As we know Shabbos is the day of “rest” Hashem created the world in six days and at the end of day six Hashem saw that the creation was done to perfection but one thing was missing. What was missing? The sages tell us that “Rest” was missing.
Therefore Hashem rested on the seventh day & Hashem commended us & gave us the Holy Shabbos a day of rest, so the seventh day of the week is the day of rest.
But in the zohar we find that Shabbos is the beginning of the new week all blessings are in the Shabbos before the six days of work of the new week. As we say in Licho Dodi Towards Shabbos let’s go because she's the source of the blessings.
So now we understand that Shabbos has two meanings firstly it’s the day of rest a person works very hard six days he has no time to unite with his family a person has no time all week to spend time in Shul learning & praying to the Almighty. The second meaning of Shabbos is that Shabbos is the day that has all the blessings of the week ahead to come.
The last Shabbos of the year is the last Shabbos of 5781 that finishes off the last year but also as the holy books write that the beginning of the entire year since that Rosh Hashana is in the week after this Shabbos.
So what’s our job on this Shabbos?
The last Shabbos of the year the day we rest we can look back & thank Hashem the Almighty for all he has done for us our health our wealth and all that we have is only from Hashem & we owe appreciation and thank Hashem for all he has done. On the other hand Rosh Hashana is the day that Hashem created the world it’s the day of the Inauguration of the Kingdom of the almighty. A person that wants to be one of the people who will Inaugurate the almighty needs to better himself and take upon himself great acceptance of the yoke of Heaven.
So as the last Shabbos approaches we are ending the past year & we are having the blessings of the new year we should strengthen our observance of the Shabbos enjoying our families being closer to Hashem & follow the rules of Shabbos and that will get us ready to be part of the inauguration of Hashem & get the light and the blessings of Hashem for a good and sweet year!
Rabbi Dovid Katz is the Executive Director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America and Rosh Kollel and Dean of Kollel Ayshel Avraham