רַק שִׁבְתּוֹ יִׁתֵּּן וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא: (כא:יט)
He shall only pay for his sitting idle, and he shall heal. (21:19)
It is told about Rebbe Shayale of Kerestir, that one time people came to him to inform him that someone was dangerously ill, and he instructed that a large sum of money be donated I his name for the Shabbos expenses of the poor, and through this he would be healed. He added that the source for this segulah is from the posuk ‘He shall only pay for his sitting idle, and he shall heal’. The word ‘shivto’ means ‘his Shabbos’, and the hint is that if one gives ‘his money’ for the sake of Shabbos is adding value to the Shabbos, and in the merit of the extra portion that he adds for Shabbos, he merits to be healed.
Relying on his words, we can also say that his intent is to apply this principle to ‘tosefes Shabbos’ – adding to Shabbos, for one who accepts this on himself adds to the value of Shabbos, and in the merit of this, he will merit ‘and he shall heal’.
As brought down in the name of Rebbe Mordechai of Lechvitch, that the influence of the holiness of Shabbos is very great, and it is not possible to assist the person with his physical eyes, but rather, with his spiritual eyes, that is, Torah, Tefillah and avodas Hashem. But the sanctity of ‘tosefes Shabbos’ – adding to Shabbos can even help for physical [mundane] matters and needs. The more one makes Shabbos early, the more the mundane influence extends. He ends, “If only the ‘baalei batim’ [householders] would listen to me, they would make increase ‘tosefes Shabbos’ a lot and they would have an abundance of parnasah [income].”
His student, Rebbe Moshe of Kovrin would say, “Through ‘tosefes Shabbos’ that a person adds from the secular to the holy [michol al hakodesh], HaKadosh Baruch, HaKadosh Baruch Hu bestows upon him all good in regard to mundane matters. And through this addition that one adds from secular to holy, it is easier for the person to elevate even the physical which is secular to the spiritual with is holy [kodesh]. [It is related regarding that Tzaddik that his way was to accept Shabbos while there was still plenty of day left, and when the multitude of people were going to shul for ‘Kabbalas Shabbos’ he was already up to dessert at his seudah.]
When a Jew gets ready and adds from the secular to the holy, he demonstrates an extra affection and yearning for his Creator, for Shabbos merits the person with the inspiration of the Shechina, as Chazal expound (Tikunei Zohar 48) on the posuk (Shemos 31:16) ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת... לדורותם' – ‘Bnei Yisrael should observe the Shabbos... for their generations’ which is a language of 'דירה' – ‘dwelling’, for Shabbos Kodesh merits each person according to his level and based on his preparation on Erev Shabbos for the influence of the Shechina. It is as if one is categorized as a ‘dwelling’ who hosts the holy Shechina. When the host is fond of the guest, he does not wait until the moment when the guest shows up at his house, rather, he is already prepared an hour or two before his arrival. This shows the guest that he wants him to be there since he was prepared before he even arrived. This is categorized as ‘tosefes Shabbos’ – ‘addition to Shabbos’, for by doing this the Jew demonstrates his strong yearning for the holy Shechina, and it is as if he is saying he wants the influence in his midst even an hour earlier.
And so, the Jewish Nation sees this strong merit by preparing to accept Shabbos early, and as we see in Hoshanos for Shabbos Chol HaMoed Succos (אם נצורה), they daven that this zchus should stand for them to save them by saying, 'הושע נא חשה למהר ביאת שבת' – ‘Please save the one who rushes to hasten the onset of Shabbos’, and even in the piyyut after it (כהושעת אדם) - that ask for this by saying, ' כהושעת טפוליך הורו הכנה במדעם ישר כחם והודה למו רועם' – ‘As You saved those who clung to you, who taught the rules of Shabbos preparation through their wisdom, approve their strength and acknowledge them as did Moshe their shepherd’, for as we have said it is a great zchus for Israel to be saved through it with all things beneficial.
Rav Kaplan tells the following story that he heard from the one it happened to. This was when he was young and learning in Yeshivas Mir, in the city of Mir in Lita. At that time the boys were accustomed to be hosted by the baalei batim of the city. One of the baalei batim that Rav Kaplan frequently went to told him, that after he got married, he did not have children so quickly, and years passed while he and his wife anticipated having children. Of course, they spent these years praying numerous Tefillos and Techinos [beseeching] for their salvation, until they merited seeing the salvation of Hashem and the wife merited to hug her son. Of course, their joy was great, but their happiness did not last long. After a short while they were informed that their son was sick from his stomach and from the birth. Because of his illness his life was in danger, and when they began to seek out doctors, even the best doctors were sorry to inform them that there was nothing they could do to save his life. In their anguish, they traveled with their son to the Rabban of Israel, the Chofetz Chaim, to receive his bracha for healing and salvation. After the Chofetz Chaim heard their distress and request, he turned to the mother of the child and said, “Why do you ask for my bracha? Accept upon yourself ‘tosefes Shabbos’ and with this you will bring the bracha of Shabbos to your house.” And so, the mother of the child accepted upon herself to be meticulous with this mitzvah, and after being very careful with this mitzvah for a short time, the couple bore witness to a literal miracle, Miraculously, the dangerously ill child completely recovered from his illness, and when the doctors examined him, the illness had disappeared leaving not even a remnant.
Even though halachically it is not possible to accept ‘tosefes Shabbos’ more than an hour-and-a-quarter before night (see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 261:2 and Mishna Berurah s”k 25), it is appropriate that the person make all his preparations for Shabbos early Friday morning, and how good it would be if he finished all secular activity before midday, for then he would be ready for the onset of Shabbos. So writes the Arizal in ‘Shaar HaKavanos’ (Drushei Chazaras HaAmidah – Drush 5, Kavanas Amein) the sanctity of Shabbos already begins to sprout an hour before midday, and in light of his words it is fitting for the person from then to turn to matters of Kedusha and Shabbos. The words of the Arizal: ‘A foundation of G-d, King, Who sits... know that tosefes Shabbos begins on Friday from the beginning of the sixth hour, as b’ezras Hashem we will explain in Erev Shabbos regarding the extra words of Yom Hashishi Hashem, and we find that the last seven hours of Friday and all 24 hours of Shabbos, HaKadosh Baruch Hu sits o His Throne of Mercy because of the honor of Shabbos, and counts 31 hours. This is the basis for ‘Keil Melech yosheiv al kisei rachamim’, and the rest of the week He sits on the Throne of Justice.’
Hashem Yisbarach should help us to be able to be counted among those who prepare early to receive the Shabbos Queen, and we should merit all the brachos and salvations through it.
