Baruch She'natan Rosheh Hodashim Le'amo Yisrael Le'zikaron." If he realized his mistake before he recited Hashem's Name in the Beracha of "Boneh Yerushalayim," then he recites "Ya'aleh Ve'yabo" and then proceeds as usual with "Ve'tibne yerushalayim."

We are used to seeing two Yudin as a substitute for G-d's ineffable name. But it wasn't always that way. Spelling Hashem's Name in Hebrew Manuscripts

For more inspiration visit: kingdavidkabbalah.comTeachings by Rabbi Yakov ShepherdBackground music producer: Pablo @pablovamil

Don't desecrate Hashem's name

Amitai and Alan

For more inspiration visit: kingdavidkabbalah.comTeachings by Rabbi Yakov ShepherdBackground music producer: Pablo @pablovamil

Mussar

Mussar

https://www.torahrecordings.com/shaarhalachauminhag/109/001

Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. This Shabbat is Shabbat Shuva, where we continue to celebrate and bask in the spiritual intensity of Rosh Hashana. Every Shabbat draws upon the mitzvot and holiness of the previous week and uses it to infuse the day with Kedusha. On Shabbat Shuva, the power of the mitzvah of Shofar from the previous week continues into Shabbat and uplifts the day even more than a typical week. Typically, the Amidah of a weekday or Yom Tov is said repeatedly in the Arbit, Shacharit, and Mincha prayers. For example, the identical weekday Amidah is recited three times daily at Arbit, Shacharit, and Mincha. On Rosh Hashana, a special Amidah is recited, but this exact tefillah is repeated throughout the day (with the exception of Mussaf, which is always different). On Shabbat, however, three completely different prayers are recited. Why? The highlight of Rosh Hashana is the Mussaf prayer, which is broken into three units: Malchiyot - Hashem is King, Zechronot- Hashem remembers, and Shofarot- the Shofar of Har Sinai. The Sefer Ikarim explains that these three sections parallel the three fundamentals ikarim of our Emunah (although there are famously 13 principles ikarim , they can be further organized into three major units): 1. The existence of G-d 2. He supervises, rewards, and punishes 3. The Torah came from Shamayim at Har Sinai, which is how Hashem reveals Himself in this world The Rishonim teach that the three prayers of Shabbat also correspond to these three fundamentals of Emunah: On Friday nights, we say וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל־צְבָאָם , the heaven and earth were finished, and all their array. We discuss the creation of the world - as the kiddush continues: זכר למעשה בראשית . By discussing the creation of the world, we attest to the fact that Hashem created the world and therefore controls everything. Malchiyot and Kiddush on Friday night both display this ikar Emunah : Hashem is the King of the world and is in control of everything. In our Shacharit prayers, we read: יִשמַח משֶׁה בְּמַתְּנַת חֶלְקו ... כְּלִיל תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּראשׁו נָתַתָּ. בְּעָמְדו לְפָנֶיךָ עַל הַר סִינַי. וּשְׁנֵי לֻחות אֲבָנִים הורִיד בְּיָדו - Moshe will rejoice with the gift of his portion … for a a crown of glory You placed on his head when he stood before You on Har Sinai with the two luchot in his hand. Our tefillot on Shabbat day attest to the third of the ikarim : Matan Torah. Finally, at Mincha we discuss the last of the ikarim : that Hashem supervises, rewards, and punishes. We say in our Amidah: אַתָּה אֶחָד וְשִׁמְךָ אֶחָד וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ . Hashem's Name will be One in the time of Mashiach, when the world will come to the realization that He is King. At that time, Hashem will judge the world and deliver reward and punishment. Our three prayers on Shabbat correspond to the three fundamentals of Emunah, which also correspond to our Rosh Hashana prayers. We can maintain the connection and clarity of Rosh Hashana every week on Shabbat. Like Rosh Hashana, Shabbat is a day of Emunah when we can tap into these three fundamentals. One of the Achronim suggests discussing each of the three ikrim at the three Shabbat meals. On Friday night, a person can talk about the wonders of creation, the delicious food, or the wonders of the human body. At the Shabbat day meal, talk about Har Sinai and the tremendous revelation at Har Sinai. Finally, by Seudat Shelishit, talk about the future, Mashiach, and the reward and punishment that will come. Let us extend the Emunah of Rosh Hashana to Shabbat each week by focusing on the words of our Tefillot. Then, we will concretize these three important fundamentals of our belief: Hashem exists and created the world; He watches, supervises, rewards, and punishes; and Hashem gave us the Torah, which dictates how we should live our lives. Have a Shabbat Shalom.

