זוהר הקדוש – Parshas Bereishis 48 – “ופרש עלינו סכת רחמים וחיים ושלום”
“And spread over us the shelter of compassion, life, and peace.” On Leil Shabbos, before we recite Shemoneh Esrei of Ma’ariv, we bless them and invite the Shechinah to be our holy guest, and we say in honor of the Shechinah, “הפורס סכת שלום עלינו ועל כל עמו ישראל ועל ירושלים” – “Who spreads the shelter of peace upon us and upon all of His people Yisroel and upon Yerushalayim.”
When we recite these words, the Shechinah covers us like a mother hovering over her children, and all the evil spiritual beings are banished from the world. Klal Yisroel sit under the Kedusha of their Creator. The Shechinah gives new Neshomos to her children, Klal Yisroel. Shabbos is a מעין עולם הבה, meaning it has a taste of what Olam Habah is, for Olam Habah is a world of כולו שבת, complete Shabbos. We are only Zoche to have one day a week this special day of Shabbos, a day where we receive the extra Neshama, which gives us the opportunity to live on a completely different plane, a different world. A world of Kedusha. Olam Habah is a place where it is Shabbos every day of the week, and thus one can have that connection always.
