R. M. Levi
Based on lessons by Rebbetzin M. Levy (daughter of Rabbi Shimshon Dovid Pincus)
Shabbat is a precious gift. A clean home, delicious food, beautiful clothes—these are more than outward trappings if we understand why we are doing all this, if we are doing it for the Almighty. Does He need beautiful clothes? Does He need a tidy home? Yes!
The Almighty sent us into this material world, and in this world we can express our love for Him through material things.
But wait! Here is a test! If we prepare a dozen salads and four cakes for our mother-in-law's visit, but buy rugelach at the store for an “ordinary” Shabbat, the question arises: For whom are we making the effort? For the Almighty? Or for our mother-in-law? If we are making the effort for the Almighty, He reimburses our Shabbat expenses. But if it is for our mother-in-law—let her reimburse us!
The Almighty reimburses expenses not only for food, but also for clothing. But again, only if we are truly dressing for the Almighty. If, on a winter Shabbat when I am staying home anyway and will not see my friends, I see no point in dressing up, then when I do dress up, I am doing it for my friends, not for the Almighty…
Shabbat is a precious gift. You bake a cake, something entirely material, and in doing so acquire a portion in Eternity!
You wash the floor—and earn a little portion of the World to Come. Does that not make you want to dance for joy? We receive a clean home, exquisite food, and beautiful clothes for free, and along the way we earn a reward for fulfilling a mitzvah. But all this is only if we are fully aware of why we are doing it.
Of course, we all have Shabbatot for which it is difficult to prepare fully. We are not always in the mood. We do not always have the energy. The Almighty tests us and our true intentions.
Everyone is different. For my mother, for example, it was important that Shabbat HaGadol (before Pesach) be no different from other Shabbatot. There were no disposable dishes! Mom would not clean the oven until the last moment, because there had to be a freshly baked cake for Shabbat HaGadol! (I do not do this; I cannot manage it. I am only telling you about it to give you an idea of what Shabbat is.) Mom used to say that Pesach would come, with G-d's help, but Shabbat HaGadol would come first! Shabbat is holier than the festivals; it has simply become something ordinary to us.
“I have a precious gift set aside for you. Its name is Shabbat.”
Who receives this gift? Someone who prepares to receive it, someone who understands its value.
What is inside the wrapping? The Almighty, who has come to us.