We continue with the theme that we need to act on, and accept the Mitzvah of Ve'ahavta LeRe'echa Kamocha/ Love your friend like you love yourself before we pray. The Hida says, in his sefer D'vash L'Fi, that the word אהבה Ahava/Love has a numerical value of 13, which is the same as אחד Echad/One When you love your friend, you create another 13. 13+13=26, which is the numerical value of Hashem's Name of Mercy, (spelled Yud/Heh/Vav and Heh) So Ve'ahavta LeRe'echa Kamocha , when you love your friend like you love yourself, you bring down Ani Hashem. Through the love of your friend, you bring down Hashem's mercy, which, he says, sweetens the judgement. This is a powerful concept. Rosh Hashanah is Judgment Day, and we want to sweeten the judgment. How does that happen? It happens when you love your friend, and he loves you back. Kamocha has the same numerical value as Elokim (86), which Hashem's Name of Justice So, he says, Ve'ahavta LeRe'echa— Kamocha If you love your friend, you can turn Hashem's Name of Justice to Ani Hashem , His Name of Mercy. There is a story told of two childhood friends from Berlin. When the city was divided at the start of the Cold War, they were separated and could no longer see each other. The friend from East Berlin became a spy for West Berlin, and got caught. They were ready to hang him, but he begged, “ Please, let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” They didn't trust that he would come back, so they insisted that he find a replacement, to guarantee his return. If he did not come back, the guarantor would die instead of him. Of course, when he asked his old childhood friend, the friend agreed. The date arrived that the spy was supposed to return for his hanging, but he was still not back. The clock was ticking closer to 12, the execution time, and sure enough, a horse came galloping back, and the man cried, “ Stop! I'm back! Don't kill my friend! I'm here!” So they took the noose off of his friend, the guarantor, and began to put it on the spy. The king, who was watching, told them to stop the whole process. He called the two friends over, and told him how amazed he was at their friendship. He offered to pardon them both, on one condition: that they allow him in, as their third friend. He wanted to be part of that special friendship. So too, it says, Ve'ahavta LeRe'echa Kamocha , when you love your friend like you love yourself, Hashem says, Ani Hashem- I want to join, and be the third partner. And when Hashem joins as the third partner, that brings blessing, that brings mercy, and that brings a sweetening of the judgment. B'ezrat Hashem, accepting this mitzvah will bring us sweetness on our judgment day.

If Person A loves Person B, then if Person B would ever be in pain, Person A would do everything in his power to try and relieve Person B from that pain. We all have a mitzvah to love Hashem like it says ואהבת את ה' אלוקיך, and part of that mitzvah is caring about the pain that the Shechina is in and doing everything in our power to relieve the Shechina of that pain. It says in the Zohar Chadash that every night, the Shechina looks at the Beit HaMikdash in ruins and cries from intense pain, saying the words ערסי, ערסי, בית מותבתי - literally, my bed, my bed, the place where I dwelt. At that moment, the Upper Worlds are shaking and all the Heavenly hosts are crying along with the Shechina . We say in the Amida that we look forward to the Geula and Hashem returning His Shechina to the Beit HaMikdash and we ask Hashem to return. But that's not good enough. Hashem wants to return much more than we want Him to. That part is up to us – we need to make teshuva and fix ourselves to allow, kavayachol , the Shechina to come back to its home. It is apparent from pesukim , in Sefanya, perek 3, that being dishonest and deceitful with people holds back the Geula and those who are guilty of such crimes will not be a part of the Geula when it comes. Rabbi Matisyahu Solomon explained, because those sins become public and it gives the Jewish People a bad reputation and thereby desecrates the Name of Hashem, lo alenu . The Geula Shelemah will bring about the greatest glory to Hashem's Name and Hashem will bring that about through people who care about the glory of His Name. The Gemara in Masechet Yoma, daf 86, speaks about what a person who loves Hashem should do to show Him that love. He should go and learn Torah and serve talmidei chachamim to see the way a G-d fearing Jew is meant to act. Then, after he learns and presents himself as a religious Jew, he should deal with people in a pleasant manner and his business dealing with them should be conducted faithfully. Then, what will people say about this person? Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah and fortunate is his Rabbi who taught him Torah. Look how pleasant his ways are. Look how refined his deeds are. And Hashem will say, ישראל אשר בך אתפאר – it is through My People that I become glorified. If we care about the glory of Hashem and the pain that He is in, we need to show it by thinking about this concept all of the time and acting accordingly. The Mesilat Yesharim writes in perek 19, that longing for Hashem's glory is the highest form of serving Hashem l'shem Shamayim . This is what we should be thinking about when we answer Amen to the Kaddish and יהא שמיה רבה מברך – that we want Hashem's Name to be glorified. Hashem's full glory will not return until the building of the Beit HaMikdash and that is dependent on us. Part of the question of ציפית לישועה – did we anticipate Mashiach -is what did we do to show that anticipation. If we will take upon ourselves to do everything in our power to bring glory to Hashem, that would be trying to bring Mashiach in a practical way. That happens by acting the way Hashem wants us to act in every situation in life and that requires us to learn what the ratzon Hashem is in each particular situation. We should all, in our own way, do our best to bring about glory to Hashem and then, b'ezrat Hashem, we should see His true glory with the coming of the Mashiach and the binyan Beit HaMikdash. Amen. תזכה בנחמת ציון and שבת שלום.

