“And on the sixth day they prepared what they brought.” (Shemos) The pasuk describes how B’nei Yisrael in the midbar prepared the mann that fell on Friday, making it ready for Shabbos use. Chazal say this pasuk is more than that, it is a mitzvah for every Jew in every place and time to prepare for Shabbos. (Bei’ur Halachah 243)
We tap into Shabbos’s great kedusha by preparing tasty food for the day: fish, meat, cake etc. Is this all we need to do in order to reach the holiness of the sacred day of Shabbos? Prepare some fish and shine our shoes?
In truth, preparing fish alone will not enable us to attain the greatness and holiness of Shabbos. Neither will anything else. This is because Shabbos Kodesh is a special gift from Hashem. And there is only one way to get it: to want it! It is given to anyone who desires it and truly yearns for it. And someone who puts in time and effort to prepare special food to honor the Shabbos is showing that he eagerly anticipates its arrival. He is looking forward to it. Shabbos is on his mind, and that is why he is making a big deal preparing for it. It is said about Shammai Hazakein: When he found a choice animal, he would say: “This one is for Shabbos.” When he found a better one, he would designate the second one for Shabbos and eat the first one.(Beitzah 16a) His preparation for Shabbos was always on the forefront of his mind.
An effective way to strengthen our yearning for Shabbos is thinking about it well before it arrives. There is even a special halacha to remember Shabbos on all six preceding days.
We fulfill this mitzvah every day in Shachris when we recite the shir shel yom and say: “Ha-yom yom rishon b’Shabbos, Today is the first day in the count towards Shabbos,” and so on each day. All week long we remember Shabbos! We should start getting ready on Sunday, because on Shabbos, we will have a guest - Hashem. On Monday, we should be occupied with thoughts of Shabbos. We should be thinking about Shabbos as much as possible. On Thursday, we should hurry to prepare. On Friday, we should think to ourselves, “Shabbos is almost here!“
