The Sanctity of Shabbat

Transcription

1 בס"ד The Sanctity of Shabbat From the Pri Tzaddik, by Reb Tzaddok HaCohen MiLublin Berayshit, Parshat Va'yaytzay, no. 3, pp Translated by David Derovan The Thesis ברכתו מכל הימים וקדשתו מכל " say, In the evening Shemonah Esray on Shabbat, we times." - You blessed it (Shabbat) above all days and sanctified it above all הזמנים Usually " זמנים - times" refers to the holiness of the " רגלים - major festivals," whose sanctity is included in the holiness of Shabbat. Pesach Thus, the sanctity of Pesach is connected to the redemption from Egypt and is found in the root of the sanctity of Shabbat, as it is written, "If only Israel would observe two Shabbatot according to the Halacha, they would be redeemed immediately" (Shabbat 118b). In the Tikunay Zohar (no. 21) we read, "The Early Ones said, `If only Israel would observe one Shabbat according to the Halacha, they would be redeemed immediately.'" "The Early Ones said" really hints at the above Gemara, for it is all one idea. The two Shabbatot are really one Shabbat, which is called [in the Chumash], " שבתותי -- My Shabbatot." Indeed, they understood that "you observe שבתותי -- My Shabbatot" as a reference to the dual sanctity, the higher Shabbat and the lower Shabbat. As the Zohar (pt. 1, 5a) comments on the verse, "My Shabtotai you should observe," "this hints at the.ה and the lower ה higher The lower ה is the revelation of the sovereignty of heaven ( שמים (מלכות in the souls of [the people of] Israel. From this [awareness], the awe/fear ( (יראה appears in the souls of [the people of] Israel, as it is written, "If I am the master, where is the fear of me?" The beginning of the Orchot Cha'yim states that when a Jew realizes that the King of Kings is standing above him, he is immediately overcome by fear and shame. This awe/fear is found in the heart. The Gemara (Yoma 72b) explains the verse, "To acquire wisdom, but the heart is lacking" (Mishlay 17), to mean those who study Torah, but lack awe/fear of heaven, which is called "heart." The higher ה is the characteristic of heartfelt understanding (" בינה בליבא - Bina B'Liba"), acquired when awe/fear has penetrated to the innermost part of the heart. The lower ה hints at the external awe/fear. According to the Rabbis, of blessed memory, this is an ignoramus' fear of Shabbat (Yerushalmi Demai), which resides in the external part of the heart. This is in consonance with their statement, "Whoever accepts the yoke of heaven has the yoke of labor ( ארץ (דרך removed from him" (Avot, ch. 3). Yet previously it states, "The study of Torah goes well with labor ( ארץ,(דרך for to toil in (דרך ארץ ( labor both drives away sin" (ibid. ch. 2), implying that both Torah study and are necessary. However, this [second quotation] applies after the damage was done by Adam, to whom God said, "By the sweat of your brow will you eat bread." Actually, 2011 David Jay Derovan Please feel free to share this essay with your friends and/or students Your comments, criticisms and suggestions are always welcome

2 this was for his own good, as it says, "Just as a man disciplines his son, so God, your Lord, disciplines you."... On Shabbat, the people of Israel have the yoke of labor ( ארץ (דרך removed from them, for they are warned against performing any profitable " מלאכה - Melakha" (literally, work) on Shabbat. The reason for this is their acceptance of the yoke of Torah, that includes Shabbat observance contained in the "You will remember" ( (זכור and "You will observe" ( (שמור which were given simultaneously (See Rosh HaShanah 27a). This [is explained by the fact that] "You will remember" ( (זכור is man's own awakening which actively draws down upon him the sanctity of Shabbat. In the Sifra (a.k.a Torat Kohanim, beginning of Bechukotai) we read: '.זכור`" Does this mean in one's heart? When it says 'שמור` (literally, guard), guarding it in one's heart is already implied. So what does 'זכור` mean? That it should be repeatedly mentioned." This refers to the praise mentioned in the Shabbat Kiddush, " אשר קדשנו - that You have sanctified us..." and - You have given us with love and desire Your holy ושבת קדשך באהבה וברצון הנחלתנו " Shabbat as our portion." before the [spiritual] deterioration ",לוחות " of was written on the first set "זכור " (caused by the sin of the Golden Calf). It was engraved on the " "לוחות [in a way] so that the words of Torah would be set permanently in the heart. Thus it would have been sufficient for the soul to remember verbally the sanctity which flows from above, thereby guarding it against being forgotten, for it (the heart) is a place without forgetfulness, as it is written in the Zohar. This changed after the deterioration (caused by the sin of the Golden Calf). [Then] it became necessary to guard it in our hearts ( (שמור every moment on the day of Shabbat, to prevent our heart from forgetting. For the tiniest action can obligate us to bring a sin offering (,(חטאת like the "poor man who puts out his hand..." (first Mishnah - מלאכה גרועה " a of Shabbat) [thus violating the Shabbat law] of "carrying" which is weak Melakha." By guarding the Shabbat in this manner, the totality of the souls of Israel accept upon themselves the yoke of Torah and as a result they lose the yoke of ".דרך ארץ " Since this [process] occurs in the outer layer of the heart, it is only functional דרך " of temporarily. Immediately after Shabbat, we once again are bound to the yoke sin." drives away (דרך ארץ - labor for "to toil in both (study of Torah and ",ארץ If only the people of Israel were to observe two Shabbatot, meaning that they were to implant in their inner heart the higher sanctity of Shabbat, [that which derives from] the " בינה בליבא - Bina B'Liba," then they would be redeemed totally, immediately. By truly accepting the yoke of Torah down to the innermost point of the heart, they would totally remove the yoke of servitude from their soul; meaning that all forms of pain and oppression [would be removed] from their holy souls. (מצירות ( oppressed - Egypt" for in each, Israel is מצרים " called All the exiles are (see Berayshit Rabba sec. 16). By acquiring Torah in the innermost point of the heart, then the total redemption will come for all the souls of Israel, something we hope will occur speedily, in our lifetime. In Avot D'Rabbi Natan (20:1) we read, "[Rabbi Chananya, S'gan of the Kohanim, said:] Whoever `places' the words of the Torah on his heart, has removed from him the evil thoughts of [murder, hunger, idiocy, sexual licentiousness, the evil inclination, adultery, petty things, and the flesh]." Eight kinds of evil thoughts are listed here and the statement ends with the quote from Tehilim (ch. 19), "The laws of God are straight, they make the heart happy; the Mitzvot of God are clear, they light up the eyes." This hints at the fact that one is saved from these eight evil thoughts when the words of Torah penetrate to the innermost point of the heart, to the " בינה בליבא - Bina B'Liba," the eighth level. For the eight characteristics in the heart are purified, from the sovereignty 2

