White Garments on Shabbat – How We Were Saved from Bilam's Curses

White Garments on Shabbat – How We Were Saved from Bilam's Curses

the Ari HaKadosh taught that a person effects a great and wondrous tikkun on erev Shabbat, both for his body and for the worlds, by bathing in hot water in the following order: face – hands – body – from top to bottom. After bathing, one should put on Shabbat garments – special, beautiful clothing for prayer. the Ari HaKadosh taught that a person should have four elements of white clothing for Shabbat: an outer garment, an undergarment, a belt, and a robe. The Midrash Reuveni explains that the garments a person wears on Shabbat are the garments he will wear in Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come). The Talmud, in Tractate Shabbat, says that a person should wear 18 garments (corresponding through gematria to chai, “alive”; some say this means three sets of clothing for Shabbat). The Midrash reveals that we learn this from the story of Bilam, when Balak asked him to curse the Jews (chas ve-shalom). Bilam replied: “How can I curse them when they are wearing Shabbat garments?” From this we learn that Shabbat garments protect against curses. At the same time, Shabbat garments may not be worn on weekdays. Moreover, it is said that white garments on Shabbat atone for the sin of gilui arayot – forbidden sexual relations. The Sages wonder how such a serious sin, punishable by karet, can be atoned for in this way. It is known that in the case of the punishment of karet, repentance by itself does not help; it merely postpones the punishment. Only suffering and death (chas ve-shalom) bring atonement. If a person repents before putting on his white Shabbat garments, then his suffering and troubles are diminished and eased. There is an opinion that Cain was the first person to repent, and that this is why Hashem forgave him. Since Cain's repentance was accepted in the merit of Shabbat (everything took place on the eve of Shabbat), Adam Ha-Rishon recited Psalm 92, the Psalm of Shabbat. Cain was exiled, and Adam gave him special garments for his exile – the garments of Nimrod. Here we can trace the connection between repentance, garments, and Shabbat. Before putting on Shabbat garments, one repents (confesses the sin and promises not to repeat it), and then recites a prayer – a verse from Yeshayahu (54:17).   Prayer Before Putting on Shabbat Garments:   כָּל כְּלִי יוּצַר עָלַיִךְ לֹא יִצְלָח וְכָל לָשׁוֹן תָּקוּם אִתָּךְ לַמִּשְׁפָּט תַּרְשִׁיעִי זֹאת נַחֲלַת עַבְדֵי יְהוָה וְצִדְקָתָם מֵאִתִּי נְאֻם יְהוָה: “Kol kli yutzar alayikh lo yitzlach ve-khol lashon takum itakh la-mishpat tarshi'i zot nakhalat avdei Ado-nai ve-tzidkatam me-iti – ne'um Ado-nai” – (Any weapon fashioned against you will not succeed, and you will prevail against every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of G-d, and their righteousness is from Me – the word of G-d.) The Midrash Pliyah (the wondrous Midrash) explains that the custom of reciting this particular verse before putting on Shabbat garments arose because Bilam was unable to curse the Jews because they were wearing Shabbat garments: “Any weapon fashioned against you will not succeed, and you will prevail against every tongue that rises against you in judgment.” The Sages promise women who put on their special Shabbat garments before lighting the candles that they will be happy.   (Based on a lesson by Rabbi Alexander Tzvi Sypkov, “Segulot of Shabbat – Garments”)