If something is happening in a person's life that is causing him pain, worry or stress, of course he should be making a hishtadlut to remedy that situation, and of course he should be praying to Hashem to remove it. But at the same time, the person has an opportunity to show his emunah by accepting what Hashem is doing to him with love, doing his best to be happy and continuing to serve Hashem with joy. This attitude will bring glory to Hashem, inspire others to do the same, elevate the person so much, and he will receive unimaginable rewards in the Next World as a result. It will also bring blessing in this world as well. Everybody is capable of doing it. We just need the right chizuk to give us that motivation. A woman emailed me that two years ago before Pesach she suffered a miscarriage in the late stages of pregnancy which came after a few years of infertility. She was feeling very down about it. After Shavuot, she was visiting her sister and saw an emunah book on one of her bookshelves and asked to borrow it. Every day she would read a few chapters and it gave her a lot of chizuk . She came upon a chapter which spoke about accepting what Hashem does with love. There it quoted a pasuk, "היטב איטב עמך"– which a Rabbi explained homiletically to be saying, if we say היטב – that what Hashem does is good – then איטב – He will show us the good; and the double expression signifies that Hashem will pay the person back double. Then the chapter followed with a story in which a man practiced this after his wife had a miscarriage in her eighth month and, baruch Hashem, a year later, his wife gave birth to twins. The woman got so much chizuk from that story and felt like it was talking directly to her. She then began thinking about that pasuk all the time, saying “Hashem is good, Hashem is good.” One year after she read that chapter and practiced what it said, in June 2020, she was blessed with her own healthy twin boys. We decide what our attitude will be when facing adversity. There are people who are professional ba'alei emunah, always looking to praise Hashem and always finding the good in every situation. A woman told me that her daughter had chronic pains due to difficulties in childbirth and they stayed with her for 20 years. Recently, she was finally starting to feel better from it, and on the way back from her grandson's pidyon haben , she was in a car accident, lo alenu , which left her with six broken ribs. A person not trained in emunah might say in that situation, “I'm finally feeling better from one pain, now I have to start with a new one?” But this woman was speaking the praises of Hashem, telling everybody she's so thankful to be alive. She praises Hashem, thinking about how much worse the accident could have been. Her liver was millimeters away from being pierced which would have made it much worse. While she was in the hospital after the surgery, the doctors were about to hook her up to medications. Right before they did, her husband walked in and asked his wife which medication they were giving her. She didn't know, and so they asked. The doctor said, “This one is Compazine.” Now, unbeknownst to that doctor, this woman was allergic to Compazine and, chas v'shalom , that could have caused a fatality. She is so grateful that Hashem saved her. She is telling everybody, “Hashem saved my life twice, first in the car accident and then with the medication.” A person chooses the attitude he will have. If he will become someone who praises Hashem all the time, thanking Him for everything He does, he will be a source of glory to Hashem's Name. He will elevate himself spiritually and earn untold rewards in the Next World, and he will also bring about blessing in this world as well.

Recorded live via Zoom 6-10-2021 Click here for sources

Bais Yitzchak Shu"t YD 2 167-6

Chassidus: Torah Ohr Bo B'etzem Hayom Hazeh #1: Thistext-based class waspresentedby Rabbi YY Jacobsonon Monday, Parshas Bo, 5 Shevat, 5781, January 18, 2021, streaming live from Rabbi Jacobson's home in Monsey, NY.

What Is The Purpose Of Shabbos?

What should our kavanah be when we say a bracha, particularly Hashem's Name? In order to help us from being in "cruise control" with our hearts far from serving Hashem, Rabbi Silverberg answers this important question in this halacha shiur.

