Brachos from Shabbos
Some people recite the Zohar (vol.2 88) on Friday night before Kiddush that discusses the brachos that emanate from Shabbos, particularly from Friday night of Shabbos. It states there, תליין שביעי ביומא ולתתא דלעילא ברכאן כל, "All brachos, above and below, are dependent on the seventh day."
The long winter Shabbosim nights have arrived, and we must know that many brachos in ruchniyus and gashmiyos can be received on this holy night of Shabbos.
Chazal tell us that after Rebbe's passing, he would come from heaven to his home to make kiddush for his family. The Sefer Chasidim (ז"תשכ) writes, "Rebbe came dressed in his beautiful Shabbos clothing, and he was motzi his family with kiddush, unlike most niftarim, who are exempt from performing mitzvos. This is because tzaddikim are alive and can be motzi others with kiddush."
How did Rebbe merit this?
The Ben Ish Chai (Ben Yohoyada) writes, "All the chachamim of his generation davened for Rebbe not to die (see Kesubos 104). They davened, cried, and fasted that he should live. Such a level of prayer was never performed for any other gadol hador in history. In the end, he was niftar, but in the merit of their tefillos, Rebbe was granted permission to return to the world to perform mitzvos so that the world would continue receiving bounty from his good deeds."
So, it wasn't solely to enable Rebbe to perform mitzvos but also for the benefit of all Yidden in that generation, who received bounty from Rebbe's holy kiddush and mitzvos.
Note that Rebbe came specifically on Friday nights. This is because Friday night is one of the leading times when bounty comes down to the world for the entire week.
The Midrash (Yalkut Reuvani, V'eschanan) states תענוג בשבת שינה, that sleep is one of the pleasures of Shabbos. Nevertheless, the Vilna Gaon zt'l (beginning of Divrei Eliyahu) says that rest can be compared to dessert. One takes a bit of dessert but doesn't become full on it, or he can become ill. It is a mitzvah to sleep on Shabbos – it is one of the enjoyments of Shabbos – but it should be done sparingly. The Vilna Gaon says that this is the reason Chazal say תענוג בשבת שינה. A תענוג is like a dessert, which one enjoys sparingly, without over-indulging.
The Ben Ish Chai tells a mashal of two poor people who went from door to door to collect food to eat. They met at the end of the day and compared what they had gathered. One had hard, dry, leftover bread in his bag, while the other had collected meat and fish and other delicacies. He explained, "The difference between us is when we knocked at people's doors. I knocked when their tables were full of food as they were about to begin their meals. So, they gave me some of their prepared foods. You went after they had eaten, so they gave you what was left over."
The Ben Ish Chai compares it to the special benefit of tefillah and avodas Hashem on Friday nights more than any other time during the week. Friday nights, the bounty is ready and prepared in heaven, and when one serves Hashem at this time, he receives generously. However, when one only serves Hashem during the week, he receives what is left over.
A businessman came to the Yismach Yisrael of Alexander zt'l and told him that his business wasn't doing well and that he would likely declare bankruptcy. The Yismach Yisrael knew that this person didn’t keep Shabbos, and he also knew that if he told him to keep Shabbos, he wouldn’t listen. So, he said, "I want to become a partner in your business. Give me 1/7th of your income, which is about 15%, and I will daven for your success." The man was overjoyed with this offer. He believed his business would prosper in the Rebbe's merit and with the Rebbe's tefillos. The Rebbe then told him, "And now that I have become a partner in your business, I own a seventh of the store, and I demand that the store be closed on Shabbos".
Keviyachol, Hashem is our partner in our parnassah, and as the partner, Hashem can ask demand that we close our business one day a week. We won't lose out from this partnership. On the contrary, by keeping Shabbos, we receive brachos for the entire week. This is alluded to in the pasuk (Shemos 29:10) השביעי ויום ,מלאכתך כל ועשית תעבוד ימים ששת אלקיך 'לה שבת, "Six days you shall work...and Shabbos is for Hashem." This means that Hashem is the partner and owner of our business on Shabbos, and as a partner, Hashem requests that we don't work on Shabbos. And from our not working on this day, we receive brachos and parnassah.
A man saw two people working in a field. One was digging a hole, and the other was filling it back up with earth. "What is the meaning of this?" a bystander demanded. "Why are you digging holes, only to fill it up again with earth?" They explained, "We usually work in a group of three people. Today, the partner who puts in the saplings didn't come, but we decided that just because he didn't come, why should we stop working? We can do our share!"
This story reminds us that if we work without our partner, Hashem, we won't gain anything. When we listen to the third partner and stop working on Shabbos, we receive parnassah for the entire week.
