Rav Avigdor Miller on a Good Cholent is Better Than Moshiach

A:

It’s Eliyahu Hanavi you’re referring to. כבר מובטח להם לישראל שאין אליהו בא בערב — The Am Yisroel is promised that Eliyahu Hanavi won’t come to announce the good tidings of the geulah on Erev Shabbos (Eiruvin 43b). And the question is, why not?

Because the Shabbos is too important for us and we need time to prepare ma’adanim and ta’anugim for Shabbos. The recognition of chesed Hashem that the Shabbos seudos are intended for is too important. When you sit down on Shabbos to eat and you’re thinking, בדבר השם שמים נעשו – All this came by the word of Hashem. כי הוא אמר ויהי – He spoke and it came into existence. And while you’re thinking that, you’re eating. It’s a geshmaka sugya. A geshmaka chulent. You’re eating and enjoying it. 

That sugya has to be learned with cheishek and therefore Eliyahu has no business interfering with that. It’s too important. So on Erev Shabbos he won’t come. It would spoil the lesson of Shabbos if we were too busy to prepare tasty foods. And that lesson is so important that even Eliyahu Hanavi has to wait.

By the way, it’s a very important lesson and we should utilize that lesson. When you sit Shabbos and you’re enjoying the ma’achalim you should be thinking, “Boruch Hashem, that He gave us the Shabbos.” What a great blessing the Shabbos is for the Am Yisroel. 

And among the blessings is כי אות היא ביני וביניכם. The Shabbos is a special sign of recognition for the Am Yisroel. It’s a sign of kavod. Suppose a man came over to you and gave you a gold medal to hang on your chest. You’d be very excited. You’d wear it every day. Shabbos is a gold medal for us. And we’re so happy with it. 

And therefore you have to enjoy the Shabbos and feel what a kavod it is for the Am Yisroel. כי אות היא ביני וביניכם. And therefore Eliyahu Hanavi cannot come on Erev Shabbos and spoil the geshmakeit of that seudah.

TAPE # E-253