Chazal say that
Eliyahu HaNavi won’t be coming to town on Shabbos or on Erev Shabbos.
Nu? He doesn’t do weekends?
It’s not about what
he doesn’t do, but rather about what we do, and on Erev Shabbos we’re
busy putting up the cholent and the like and the last thing we need at that time
is to lose ourselves in the tumult that will ensue with Eliyahu’s arrival, thereby
possibly forgetting to make the necessary preparations.
But there’s more
to Shabbos than cholent, so what about the emotional preparation?
Rabbi Chaim
Eisenstein tells us in the name of Rav Soliveitchik that many people are Shomer
Shabbos but they are not Shomer Erev Shabbos. The Rav said that what was missing in America
was that all too many of the Shomer Shabbos Yidden do not have the appreciation
that they are lacking the special Yichud with Hashem that can be found both in
Shabbos and in Erev Shabbos.
If one is shomer
the Erev Shabbos and, for good measure, Motzoi Shabbos, all of the worries and
the tog taiglach of the mundane world are swept away.
And if one doesn’t
run away from the Kedusha of Shabbos, he can keep at least a shmeck of it with
him the entire week. But that’s only
going to be on his screen if on Erev Shabbos and Shabbos he’s able to emotionally
transport himself to a different place where the only thing that exists is
Shabbos Kodesh and his Yichud with Hashem.
Rabbi Chaim
Eisenstein relates that at the moment when we are preparing for Shabbos with
its excitement and anticipation of Kedushas Shabbos and the Yichud with Hashem, Eliyahu
is not necessary for there’s no need for Geula at this time.
And what would
be the point anyway?
He wouldn’t find
us here in any case because, if we have done it right, we will have already transported
ourselves to different place where the only thing that exists is Shabbos Kodesh
and our Yichud with Hashem.
