The Ultimate Experience | Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

Typically if someone asks you, "How was שבת?" you would respond, "It was good, it was great, it was terrible, it was average." That would be the response of the unsophisticated שבת observer. But like, if somebody asks you, "How was the restaurant?" would you just say, "Good, bad, medium?" Or the sophisticated consumer would ask, "What do you mean how was the restaurant? Do you mean the hors d'oeuvre, do you mean the soup? Do you mean the fish? Do you mean the main course? Do you mean the dessert? Do you mean the ambiance?" The sophisticated consumer is able to break down the experience into specific components. It should be the same with שבת. שבת is not all the same spiritual experience. There's קְדֻשָּׁה of Friday night, there's קְדֻשָּׁה of שבת morning, there's קְדֻשָּׁה of שבת by מִנְחָה. And actually, these three קְדֻשָּׁות of שבת are reenacting and reliving three of the most momentous שבתות in the history of the world.

Friday night, ר׳ דָּוִד אַבּוּדַרְהָם teaches, we're reenacting שַׁבַּת בְּרֵאשִׁית, when Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the שבת. That's why the main theme of the zemiros Friday night is שבת, Hashem resting from creating the world. שבת morning, we're reenacting and commemorating שבת מַתַּן תֹּורָה, the שבת that Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish people, as the גְּמָרָא says, כּוּלֵּי עָלְמָא, everybody agrees that on Shabbos Hashem gave us the Torah. In fact, most of the תְּפִלּוֹת of שבת morning are focused on the giving of the Torah, even Kel Adon, which consists of 10 words, then 72 words, then 12 words. The אַבּוּדַרְהָם teaches Hashem gave the Aseres Hadibros through His 72-letter name to the 12 שְׁבָטִים. On שבת morning, we're reenacting Kabbolas HaTorah, on שבת by Minchah we're commemorating and reliving and yearning for שבת Le'asid Lavo, the future שבת, the שבת of the גְּאוּלָּה.

So the next time someone asks you, "How was שבת?" now that you're a sophisticated שבת observer, you'll be able to respond, "Do you mean Friday night? Do you mean the קְדֻשָּׁה of לְלֵיל שַׁבָּת? Do you mean the קְדֻשָּׁה of שבת morning? Or do you mean the קְדֻשָּׁה of שבת afternoon by מִנְחָה?" The more we learn the various תְּפִלּוֹת and various Zemiros, we're able to experience a more sophisticated understanding and appreciation of the great experience of שבת קודש.