As everyone is busy preparing for Rosh HaShanah, we will need to add a reminder to make an Eiruv Tavshilin. This year, Rosh HaShanah is immediately followed by Shabbos. (Those who keep a two-day Yom Tov in Eretz Yisrael, and everyone in chutz la’aretz, will need to do this twice more this season.) The Eiruv Tavshilin permits preparation from Yom Tov to Shabbos, such as food preparation and lighting candles. Without it, you can’t do anything. Aside from the halachic aspects, we’d like to discuss a deeper explanation for the Eiruv Tavshilin.
The Maharal (in Netzach Yisrael 46), has a beautiful insight about the eiruv. The eiruv is a description of the times of Mashiach’s arrival. How so? There is a gemara in Shabbos (151b) that learns from a pasuk in Koheles that describes the times of Mashiach as a “time without desire.” Meaning, that once Mashiach arrives, everyone will be at and remain at the spiritual level they reached until that point. This is in terms of being a rasha or a tzadik. Hashem’s k’dushah will be so obvious that there won’t be any yeitzer ha’ra for aveiros. Who would want to displease the awesome King of the World? When we will see all the great blessings that will be given to the tzadikim, then everyone will lose free will. It’ll be so obvious what’s right and what’s wrong. There won’t be any more opportunity for authentic t’shuvah. We won’t receive reward for not sinning. R’sha’im will be stuck at the spiritual level where they were holding, and they won’t be able to change anymore. Tzadikim, though, will still be able to grow from the mitzvos they’ve already done. You see, even after Mashiach’s arrival, we will still behave like normal people: eating, drinking, etc. Regarding doing mitzvos, learning Torah, and receiving reward, we will still be able to gain; however, no one will be able to change from bad to good (or from good to bad).
Just to demonstrate this point, let’s bring what the Rambam says about the reason why tzadikim desire Mashiach’s arrival. In Hilchos T’shuvah (9:2), the Rambam says that the Nevi’im and tzadikim only wanted Mashiach so they can focus on learning Torah and serving Hashem, without troubles from the goyim. Seeing the enemies who tortured us being punished is a big bonus, but the key desire is to be able to serve Hashem undisturbed. This is in order to merit earning more towards their Olam HaBa – the Next World. They will still strive to grow, because they’re already on the way there. They can keep growing infinitely to gain more levels of k’dushah.
The Maharal explains that the mitzvah that hints to this is the Eiruv Tavshilin. Preparing for Shabbos on Yom Tov is forbidden, so one can’t begin to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbos. You needed to prepare everything from before Yom Tov. The eiruv allows preparation on Yom Tov for Shabbos, because we began to prepare for Shabbos from before Yom Tov. Shabbos is like Olam HaBa, Yom Tov is like the times of Mashiach. Only when we begin to prepare for Shabbos (which is a taste of Olam HaBa) from before Yom Tov (the times of Mashiach), then we can continue from Yom Tov to Shabbos.
When we work on ourselves now, before Mashiach’s arrival, then whichever level of k’dushah we achieve here, it will be there for us to keep going in the times of Mashiach, which will help us to achieve a higher level in Olam HaBa.
This can be compared to a spacecraft trying to leave Earth’s gravitational pull to reach space, where there is no gravity. There needs to be big rocket boosters to thrust us forward, and to push us up-up and away from the gravitational resistance. But once the ship is out in space, it will keep going at that speed, and will keep going indefinitely without anything holding it back. Without the initial power boost, the ship won’t go anywhere.
The Maharal continues. Chazal tell us that Avraham Avinu kept all mitzvos, from the Torah and from the Rabbanim, like Eiruv Tavshilin (Gemara in Yoma 28b). Why is Eiruv Tavshilin the example? The Torah says that Avraham was blessed with everything, and he died happy and satisfied, with the least of the sorrows and troubles overall that Yitzchak and Yaakov had. This was because Avraham fulfilled the “Eiruv Tavshilin.” He prepared for Shabbos from before Yom Tov. All the trials that he faced in his earlier years were all with this focus, to prepare for Olam HaBa, and therefore he merited to experience the Yom Tov – the good times in his old age while still here in this world.
Rav Yisrael Altusky shlita adds the following explanation (based on the Vilna Gaon): When we make a decision and choose here and now that we want Mashiach to come in order to serve Hashem completely, this decision counts as if we did all that we could now. This desire will also count for us in the future, to place us on that higher level of k’dushah. (Sometimes, it’s even a big step to want to want!) Any baal t’shuvah, which includes anybody who is returning to Hashem, on his level, is included in this. They are not holding on the high spiritual levels yet. However, their desire counts as if they are already holding on the higher level.
The Gemara says in a few places that if one has a desire to do a mitzvah, and is prevented from fulfilling it, it is considered as if he did it. It is the desire that gives us the reward.
Hopefully, everyone will strive to reach as high as he can with Torah and mitzvos. How about the rasha, a Jew who is empty of Torah, but full of aveiros? Doesn’t Chazal say that even the biggest Jewish r’sha’im are full of mitzvos like the pomegranate is full of seeds?
Yes, even they have merits. Firstly, any mitzvah they actually did. However, if they suffered even slightly because they are Jews, they will receive great reward just for that. And if they realized that’s why they suffered, because they are from Hashem’s Chosen Nation, their level of k’dushah gets raised even higher. That itself is considered to be preparation. And that itself, even if that was their only merit, pushes them through the times of Mashiach, and gives them the thrust to keep growing.
How much more so for a Jew who is striving to improve and to grow throughout his life, in Torah and in mitzvos. The preparations for us now will get us to great levels of k’dushah in the times of Mashiach and give us the thrust to keep growing to reach our ultimate place in Olam HaBa!
Approaching Rosh HaShanah, we are (hopefully) preparing ourselves to crown Hashem once more as our king. Let us prepare ourselves with the right intentions, to want to grow, to want to reach great levels of k’dushah, and to merit to be a written and sealed for a wonderful new year! B’ezras Hashem, 5785 will be the year of Mashiach’s arrival! Let’s get ready!
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Adapted from shiurim given by Rabbi Yisrael Altusky shlita, Yeshivas Torah Ore, Yerushalayim. Shiurim can be heard at the Kol HaLashon website.
By R’ Dovi Chaitovsky
