After hearing about how wonderful and exalted Shabbos is, many people will surely ask, "I’ve been keeping Shabbos for many years. Why don't I have this experience?"
The answer may be understood through the following allegory: Someone goes to the doctor because of skin sores, and the doctor discovers that the underlying cause is a blood infection. The doctor treats the source of the infection, and the blood clears up. Now the person is completely healthy — the cause of his illness is gone.
Superficially he looks the same as before, as it will take a little while for the sores to go away, but inside he is already healed of his illness. When this person looks at himself, he doesn't believe he's healthy. His skin is full of sores! So, he ignores the doctor's orders to avoid certain foods that will cause the illness to return. He sees himself as still ill; therefore, he doesn't understand what he has to lose by eating these foods that he is accustomed to and enjoys. So, he continues consuming the harmful foods, and his illness indeed returns.
Shabbos is the summit of all the holy days. But after Shabbos a person goes back to life as usual, because he sees only what's on the outside. And superficially, nothing has changed; he feels he is the same person and doesn't see why he shouldn't continue doing the same things. Why should they now be harmful to him?
But if he could see inside, he would know a tremendous change has taken place. The underlying cause of all a person's troubles — his sins — was completely healed on Shabbos. Chazal say that on Shabbos evening, two ministering angels come and place their hands on a person's head and say to him, "Your iniquity is gone, and your sin is atoned for."
But it takes time until the healing reaches the outer levels. If a person believes he is now healthy, he would surely try to keep a safe distance from the cause of the illness: his sins. We could explain it another way: On Shabbos, a person receives a check. This check is full of kedushah and taharah. But everyone knows that a check must be cashed or deposited. If you don't do anything with it, a check is worthless.
A person who understands the value of the "check" he received on Shabbos will cash in on it and apply its value to his practical deeds and everyday life. A wise person will utilize its inner light in all that he does. Let us hurry to cash our check, before it's too late to use it! May Hashem help us hold onto the tremendous spiritual assets we gain through Shabbos Kodesh.
Reprinted from the Parshat Bereishit 5786 email of Toras Avigdor.
