Emor

Before the Torah tells us about the Yomim Tovim, it once again tells us about Shabbos observance, וביום השביעי שבת שבתון מקרא קודש, and the seventh day is a day of complete rest, a calling of holiness.
Rashi asks, what does Shabbos have to do with the Yomim Tovim? He answers that it’s to teach us that when someone dishonors the Yomim Tovim, it’s as if he dishonored Shabbos. Conversely, When he honors the Yomim Tovim it’s as if he honored the Shabbos.
 
The Otzros Hatorah has a different reason why Shabbos is taught again right before the holidays. It’s normal for one to treat lightly something that they’re used to, but something that's not the norm will be more impressionable on a person. This is why the Torah put Shabbos with the holidays, to teach us that even though Shabbos comes to us every week we can't belittle it and make it inferior to the Yomim Tovim. Rather it’s even more prestigious and needs to be honored even more than the holidays.
 
The Ohr Hachaim says that the word ושמרוteaches us that we have to be waiting anxiously all week for the Shabbos and be happy when it comes. Similarly in Lecha Dodi we say לקראת שבת לכו ונלכה to welcome the shabbos go let us go. The word really should be בו, come instead of לכו, go. Rav Boruch Epstein explains that it changes the word to teach us that we are supposed to go out with enthusiasm and alacrity to greet the Shabbos and not just stumble into. Rather we should look forward and anticipate it and be ready for it.
How can we show that we are anticipating Shabbos and are anxious for it to come?
 
There's a story told about Rav Refael David Auerbach who once walked into the home of rav Chatzkle Abramsky early one friday morning and saw that the table was already set for Shabbos. The Challos, wine, and candlesticks were all laid out beautifully. Intrigued, he asked Rav Chatzkle if he always had the table set so early and was told the following story. The Ridvaz who was his wife's grandfather was once very sick and deteriorating quickly. The situation looked helpless, when the Ridvaz looked up to heaven and said, “Hashem what do you want from me?! I study your Torah, I do the Mitzvos, I even wrote a commentary on the whole Talmud yerushalmi! What more can I do?”
 
Then he remained silent and closed his eyes. After a long while he turned to his wife and said, would it be possible to accept upon ourselves to have the table set by the time I come home from shul on friday morning? That is very important in heaven and is what my recovery depends on. Of course she agreed, and he recovered.
Rav Chatzkle continued, this is the custom we have continued to follow. We always make sure to have the table set by friday morning.
 
Perhaps if we too take on this custom and set our tables on Friday morning, not only will it give our homes the Shabbos feel all day Friday, adding some calm to a hectic day, it will also show that we are preparing in advance and are eagerly awaiting and anticipating the arrival of Shabbos!