P'nei Shabbat N'Kablah

Wow! It's amazing how Shabbat can make you feel better both physically and emotionally. I went into Shabbat not feeling well, not even wanting to go to shul Friday night where my shul was hosting Yisroel Williger and Rabbi Eliyahu Bergstein for a Carlbach Shabbat replete with Friday night meal and then a Tisch. I literally had to force myself to get dressed and go to my seat for Kabbalat Shabbat. With tears in my eyes, pain in my throat (physical) and heart (emotional) I was glad that someone had forgotten to turn on the lights in my section. I allowed a few tears to fall - happy that no one could see me as I didn't want to invade their beautiful happy personal space. Then slowly it happened. Shabbat, the davening the essense of our beautiful shul, my religion and all the good that I do have began to take over. My mood began its transformation. When my Rabbi later spoke of the power of Shabbos and then the guest Rabbi spoke of P'nei Shabbos N'kablah I truly understood and internalized what they were saying. In a nutshell...this is only a fraction of it...we know that we are married to Shabbos...we know that every night of sheva brachot we need panim chadashot except for Shabbos. Most say that that is because Shabbos (or HKBH) is the panim chadashot. The new idea that struck me though is that if we don't let Shabbos slide by then EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US get our own panim chadashot on Shabbos. That is what we say in L'cha Dodi...P'nei Shabbat N'kablah. I feel lucky for all the good that HKBH has bestowed upon me. Now that Shabbos is over I hope that I can hold those great feelings and let them spill into the chol...and IY"H by Wed. night I will feel healthier and be ready to get onto that El Al plane and to fly to my favorite place in the world. Hoping that everyone else was transformed on Shabbos and that this week will be a good one for you, your loved ones and all of klal yisrael...Shavuah Tov and Gut Vuch.