When to eat Korban Pesach. How the Jews left Egypt with great wealth. Hashem's Name when taking them out of Egypt

It is written in theMishna(Berochos13a);R'Yehoshua ben Korchahasked; Why do we recite the passage ofShemabefore we recite thepassage ofVehayah im shemoa? In order to first accept upon ourselves the yoke of Heaven's rule and after that to accept upon ourselves the yoke of the commandments.And what is the reason thatVehayah im shamoais said beforeVayomer? Because themitzvahof studyingTorah, which is mentioned in the passage ofvehayah im shamoaapplies both by day and by night while themitzvahoftzitzisapplies only by day.Tosafosasks that he doesn't understandR'Yehoshua ben Karchah'squestion, "Why do we recite the passage ofShemabefore we recite thepassage ofVehayah im shemoa?". The reason is simple;Shemais recited beforeVehayah im shemoabecauseShemais written inParshas VeschannonandVehayah im shemoais written at the end ofparshas Eikev125pessukimlater! SinceShemais written beforeVehayait makes sense to recite it first!Tosafosanswers that this explanation did not sufficeR'Yeshoshua ben Korchahbecause if we would reciteKriyas Shemaaccording to the order that it is written in the Torah thenVayomer, the third section ofKriyas Shema,should be recited first since it is written inSefer Bamidbar,at the end of ourparsha, which is many manypessukimbeforeShema!Since we don't readVayomerfirst we see thatKriyas Shemais not read according to the order that the sections are written in theTorah.Tosafostherefore explains that the reason thatR'Yeshoshua ben Korchahthought that the section ofVehaya im shemoashould be recited first, is that it is written in the plural form and addresses all ofClall Yisroelcollectively whereas the section ofShemais written in the singular.Zera Shimshonargues that this answer is a little forced because a section of theTorahbeing written in the plural is not a reason to be written before a section written in the singular.Zera Shimshontherefore gives a different explanation of what botheredR'Yeshoshua ben Korchahin light of an incident written inMesechta Berochos(14b) thatRavonce washed his hands, recitedShema, put ontefillin, anddavvened,in that order.TheGemorroconcludes that thehalachais that one first puts ontefillinand then saysKriyas Shemaand we don't sayKriyas Shemabefore we put ontefillin. The reason thatRavdid it in the reverse order was simply that there was a technical problem,Ravdidn't have histefillinwith him. A messenger was meant to bring him histefillinbut still didn't arrive as the latesttime that one can sayKriyas Shemaapproached. ThereforeRavsaidKriyas Shemawithout histefillinand put them on when the messenger finally arrived with histefillin.From thisGemorro Zera Shimshonlearns that doing amitzvotakes precedence over just learning about it.According to thisZera Shimshonexplains that the reason that the section ofVayomer, which speaks about puttingtzitzison a four cornered garment is written way before the section ofShema Yisroelis to allude to the above principle; doing amitzvo(like puttingtzitzison one's garment) precedes learning (like the acceptance ofHashem'srule).This is also what was botheringR'Yeshoshua ben Korchah.Since the secondparsha,vehaya im shemoa, speaks of acceptance upon ourselves the yoke of performing themitzvoswhy do we say it afterShema? Just like we first put ontefillinand then we sayShemaso too we should first recite the section ofvehaya im shemoaand after that we should accept upon ourselves the yoke of the rule of Heaven!R'Yeshoshua ben Korchahanswers that the doing ofmitzvosonly precedes regular learning but the acceptance of the rule ofHashemis so important that it precedes the acceptance of doing themitzvos.A question still remains, though, why do we put ontefillinbefore we sayShemaand accept upon ourselves the rule ofHashem? Just likeShemaprecedesvehaya im shemoabecause accepting upon ourselves the rule ofHashemis so important so too it should precede putting ontefillin!Zera Shimshonanswers that wearingtefillinis not only an independentmitzvounto itself but it is also an integral part of the acceptance ofHashemrule. Without wearing them it is not consideredthat we "completely acceptedHashem'srule" (Berochos14B). Since it is a necessary componentof acceptingHashem'srule there is obviously no problem to put them on before sayingKriyas Shema.In the merit of learning the Torah of Zera ShimshonEsther Yenta Bas Chana ChassiaandNechama bas Menucha Shainashould find a zivvug hogun speedily.The learning of Zera Shimshon should be L'iylui NishmasMy mother Vichna Bas Chaim EliyahuR' Aharon Ber ben ChaimEliyahu (Lipson)Feigga bas Shlomo (Sadler)-------------------------------------------------2-----------------------------------------------אֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח