"YihYeh Lachem Shabbat Kodesh – You will have a Holy Shabbat"

 

How could G-d tell them this after sending the Israelites to 40 years in the desert?   What Shabbat does He promise them?  What Holiness?

 

Rebbe Nachman of Breslav writes about "How you make a Shabbat Kodesh" – with a discussion from the Talmud about "If you get lost in the desert – make the seventh day your Sabbath…"

And he quotes the Kabbalah where the students say to Rebbe Shimon "you the Holy Tzadik are equivalent to the Sabbath".

 

Where is the spirituality of the world? Not in the great cities of the world. After you see the culture - they hold nothing of spiritual value.

 

I just flew home via Moscow again – Moscow of the Russians bombing in the Middle East, Moscow the "Workers' Paradise" – where in transferring planes, the workers stole 3 or 4 baby carriages from the passengers!

 

They left families with kids having to walk kilometers in the airport carrying screaming kids – is that culture?

 

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach taught that the greatest Mitzva is to try and help – but not one of the workers responsible for transferring planes would listen to me and make a call to find out where the baby carriages were! So I ended up carrying a one-year old and a Sefer Torah through the airport to help out as my Rebbe would expect.

 

So here the Almighty says there is a concept of Holiness and of Sabbath.

 

When you are lost in a desert the Talmud teaches us to look for a Holy Tzadik -to lead and teach you out of the desert – physical or spiritual.

 

May G-d bless us all with a little Sabbath, a little holiness, and a little direction from Holy Righteous people.

 

Love and Shabbos for all

 

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz