Can’t You?!
When the Torah says, ישראל בני בתוך ונקדשתי, I should become sanctified among the children of Klal Yisrael (Vayikra 22:32), it means that a person is obligated to throw himself into the fire rather than desecrate Hashem’s Name. Even though every fiber of his nature tells him not to do so, the answer is that nature is true only up to a point. It can be broken.
Sometimes, we ask a person to go up to the amud, and he says, “No, no.... I can’t. I am hoarse. I have no koach....” But this “no” can be broken. The gabbai accepts his demurral and moves on. But then he comes back, and he insists that this person take the amud, and he agrees. What happened? What happened is that even if there’s a wall, that doesn’t mean it can’t be broken.
But “the doctor said...” the psychologist said...” Understood. You’re facing a wall. And regarding this wall, the Ribbono shel Olam would like you to break it. To split it like סוף ים קריעת. Come with Me. Believe in Me. עבדו ובמשה בה' ויאמינו. And suddenly, you will see it vanish.
Changed Attitude—Changed Reality
This is what it means that forces of impurity leech off the kedushah during the days of the week. The weekdays correspond with our עולם העשיה, the world of actuality. And this is how things function down here. “Reality” in this world makes it seem that problems and actualities are here to stay—they won’t budge. They’re not going to change, and you will have to suffer with them.
How do they have this power? The answer is that they feed off the truth. The Ribbono shel Olam sustains the creation, and these forces connect to it; this gives them dominance, and they say, “We don’t want you to serve Hashem. It won’t work for you. We’re telling you that it won’t work. Stay away... this isn’t for you.” When a person recognizes the truth that these forces aren’t even real... they’re only leeching off kedushah... they will automatically dissipate. The forces of impurity will fall apart, and a person will look at the world entirely differently.
This is the avodah of Shabbos in general, and specifically the avodah of Erev Shabbos: A person should change his entire view of what is real in the world, especially as it relates to him and what is around him. Changing one’s outlook will change reality. This is very important: If a person changes his attitude and outlook, he will see reality change along with it.
