The Cleansing Power Of Shabbat Preparations

**This week's essay is dedicated in memory of Rosa bat Shafia** The Midrash ( Bereshit Rabbah 56:3) observes that in the Torah's account of עקידת יצחק – the story of Avraham Avinu placing his son, Yitzchak, on the altar and preparing to slaughter him in compliance with Hashem's command – the Torah refers to Avraham's knife with the term מאכולת. A knife is occasionally called מאכולת , a term that stems from the root א.כ.ל. ("eat"), because it is used to slaughter animals so their meat may be consumed. In the specific context of עקידת יצחק, however, the Midrash comments that this term alludes to the fact that the Jewish People, the descendants of Avraham Avinu, continue"eating" and benefiting from the merit of this great act of self-sacrifice and subservience to the Divine Will, to this very day. The Vilna Gaon ( Kol Eliyahu , Parashat Vayera) raises the question of how to reconcile the Midrash's comment with the well-established principle of שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא – the reward for mitzvot is granted in the next world and not in this world. How do we benefit here in this world from the great mitzvah of עקידת יצחק , if our Sages teach that we receive reward for mitzvot only in the next world? The Gaon answers that the Midrash refers to the mitzvot for all the extensive preparations that Avraham made to sacrifice his son. Of course, he never actually performed the sacrifice, as at the last moment, Hashem ordered him to withdraw his knife. The rewards that we receive, then, are only for the preparations – the three-day journey to Mount Moriah, tying Yitzchak upon the altar, preparing the knife, and so on. Preparing for any mitzvah yields very significant rewards. It is through the efforts we invest before the mitzvah is performed, in preparation for the act, that we earn great merit. This is especially true of Shabbat. The Torat Hayim (Eruvin 19a) writes that our preparation for Shabbat parallels our preparation in this world for our lives in the eternal world. As Shabbat is מעין עולם הבא – a glimpse of the next world, our preparations for Shabbat are to resemble our preparations for the afterlife. In order for a person to earn a share in the next world, he must be spiritually pure. Those whose souls have been contaminated in this world must undergo a "cleansing" process before they earn entry into the next world. Correspondingly, halachah requires us to bathe with warm water on Erev Shabbat as part of our preparations for Shabbat. This cleansing of our bodies represents the cleansing of our souls, a necessary prerequisite for experiencing the beauty and splendor of the next world. It emerges, then, that preparing for Shabbat has a "cleansing" effect upon our souls. The hard work and effort we invest in preparing for Shabbat, even bathing, has a very significant spiritual impact, preparing our souls to receive the special kedushah of Shabbat. Further insight into this "cleansing" power can be gleaned from a remarkable comment by the Ben Ish Hai. Halachah requires washing our hands each morning when we awaken in order to remove the tum'ah (impurity) that descends upon our hands as we sleep. The Ben Ish Hai explains this concept by way of an analogy to the body's circulatory system. When a person's blood is not circulating properly, then this condition is manifest specifically in the body's extremities – the fingers and feet. They turn blue and do not function properly because the blood does not reach these outermost regions of the body. Similarly, the Ben Ish Hai writes that when a person wakes up in the morning, most of the contamination that descended over the course of the night leaves, but it remains on the body's extremities. Therefore, one is required to wash one's hands each morning. However, as the Ben Ish Hai proceeds to note, this gives rise to the question of why halachah does not also require washing one's feet each morning. If the tum'ah on the body's extremities remains when one awakens, then why must he wash only his hands? The Ben Ish Hai answers that halachah does not require washing one's feet in the morning because this would not suffice to eliminate the tum'ah . Since the feet tread continuously on the ground, the tum'ah on the feet is so powerful that it cannot be removed through washing. The exception to this rule, the Ben Ish Hai adds, is the kohanim in the Bet Ha'mikdash , who are required to wash their hands and feet before entering the Mikdash . The special sanctity of the Mikdash makes it possible to eliminate the tum'ah even from the feet, and so although we are not required to wash our feet each morning, the kohanim are required to wash their feet before entering the Bet Ha'mikdash . Remarkably, there is also a second exception – Erev Shabbat. The Ben Ish Hai writes that halachah requires us to wash, minimally, our face, hands, and feet every Erev Shabbat in preparation for Shabbat. The reason is that just as the sanctity of the Mikdash makes it possible for the kohanim to eliminate the tum'ah from their feet, the special sanctity of Shabbat similarly has this unique ability. Shabbat preparations offer us an opportunity that is otherwise reserved exclusively for the kohanim in the Bet Ha'mikdash – to thoroughly cleanse our souls and achieve a pristine level of spiritual purity. This theme of preparation closely relates to the sefirat ha'omer period, when we spend forty-nine days preparing for Matan Torah . The period of sefirat ha'omer is intended to serve as a period of intensive preparation because the more we prepare for the event of Matan Toraah , the greater and more enduring impact the experience of Matan Torah will have upon us. Our Sages note that although Avraham had numerous servants, he himself saddled his donkey and made the necessary preparations for עקידת יצחק . Years later, when Bilam set out to place a curse upon Beneh Yisrael , he specifically saddled his own donkey, rather than asking one of his servants to do so, in an effort to "counter" Avraham's enthusiasm. Bilam keenly understood the power of preparation and sought to use this power for his evil plot to destroy Beneh Yisrael . We are to follow the inspiring example of Avraham, who utilized the power of preparation for the purpose of serving Hashem and bringing kedushah into the world. Let us, then, joyfully and enthusiastically prepare for Shabbat each week, recognizing the great benefits and impact of these efforts.