By the way, what is the reward for making Shabbos enjoyable? The P'nei Yitzchak Zuta quotes Chazal (Shabbos 118b): for just enjoying Shabbos, one is granted his heartfelt requests. A win-win situation if there ever was one.
I'd like to drill down on that a little deeper. A certain chassid (not a fashion statement in those days, just someone scrupulous in his mitzvah observance and always looking to go beyond the letter of the law) had himself checked the knife of the shochet and could feel a tiny nick in the blade. The shochet could not feel it, nor could the mashgiach. This chassid wanted to know if he was allowed to refrain from eating the meat, or -- since a Jew eating the meat of a kosherly slaughtered animal is part of the perfection of that animal -- was he required to eat the meat even though he personally had felt the nick?
The Beis Yaakov addressed the question and prefaced his final p'sak with: (1) perfection of the animal is never a reason to risk the perfection of your own soul, and (2) the Torah wasn't given to angels, so the meat was perfectly kosher. (That is: the rules about how to check knives are for people with normal nerves. The fact that he had an extraordinary sense of feeling did not render the slaughter invalid.) The final p'sak of the Beis Yaakov was that as an expression of his מידת חסידות/scrupulous piety, this chassid had the right to be stringent except on Shabbos and Yom Tov, as he would then be abrogating the fulfillment a mitzvah if he didn't eat meat.
Full disclosure: I discussed that p'sak with R' Fuerst. There is no obligation to eat meat on Shabbos. The mitzvah is to enjoy Shabbos (more on that below). In fact, if you prefer to fast, go for it (Shulchan Aruch, O. Ch. 288:2). Yom Tov, though, there is a mitzvah to eat meat when we have the Beis HaMikdash; May it be rebuilt soon and in our lifetime. Nowadays there certainly is a Torah obligation of שמחה/joy and there is a strong custom to associate that with eating meat and drinking wine. However, if you prefer ravioli, go for it (Darkei T'shuva to Shulchan Aruch, Yore Deah 89).
Back to the main point: The Pnei Yitzchak Zuta (the depth and breadth of s'farim that are available at Kollel Zichron Eliyahu in Peterson Park is absolutely amazing) is intrigued by a point made in the p'sak of the Beis Yaakov. Namely, that the chassid is permitted to refrain from eating the meat during the week, but on Shabbos and Yom Tov he must eat the meat. The Pnei Yitzchak Zuta asks: if the point is that there is reason to be nervous about the kashrus of the meat and therefore may/should refrain from eating it during the week, then why is he allowed/required to eat it on Shabbos? On the other hand, if the meat is 100% kosher without doubt, and therefore he is allowed/required to eat it on Shabbos, then why can't he eat it during the week? This is a classic מִמָּה נַפְשָׁךְ -- either way seems to be a problem.
Says the Pnei Yitzchak Zuta: Let's say there really is a halachically significant nick in the knife, but the shochet and mashgiach just didn't feel it. Still, maybe the trachea and most of the esophagus will already be cut through, so the slaughter is already kosher. And even if the nick in the knife does manage to be used before that happens, maybe the shochet will turn the knife just a little and the nick won't actually tear anything -- again rendering the meat 100% kosher. We are now in a situation where without the chassid's extra sensitive thumbnail, we wouldn't even know that there is a concern. Even with that concern, however, the meat may very well be 100% kosher. That, says the Pnei Yitzchak Zuta, is the situation in which the Beis Yaakov distinguishes between Shabbos (and Yom Tov) and weekdays.
Why? Chazal tell us (Shabbos 118b): אמר רב יהודה אמר רב כל המענג את השבת נותנין לו משאלות לבו/Rav Yehuda says in the name of Rav: Whoever delights in the Shabbos is granted the wishes of his heart. The fact that this chassid is eating the meat on Shabbos only because he wants to delight in the Shabbos as evidenced that he does not eat that meat during the week is granted the wishes of his heart. Obviously one of this chassid's heartfelt wishes is to eat only 100% kosher meat. This Chazal guarantees that the meat he gets will be absolutely free of any questions or concerns. Brilliant.
How far can you take this Chazal and apply it to your own life/Shabbos enjoyment? I have no idea. Still, I think the concept is so compellingly beautiful. The Maharshah further explains the expression משאלות לבו/heartfelt requests means that HaShem will grant even for those things that don't come to conscious requests. Just for keeping and enjoying Shabbos. I'll say it again -- a win/win situation if there ever was one!
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