Rabbi Menachem Ezra Abramsky zt"l, son of Maran Hagaon Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky zt"l, author of the Chazon Yechezkel, relates: "From my childhood I used to see my mother, the Rebbetzin, prepare all the needs of Shabbat as early as Thursday. Always when they entered the house on Friday night, they felt very well the atmosphere of the impending Shabbat. The white tablecloth was already spread out on the table ahead of time. The Shabbat utensils were placed and arranged in their place, the smell of the dishes wafted from the pots standing on the gas in the kitchen, everything was ready and ready for Shabbat. Personally, I have never seen this as an unusual practice, as I have never been accustomed to it, but when I got engaged, and my daughter-in-law came to my parents' house for the first time on Thursday night, and saw that everything was already ready for Shabbat, she was astonished, and praised this wonderful custom for me. I shared the bride's words with my mother. Mother asked us to sit down, and she would tell us what was behind this leadership, which she adheres to so diligently.
"My grandfather, the Gaon Ridbaz zt"l, served as the rabbi of Safed. When he was young, he became critically ill, and his condition worsened day by day, until one day he lost consciousness. The doctors announced that his condition was serious, and he had only a few hours left to live. Family members and relatives gathered around his bed, recited verses of uniqueness, secretly hoping that the worst of all would not happen... Suddenly, to the astonishment of the family members, the Ridbaz woke up from his fainting, opened his eyes, and turned his head in the direction of those standing next to him. He seemed to be in a state of reverence and special inspiration. After resting a little and recovering, he began to tell what had happened to him while he was lying unconscious...
In his dream, he saw himself standing before a heavenly court. And now they began to discuss whether to keep him alive or not. Suddenly he heard the proclamation coming upstairs and announcing his sentence: "The time has come for Yaakov David ben Ze'ev to get rid of the world." But before that, they had finished calling the litigant himself in order to voice his arguments, lest he have the ability to teach himself the right to keep him alive. The Ridbaz began by arguing that since he was the rabbi of the city of Safed, he must remain alive, since all the foundations of the city's halacha and holiness hang around his neck; mikvahs, eruvin, Shabbat observance, and the like, and if he leaves, the city will be left without a proper protector and guardian for its religious needs. The court discussed the content of his argument and ruled that this argument was insufficient, because another rabbi appointed in his place could also act in the same manner, and therefore there was no obligation to keep him alive. Again they asked him in the heavenly court, "Does he have another right to teach about himself?" The Ridbaz replied that he is now dealing with the middle of his work "The Reasons of the Ridbaz" on the Yerushalmi, and that if he departs from the world prematurely, the work will not be completed. Again the Beit Din discussed his argument, and ruled that even this argument is not sufficient to keep him alive, since other Torah scholars can also complete the work. At this point, he was informed that he was now given one last chance to teach merit about himself. After a long thought, the Ridbaz said confidently: "Let us search all over the world to see if there is a house where Shabbat is respected as in my home! The proof of what I am saying is the very fact that already on Thursday all the needs of Shabbat are prepared and arranged in my house in honor of Shabbat... "Once again, the members of the Beit Din sat down and discussed his claim seriously, and indeed agreed with the argument that indeed there is no house in which Shabbat is respected as in the house of the Ridbaz, and because of this argument the Beit Din won and ruled for life. "At this stage," the Ridbaz said to his family, "I have set aside my dreams." And here the Ridbaz turned to his children with a request: "You hear how important this leadership is in heaven, and therefore I ask you and all my descendants to try to take upon yourselves as well, to prepare for Shabbat as early as possible, which is in fact the honor of Shabbat..." "As the granddaughter of the Ridbaz," Rabbanit Abramsky concluded, "I try my best to fulfill his request..."