משֶׁה לָתוּר אֶת הָאָרֶץ וַיִּקְרָא משֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: (במדבר יג/טז)AndMoshecalled (changed the name of)Hoshaiya ben Nun(to)Yehoshua.On thispossuk Rashicomments 'Yud- "Hay" (the first two letter ofHashem'sname are "Yud" and "Hay") should save you from taking part in the evil plans of the Spies."On the surface it appears thatMoshe davvenedthatHashem(Yud - Kay - Vuv - Kay) should saveYehoshuafrom the bad influence of the other spies. Even though that according toRashi,Mosheonly mentioned the first two letters ofHashem'sname he reallydavvenedto and concentrated on the full Name ofHashem.Zera Shimshonasks that if this was the case why wasn't it enough to write only the first letter, "Yud" instead of the first two letters. And even more difficult, in actualityMosheonly added one letter- "yud" to his name and not "Yud - Hay"!Another question; why didn'tMoshe Rabeinu davventhatKalevwill also be saved?He answers that the the letters "Yud" and "Hay" thatRashimentions are not an abbreviation ofHashem'swhole name. Rather "Yud" and "Hay" is one ofHashem'snames (we mention this Name ofHashemin theShabbos Zemiros- "Kah Ribon Olam).He explains thatMoshechose specifically this name to refer toHashemin light oftheZoharthat explains that the spies were really very righteous people. The reason, though, that they spoke bad aboutEretz Yisroeland persuaded all ofClal Yisroelnot to want to enterEretz Yisorelwas because they suffered from haughtiness and a craving to feel superior. TheZoharexplains that even though they were the heads of their respective tribes in the Desert, they were afraid that when they would enterEretz Yisroel, Moshewould appoint others to take over their positions and that they would lose their special status. To keep their special status they tried their best to stay in the Desert as long as possible!Moshe Rabeinu, who was the most humble of all people, was sure that his closest student, Yehoshua, learned from him and internalized the trait of humility. He wasn't sure though that the others, includingKalevwere truly humble.The Kabbalists point out that the gematria ofHashem'sName "Yud - Hay"is fifteen which is the samegematriaof the Hebrew word for haughtiness- "ga'avah". This teaches us, they explain, that this Name ofHashemdoesn't rest on, stay with, and protect haughty people.According to this, explainsZera Shimshon,Moshedidn't actuallydavventoHashem(through H.s manifestation in the name "Yud-Hay") to save Yehushua. Rather Moshe added the "Yud" to his name just to mention that since Yehoshua was humble then it logically follows that Hashem (through H.s manifestation in the name "Yud-Hay") should be with him and that H. should save him!Therefore there was no need to add both letters toYehoshua'sname. Since the "Yud - Kay" was only to allude toYehoshua'shumbleness it was enough to add only the "Yud" since his name begins with a "Hay".This is also whyMoshedidn't add any letter to the name ofKalev. Moshe didn't know ifKalevwas truly humble or not, since he wasn't a very close student.In the merit of learning the Torah of Zera ShimshonEsther Yenta Bas Chana ChassiaandNechama bas Menucha Shainashould find a zivvug hogun speedily.The learning of Zera Shimshon should be L'iylui NishmasMy mother Vichna Bas Chaim EliyahuR' Aharon Ber ben ChaimEliyahu (Lipson)Feigga bas Shlomo (Sadler)---------------------------------------3--------------------------------וַיָּשֻׁבוּ מִתּוּר הָאָרֶץ מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם: וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל מִדְבַּר פָּארָן קָדֵשָׁה וַיָּשִׁיבוּ אֹתָם דָּבָר וְאֶת כָּל הָעֵדָה וַיַּרְאוּם אֶת פְּרִי הָאָרֶץ: וַיְסַפְּרוּ לוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ בָּאנוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתָּנוּ וְגַם זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ הִוא וְזֶה פִּרְיָהּ: אֶפֶס כִּי עַז הָעָם הַיּשֵׁב בָּאָרֶץ וְהֶעָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת גְּדֹלֹת מְאֹד וְגַם יְלִדֵי הָעֲנָק רָאִינוּ שָׁם: עֲמָלֵק יוֹשֵׁב בְּאֶרֶץ הַנֶּגֶב וְהַחִתִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהָאֱמֹרִי יוֹשֵׁב בָּהָר וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי יוֹשֵׁב עַל הַיָּם וְעַל יַד הַיַּרְדֵּן: וַיַּהַס כָּלֵב אֶת הָעָם אֶל משֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר עָלֹה נַעֲלֶה וְיָרַשְׁנוּ אֹתָהּ כִּי יָכוֹל נוּכַל לָהּ: וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר עָלוּ עִמּוֹ אָמְרוּ לֹא נוּכַל לַעֲלוֹת אֶל הָעָם כִּי חָזָק הוּא מִמֶּנּוּ: וַיֹּצִיאוּ דִּבַּת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תָּרוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בָהּ לָתוּר אֹתָהּ אֶרֶץ אֹכֶלֶת יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ הִוא וְכָל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ בְתוֹכָהּ אַנְשֵׁי מִדּוֹת: וְשָׁם רָאִינוּ אֶת הַנְּפִילִים בְּנֵי עֲנָק מִן הַנְּפִלִים וַנְּהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם: (במדבר יג/כה-לג)They returned from spying out the Land...They went and came before Moshe and before Aharon and before the entire congregation of Bnei Yisroel... They reported and said, "...However, the nation that dwells in the land is powerful, the cities are very secure and very large and we also saw there the children of the giant. Amalek dwells in the land of the south...Kalev quietened the people... and said, "We shall surely ascend and conquer it, for we can surely do it."But the men who had ascended with him said, "We cannot go against that people for it is stronger than us!" They brought forth to the Children of Israel an evil report on the land that they spied out saying, "The land... is a land that devours its inhabitants!... (Bamidbar 13/25-33)From these pesukim we learn that the meraglim (spies) spoke evilly against Eretz Yisroel twice. Initially they tried to discourage Bnai Yisroel from entering Eretz Yisroel because the enemy is very strong. Kalev counter-argued that Bnei Yisroel have the strength to conquer the land. After that, the meraglim defended themselves and answered that the land devours its inhabitants.Zera Shimshon asks that from the beginning the meraglim's intent was to speak badly against Eretz Yisroel and to persuade Bnai Yisroel not to enter Eretz Yisroel. Therefore, why didn't they mention how the land devours its inhabitants before Kalev spoke? What did they hear in Kalev's words that prompted them to think of this new argument?He answers in light of the Zohar that writes that Moshe taught the meraglim the special holy Name of Hashem. He instructed them that in case the Cannanites are hostile towards them, they can think deeply about this name and be saved.This fact is alluded to in Kalev's words, ""We shall surely ascend and conquer it, for we can surely do it." In Lashon HaKodesh it is written Olow naalle v'yorashnu owso ki. The last letters of the last four words spell Hashem's name "yud" "kay" "vav" "kay", alluding to the fact that through the name of Hashem they will be saved and conquer the land.When the meraglim heard this they tried to prove that the land and its inhabitants are stronger than Hashem, chas v'shalom.They related that wherever they went they saw people dying. They mistakingly reasoned that this can be for one of two reasons. Either because Hashem wanted to divert the Kanaanim's attention from the meraglim. If this wold be true then they argued that Hashem wasn't strong enough to fight them head on (in direct contradiction to Kalev's claim.)And if this wasn't the case, but it was coincidental and natural that so many people died when they were there, then it is a land that devours its inhabitants.In other words the meraglim mentioned that the land devours its inhabitants only after Kalev spoke because they said it in response to what he said. Consequently they certainly had to wait until he spoke before they did!However they misinterpreted the whole story. The meraglim would have been protected from the Kanaanim's hostility by concentrating on Hashem's Name just as Moshe told them. Hashem is immensily stronger than all the nations of the world. However, Hashem chose to protect the meraglim by diverting the Kanaanim's attention in order to keep things as close to nature as possible.In the merit of learning the Torah of Zera ShimshonEsther Yenta Bas Chana ChassiaandNechama bas Menucha Shainashould find a zivvug hogun speedily.The learning of Zera Shimshon should be L'iylui NishmasMy mother Vichna Bas Chaim EliyahuR' Aharon Ber ben ChaimEliyahu (Lipson)Feigga bas Shlomo (Sadler)HaRav Shimshon Nachmani, author of Zera Shimshon lived in Italy about 300 years ago in the time of the Or HaChaim HaKodesh.The Chida writes that he was a great Mekubal and wrote many sefarim including sefarim about “practical kabbolo" and asked that all of his sefarim be buried after he passes away except for Zera Shimshon and Niflaos Shimshon on Avos.HaRav Shimshon Nachmani had one child who died in his lifetime (hence the name "Zera Shimshon") and in the preface he promises for people who learn his sefarim after he dies “... And your eyes will see children and grandchildren like the offshoots of an olive tree around your tables, wise and understanding with houses filled with all manner of good things... and wealth and honor...” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. This podcast is powered by JewishPodcasts.org. Start your own podcast today and share your content with the world. Click jewishpodcasts.fm/signup to get started.

