[Avodah] Erev Shabbos Jews

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, October 1, 2006 2:47 am, MPoppers at kayescholer.com wrote to Areivim:
: My sense was that the Rav z'l' was referring to mental preparation for
: Shabbos akin to mental preparation for t'filah, and for my part I'm nowhere
: near where I would want to be on either point.  I can't speak to whether
: I'm in the minority, but perhaps an honest response by Areivimites (who in
: many ways represent the cream of observant Jewry) would give some
: indication of how relevant the Rav's words are to this generation, even
: though there is much "kiruv r'chokim" and even though one can note with
: appreciation the hiring of a proud young Jew by Mr. Trump.

    "Even in those neighborhoods made up predominantly of religious
    Jews, one can no longer talk of the 'sanctity of Shabbat.' True,
    there are Jews in America who observe Shabbat... But it is not for
    Shabbat that my heart aches; it is for the forgotten 'erev Shabbat'
    (eve of the Sabbath). There are Shabbat-observing Jews in America,
    but there are no 'erev Shabbat' Jews who go out to greet Shabbat
    with beating hearts and pulsating souls. There are many who observe
    the precepts with their hands, with their feet, and/or with their
    mouths - but there are few indeed who truly know the meaning of the
    service of the heart!" (On Repentance, pp. 97-98)

I am not sure how these words can be read in any way other than RMP does.
Although I think RYBS is speaking more of the avirah of "Shabbos is coming"
that drove the preparation, rather than the preparation itself.

I very much feel the truth of these words. To my mind, we need to have real
effort learning Jewish meaning and values. Not as "qiruv rechoqim", but as
"hisqarvus" (in the hitpa'el) for those of us who are FFB or otherwise frum
long enough to be shomeir mitzvos without being excited enough about qedushas
Shabbos to anticipate its arrival.

Sorry for turning this into an ad for AishDas. No, I have to admit I'm not sorry.

So, why did I redirect the conversation to Avodah? Because I feel that a
discussion of how to develop "beating hearts and pulsating souls" is Torah,
not about Torah.

Tir'eh beTov!
-mi

PS: Kindly remember that the idiom "the Rav" doesn't mean the same person to
all members of Avodah.

-- 
Micha Berger             One who kills his inclination is as though he
micha at aishdas.org        brought an offering. But to bring an offering,
http://www.aishdas.org   you must know where to slaughter and what
Fax: (270) 514-1507      parts to offer.        - R' Simcha Zissel Ziv