Friday, February 02, 2007

Daf Yomi - Taanis 26 - Shabbos in the Daf

Shabbos in the Daf by Reb Ben Adler

Taanis 26a

The Mishnah states that the people of the maamad who would come to Jerusalem would fast from Monday through Thursday. They would not fast on Friday, as fasting would detract from the honor of Shabbos, and they would not fast on Sunday, because it is inappropriate to depart from a day of rest and delight and become fatigued through fasting, which could lead to death, i.e. cause one to feel faint. This ruling contains a profound lesson for us as to how we are to view Shabbos every week. Shabbos is a day of rest and a day of delight, and we should savor every moment that HaShem allows us to bask in His Presence. The Gemara later (27b) states that when Shabbos ends, the neshamah yeseira, the extra soul that one is granted upon the arrival of Shabbos, departs, and one feels sad. It is incumbent upon us to anticipate the Shabbos all week, as the Shabbos literally rejuvenates our souls.

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