Let us imagine that a person wishes to speak with his friend. But his friend says, “I’ll tell you the truth. I’d love to speak with you, but I am so very busy.” Says his friend, ‘How much do you earn in a day? Two thousands dollars?! I will pay you 2,000 cash, in order to spend the day with you. We’ll go to the water and just talk.... Let’s go out and reminisce about good times.”
He gives his friend the money, and he waits for his friend at their meeting point. When he does arrive, he takes out a few pamphlets and begins reading.... His friend is incensed. “I called you here to talk and reconnect with you.” “Oh,” he says, as he looks up from his reading... and then he begins looking around before dozing off.
The Ribbono shel Olam says: “I gave you a Shabbos because I want to be with you.” On Shabbos there’s no galus—Shabbos is גאולה. The Tiferes Shlomo (Shabbos Chazon) tells us as much, and this is because the Ribbono shel Olam wants us to celebrate and observe Shabbos as though we were in the Beis HaMikdash.
If so, whether we’re on the level or not... even if we’re not holding there... every Yid should understand that this isn’t the way to behave on Shabbos Kodesh.
Which Yid isn’t capable of taking out a Tehillim and finishing it over such long Shabbosim? Is there a Yid who cannot manage this?!
There are many ways to come closer to the Ribbono shel Olam over a Shabbos. One person learns a few blatt Gemara with Tosafos, another person sings ותשבחות שירות and spends time with Yidden... but even if a Yid doesn’t have a head for learning, he can always turn to his Tehillim and speak to Hashem. In fact, the Sefarim HaKedoshim teach us that the Malachim don’t say shirah on Shabbos, because this time is reserved for the praises of the Jewish People.
