BS"D

Parshath Emor
By Yitzhak Kolakowski

--------------

"They (the cohanim-priests) shall be holy unto their G-d, and not
profane the Name of their G-d.  For the offerings of the L-RD made by
fire (and) the bread of their G-d do they offer, therefore shall they
be holy."  (Leviticus 21:6)

"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Shabbos
for complete rest...  you shall do no work it is a Shabbos to
the L-RD in all your dwelling places."  (ibid. 23:3)

--------------

My dear holy brothers and sisters, how holy are you who keep Shabbos,
the holy day to approach Hashem and bask in His peaceful warmth.

It is the holy daughters of Israel, the Jewish women, who faithfully
prepare for the arrival of the Shabbos Queen with their "offerings of
the L-RD made by fire", the holy Shabbos candles lit "upon the pure
candlestick before the L-RD continually" (ibid. 24:4), making certain
to chase the darkness and defilement from the world, and even with
"the bread of their G-d" which the offer, the holy challah breads
alight the holy altar known as the Shabbos table, the testimonal
manna, proclaiming how the Al-mighty made His world for us.  Even the
challos, the show-bread "upon the pure table before the L-RD."  (ibid.
24:6) "B'yom HaShabbos, b'yom HaShabbos, upon each Sabbath day, he
shall set it in order before the L-RD continually, it is from the
children of Israel, an everlasting covenant," (ibid 24:8) the Shabbos
which has kept Israel as much as Israel has kept her.  When the
Jewish woman makes a Shabbos in holiness and purity, in love and in
awe, she is transformed into a holy priest officiating in the Holy
Temple, with the offerings of the L-RD made by fire and the bread of
their G-d.

Our Sages tell us that the Shabbos candles are lit for the sake of
Shalom Bayis, the sake of Peace (G-d's Presence) in the House.  Our
sages go on to explain that Shalom Bayis means that one should have
light so not to stumble on a piece of wood or a stone.  In Deuteronomy
28:36, wood and stone is the description of idolatry (see Nachmanides
for an explanation to how this applies particularly to particular
religions).  The holy light of the Shabbos candles keeps the Jew
from, G-d forbid, stumbling on these pieces of wood or stone, from
falling into the darkness of falsehood and confusion.

Indeed, it is Shabbos; that day of life and light and true
seeing faith, the day when we recognize that it's all G-d, that we
don't do anything; indeed it is Shabbos that has kept us "to the L-RD
in all our dwelling places."  It is Shabbos that has kept us to the
Source of life and light and true seeing faith.  It is our
grandmothers' little Sabbath lights which have kept us far away from
the pitfalls of death and darkness, of false blind faith in wood and
stone.

Please keep the promise that our ancestors have kept for all those
years.  Don't let the next generation (or even this one, G-d forbid)
be lost.  Make them into Hashem's servants, a kingdom of priests
(rejoice in your kingdom, oh Shabbos observers who call out for
delight! - Shabbos liturgy), holy to their G-d.  Don't allow them to
(G-d forbid) desecrate the Name of their G-d.  Bring the fire
offerings of the L-RD, the bread of their G-d.  Keep the promise, and
G-d will keep His.  Keep the fire burning, chase away the darkness.

"They shall come to My Temple, they shall approach My table to serve
Me, they shall keep My charge... they shall keep My laws and My
statutes in all My holidays, and they shall hallow My Shabbos... I am
their Inheritance."  (Ezekiel 44:16, 24, 28)

Claim your inheritance, it's yours!

Gut Shabbos

(C) 2001 Joseph Kolakowski
free distribution is permitted and encouraged