Sacrificing for Shabbat In order to properly observe Shabbat, we need to make certain sacrifices. For many people, this means giving up something which is very dear to them for the sake of Shabbat observance. Many businessmen, for example, find it very difficult to close their businesses on Shabbat, because they will lose valuable income. Others find it challenging to avoid speaking about business on Shabbat, because this is what they enjoy speaking about. The story is told of a Rabbi who saw a boy smoking on Shabbat. He approached the young man and asked, “Tell me, if G-d would come and ask you for a cigarette, would you give Him one?” “Of course I would,” the boy replied. “Well,” the Rabbi said, “G-d does not smoke, and He does not want cigarettes. But if you refrain from smoking on Shabbat, it is like you're giving Him a cigarette, because you're parting with something that is very dear to you.” We show our devotion to G-d and to Shabbat by sacrificing what is dear to us for the sake of observing Shabbat. In more extreme cases, however, there are people who are prepared to make extraordinary sacrifices for the sake of Shabbat, such as sacrificing their livelihood, their dreams, or their prestige. Rabbi Fischel Schachter told the story of Alex Clare, a Jewish musician born in London who grew up without any religious education. He was a passionate and talented musician, who sang, played several different instruments, and composed songs. He naturally dreamt of a successful musical career. At the age of 22, Alex began learning about Judaism, and gradually began observing Shabbat and kashrut . And so when he was approached by a major recording company seeking to sign him to a contract, he made it clear to the company that he would be unable to perform on Shabbat. The company, recognizing Alex's exceptional talent, agreed to the condition. Alex recorded his debut album, but he needed to promote it by performing concerts. As it turned out, however, every single event was scheduled for Friday night, and so he needed to turn down each one. Other outstanding opportunities presented themselves, but they were on Yom Tov, and so, with remarkable courage, Alex refused. Finally, the company told him that if he continued refusing to perform and promote the album, he would be guilty of a breach of contract, and his young music career would come to an end. Alex at this point was penniless, and was not able to even make his next rent payment. But he thought of the famous story of Rav Amnon, who sacrificed his life in order not to renounce his faith. Alex figured that if Rav Amnon could give his life for his religion, then he could give up his musical career for his religion. And he did. In an instant, all his dreams were shattered. He sacrificed that which was most dear to him – his aspirations of a career in music – for the sake of Shabbat. Several months later, he received a call from Microsoft, which wanted to use one of the songs from his album to promote their newest version of Internet Explorer. Needless to say, he happily agreed. Microsoft used the song in one of their ads, and it quickly became a popular hit around the world, reaching the top of the charts in several countries. Soon enough, his album sold six million copies. In an instant, Alex Clare became a multimillionaire. He thought he was sacrificing everything for Shabbat, but in truth, he lost nothing. Another story was told by Rav Yehuda Ades of the famous Israeli writer S.Y. Agnon, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1966. A religious Jew, Agnon faced a problem accepting the award, because the award ceremony took place on Shabbat. The Israeli Prime Minister at the time, Golda Meir, pleaded with Agnon not to shame the Jewish State by creating complications, but Agnon refused to compromise his observance of Shabbat. He informed the king of Sweden that he would be arriving late to the ceremony. He ensured to book a ground floor room in the Grand Hotel in Stockholm where he stayed, as he could not use the elevator. As soon as Shabbat ended on that December day, at 3:55 pm, S.Y. Agnon recited Arvit , followed by Havdalah . As it was Hanukah, he lit Hanukah candles. He quickly got dressed into his tuxedo and ran to meet the limousine, which sped to the ceremony accompanied by a motorcade. Agnon shaved in the limousine in order to save time. When he finally arrived at the ceremony and got up onto the stage, everybody in attendance noticed that Agnon wore on his head a black velvet kippah , as opposed to the top hat that the other men wore. As he received his prize from the Swedish king, Agnon recited the berachah which is recited upon seeing a king: ברוך אתה ה'...שחלק מכבודו לבשר ודם . The king asked him to explain the words he had just recited, and Agnon explained that all kingship originates from G-d, the one, true King over the world. The Talmud teaches that when one sees a king, he recites a blessing praising G-d for sharing His kingship, as it were, with human monarchs. He thus recited this blessing, acknowledging that G-d has shared some of His glory and majesty with the king of Sweden . The king later embraced Agnon. Agnon did not lose anything by insisting on observing Shabbat, and in the end, he created a remarkable קידוש השם (glorification of Hashem's Name). We never lose when we observe Shabbat. Even when it appears as though we must make a difficult sacrifice for the sake of Shabbat, in the end we always gain.

