In High Spirits
Shabbat was granted to us as a gift of pleasure and repose. We were even commanded to “proclaim the Shabbat a delight” (Yeshayahu 58:13).
But we must beware of potential pitfalls. We should not sink into materialistic pleasures, like the man who hosted me one Shabbat. This man wanted to please his family and guests. He began dispensing hard drinks like water. He took out the arrack and proclaimed, “I received this drink from Rabbi so-and-so, who blessed it.” He generously poured everyone a drink. Then he took out a bottle of liquor and said, “This bottle is blessed by this-and-this Rav.” He freely gave out shots of this, as well. He continued this practice for some time. It seemed as though he had an endless reservoir of whiskeys and wines.
Since I saw no end in sight, and with the real worry that the room would turn into a place of drunkards, I turned to the master of the house and told him, “Praiseworthy are you for your faith in the blessings of tzaddikim and your numerous bottles of blessing. But if we continue imbibing alcohol, we will be a sorry lot of drunks.”
Shabbat is a day of physical enjoyment. But we must ensure that the soul also has delight. This is by learning Torah and keeping mitzvot. We must never forget that the primary aspect of honoring Shabbat is by means of bringing joy to the neshamah in a state of kedushah.
