4/17/20 - Friday- Erev Shabbos- "Songs in the Key of LIfe"

          It never seems to fail. I greet each holiday, each Chag with anticipation. Well, maybe I don't enjoy all the preparation and all the work and all the chaos in my home, However when my wife and daughters light the candles that correspond to the commencement of one of the Shalosh Regalim (Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot), my son and I finish praying Maariv, the evening service, and we finally sit down to the first of what will be numerous festival meals; I am full of happiness and excitement.  By the end of the Chag? OY! I can't wait to return to my ordinary routine. Needless to say, I was counting down the minutes when my wife, kids and I could begin returning our kitchen back to Chametz. when Pesach was put away, and we were back to Chol, just an ordinary weekday moment. Yet when I woke up this morning, there it was Erev Shabbos. Our kids used to sing a song they learned in school, "Shabbos is coming, we're so happy...." Well, it feels more like "Shabbos is coming, we\re still so tired." And as I walked into the bakery to buy challahs and some baked goods, I smelled the smell of freshly baked CHAMETZ!!! I realized that is why I am so happy that Shabbos is coming.

          There is a minhag (a custom) about the challah on the first Shabbos immediately after Pesach. The Challah is known as Schlissel Challah or "Key Challah". The Challah is baked in the shape of a key. Some people, my wife included, will take a key wrapped in foil, insert the key into the dough and then bake the challah with the key inside. So, Nu? Why key Challah? Remember AFTER Pesach, our ancestors began a 40-year journey. During those 40 years, our ancestors did not have to worry about sustenance. God provided Manna and water. Our ancestors woke up, gathered Mannah and then they were done for the day. On Fridays, they would gather a double portion. Whatever they gathered would last the entire day, snacks included. Once B'nai Yisroel entered the land, there was no more Manna. So their first Shabbat in the Eretz Israel required them to make Challah. They had to take another step towards independence, towards maturity, towards growing up as a people, towards taking on more responsibility in their relationship with God.  Our ancestors had entered their "New Reality". From a kabbalistic /mystical perspective, the key symbolizes the access to the storehouse of God's blessings in this new reality. The key symbolized access to our own Neshamah and the prayers that emanate from our Neshamah when we pray. 

          As we put Pesach away and continue to confront and deal with our "new normal", may enjoy the first taste of this Schlissel Challah and use the key to continue opening the locked doors of our own souls. May we continue to unlock those obstacles that block us from connecting with our family, friends, community, and God.

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach,
Peace,
Rav Yitz

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