Shabbat as Kaddish Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, one of the great sages of the generation, who passed away five years ago, often emphasized the importance of recognizing and appreciating the special sanctity of Shabbat. Many times, when people visited him and asked for advice, he urged them to sing zemirot on Shabbat and to explain the songs' meaning to their children as a source of merit for Hashem's help. Rav Lefkowitz studied in Yeshivat Hevron, where for many years, the Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Yechezkel Sarna, gave a weekly lecture on Friday night about the special kedushah of Shabbat, and Rav Lefkowtiz attended these lectures and wrote down the material after Shabbat. Two remarkable stories are told about Rav Lefkowitz that teach us the importance of recognizing this kedushah . The first story was told by Rav Steinberg, who was once walking after the prayer service on Shabbat morning through the streets of Bnei-Brak with a group of people, including Rav Lefkowitz. As they walked, they came upon a non-observant Jew who was tending to his garden. Taken aback by the sight of a Jew gardening on Shabbat, the young men stopped and spoke to the man about Shabbat observance. “What do you want from me?” the man said. “I am not observant, and besides, Shabbat is my only day off from work, so this is my only day to tend to my garden.” Realizing they were not going to dissuade the man from working in his garden on Shabbat, the group moved on. Rav Lefkowitz, however, remained for an extra few minutes, reciting Kaddish . He recited Kaddish without first reciting a chapter of Tehillim or the passage of רבי חנינא בר עקשיא אומר ; he simply recited Kaddish . The other people in the group found this strange, but they did not say anything, and just kept on walking. Some forty years later, Rav Steinberg thought again about this incident, and he came up with a possible explanation for the Rabbi's decision to recite Kaddish at that time. The purpose of Shabbat is קידוש ה' –to glorify Hashem's Name by publicizing the fact that He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. If somebody publicly desecrates Shabbat, then he defames Hashem, as he conveys the message that he does not accept this tenet of faith. And so when Rav Lefkowitz observed a Jew publicly violating Shabbat, he sought to counteract this חילול ה' (defamation of G-d's Name) through the recitation of Kaddish , which is a proclamation of the greatness of Hashem. He approached Rav Lefkowitz and asked if this was, indeed, why he recited Kaddish at that time. The Rabbi said he did not remember the story, but agreed that this would certainly be a reason to recite Kaddish . When we observe Shabbat, we essentially recite Kaddish for an entire day. Just by conducting ourselves differently, we bring honor to Hashem and glorify His Name. Hacham Ezra Attieh once expressed his amazement that there are people who do not observe Shabbat but ensure never to miss a Kaddish recitation after a parent's passing. We all have a Father in heaven, Hacham Ezra said, and we should be no less careful about reciting Kaddish for Him, through our Shabbat observance, than about reciting Kaddish for our other parents. Recognizing this aspect of Shabbat will help us appreciate its significance, which will, in turn, enhance our Shabbat experience. The second story involved a certain kollel student who one morning looked especially fatigued. His Rosh Kollel approached him to ask him why he was so tired, and the student explained that he began taking a certain medication that caused fatigue. He said that he had a nervous habit of pulling his hair, and this habit posed a serious problem on Shabbat, as he invariably removed hairs as a result of the constant tugging. The student went to a therapist for help, and the therapist prescribed a drug which would help him stop pulling his hair. A side effect of the drug was drowsiness, and this is why the student was so tired in the kollel. The Rosh Kollel advised the student to consult with a Torah sage for advice before taking this medication which had such serious side effects. The student went to Rav Lefkowtiz and explained to him the situation. The Rabbi asked him if he found himself unable to stop pulling his hair even on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and the man replied that on those days he managed to stop. “Evidently,” Rav Lefkowitz said, “you are capable of controlling yourself. It's only because you do not properly appreciate the kedushah of Shabbat that you cannot stop on Shabbat.” He explained that Shabbat in a sense is even more sacred than Yom Kippur, as evidenced by the fact that on Shabbat we call seven people to the Torah for aliyot , whereas on Yom Kippur we call only six. (Many Rabbis have noted that the number of aliyot reflects a day's status of kedushah . We have three aliyot on a normal Monday or Thursday, four on Rosh Hodesh and Hol Ha'mo'ed, five on Yom Tob, six on Yom Kippur, and seven on Shabbat.) And so if this student related to Shabbat with the proper attitude and mindset, he would be able to refrain from pulling his hair on Shabbat just as he was able on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rav Lefkowitz recommended that the student read books that discuss the special sanctity of Shabbat, and this will enable him to stop pulling his hair on Shabbat, without any medicine. The student followed his advice, and soon enough, he had no problem refraining from this habit on Shabbat. If we understood just how sacred Shabbat is, that it is a daylong recitation of Kaddish and even greater than Yom Kippur, we would approach it differently. We would be excited to prepare for and welcome it each week, and we would experience genuine joy throughout the entire day. The more we study and reflect upon the special kedushah of Shabbat, the more meaningful and impactful the experience will be for us and our families.