Shabbos Presents a Battle Between Body and Soul
Yom Tov Is a Spiritually Precarious Time
The Gemara (Kiddushin 81a) tells us that Yom Tov is the “weakest” time in the year—for it is a time that presents the most opportunity for pitfalls in matters of kedushah. Why? Because it is then that families gather in happy spirits, and people have more time on their hands as they’re idle from work. This is a recipe for potential spiritual disaster.
In fact, Tosafos add that it is the custom to fast following the festivals of Pesach and Succos (this minhag is known as Bahab), because since pitfalls are common over Yom Tov, we require atonement for what transpired during that period. The Rambam rules that Beis Din is obligated to appoint watchmen to circulate in the fields and orchards, as well as near the rivers, to ensure that men and women do not congregate to eat, which may lead to aveiros.
How Can Shabbos and Yom Tov Be Weaker?
This concept may seem foreign. Shabbos and Yom Tov, as it turns out, are more problematic and prone to spiritual pitfalls than are the weekdays! This is what the Gemara and the Rishonim explicitly teach us! The truth is, we know this from our personal experience. When we look back at the recently concluded Yom Tov, we don’t know why and how... but some things happened which should not have.
