A Day of Reprieve from Worry and Grief
One Friday, I was very concerned about a certain problem. I walked around the house like a caged animal, finding no peace from worry.
“Father, what are you so worried about?” my daughter asked, seeing distress written on my face. “Today is Erev Shabbat.” She pointed out that it was getting late in the day. I immediately shook myself free from worry and went about my Shabbat preparations.
I have a tradition from my father, zy”a, that Friday is a day designated for helping in the house in honor of Shabbat. Father would do everything necessary in the house, never avoiding even the most unpleasant jobs. He declared that true honor is preparing for Shabbat.
One Friday, I worked especially hard to straighten up the house and clean it. My wife had mercy on me and said, “What a shame to expend so much effort in this endeavor. When you will go to the Beit Hakeneset for Kabbalat Shabbat, the entire house will be overturned by the children. When you get home, there will be no reminder of all your hard work!”
But I replied that it was important to me that the house be neat and tidy when I went out to the Beit Hakeneset, as is fitting for a special guest.
That Friday, as I made preparations for Shabbat, I completely forgot about my worries. On Motza’ei Shabbat, when my daughter reminded me about them, I told her that I had gotten rid of them completely. The problems did not go away, but the concern surrounding them did.
This is the true solution for all of a Jew’s problems. Strengthening oneself in Torah and mitzvot, especially the mitzvah of Shabbat, the source of all blessing, has the power to remove anxiety from man’s heart.