3 of heaven ( שמים,(מלכות the lower,ה in the outer layer of the heart, all the way to up to the " בינה בליבא - Bina B'Liba," the higher,ה the inner heart. This is hinted at in the two verses, "they make the heart happy" and "they light up the eyes." For when indulging in evil thoughts, the Torah says, "Do not turn after your hearts, after your eyes" (Bamidbar ch. 15). [Concerning this] they said, "`After your hearts' refers to pagan thoughts; `after your eyes' refers to the thought of sinning. For the eye sees and then the heart desires" (Berachot 12b). However, when the words of Torah penetrate deep into the heart, then happiness is born in the heart and the eyes are illuminated so they see only the hand of God in each and every thing, as it says, "Lift your eyes up on high and see who creates all of this." It also says there (Avot D'Rabbi Natan 20:1), "whoever does not place the words of Torah on his heart" receives all eight kinds of evil thoughts. It concludes with a quote from Devarim (ch. 28), "Because you did not serve God, your Lord, with happiness and a good heart." This then is the essence of what is meant [by the above], that the service [to God] be in the innermost point of the heart, thus creating happiness in the heart. We are thereby redeemed from all the evil thoughts which oppress and hurt the soul. The special path to reach this point is the sanctity of Shabbat, which is a reminder of the.(זכר ליציאת מצרים ( Egypt exodus from Shavu'ot The sanctity of the holiday of Shavu'ot, "the time of the giving of our Torah," is also included in the sanctity of Shabbat [as indicated by the fact that] everyone agrees that the Torah was given to Israel on Shabbat. In the Sefer HaBahir it says, "He took a seventh [of the light (?)] and put it in its place, while the rest was hidden away for the Tzaddikim." On every Shabbat, the light, which was hidden away for the Tzaddikim in the World to Come, is revealed, for Shabbat is like " הבא ".עולם By the same token, this hidden light is also revealed in the Oral Law ( שבעל פה.(תורה Concerning this it says, "The Lord saw that the light (Oral Law - שבעל פה (תורה was good." Sukkot The sanctity of Sukkot [is also included in that of Shabbat.] On Sukkot was say, "the time of our happiness." Although the Mitzvah of happiness is applicable to all the holidays, it is even more important during Sukkot. For on Sukkot, happiness develops naturally from the revelation of His honored sovereignty during these holy days, as it בני ציון יגילו them; - Israel will be happy with He who made ישמח ישראל בעושיו " says, - the righteous שמחו צדיקים בה ' king; - the people of Zion will rejoice in their במלכם ones will be happy with God (Psalms 149)." On Shabbat as well, we say, " ישמחו במלכותך - They will be happy with your sovereignty (Siddur)." Even though there is no special Mitzvah to be happy on Shabbat, the happiness develops naturally from the revelation of His honored sovereignty, as it says, " וביום השביעי נתעלה וישב על כסא כבודו - On the seventh day, He rises and sits on וביום "` (Baha'alotkha), his honored throne (Siddur)." A similar idea is taught in the Sifre - And on the day of your happiness' these are the day of Shabbat." For then שמחתכם the happiness is wholly yours, in the essence of your soul, as it says, "I was happy in -ישמחו במלכותך " by (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah)." This is what is meant (יראה ( awe/fear my They will be happy with your sovereignty," through the acceptance of your sovereignty, which is awe/fear. 3

4 Yom Kippur The sanctity of the other holidays is also included in the sanctity of Shabbat. Another example is the sanctity of Yom Kippur that is expressed in the atonement for sins. This, too, is a unique aspect of Shabbat, as they said (Shabbat 118b) that even if he is an idol worshipper like Enosh, he is forgiven if he observes the Shabbat. Indeed, the Shabbat is greater than Yom Kippur in this respect. For there are four levels of atonement, including he who has desecrated God's name ( השם.(חילול [In this case, a lifetime of repentance and] Yom Kippurs are not sufficient to achieve atonement; yet on Shabbat, even an idol worshipper like Enosh is forgiven and this is certainly a desecration of God's name. Rosh HaShanah Even the sanctity of Rosh HaShanah [is included in the holiness of Shabbat]. Rosh HaShanah is the day of remembrance, when "your memory rises before me beneficently. How? With the Shofar" (Rosh HaShanah 16a). On Shabbat this also occurs. When Rosh HaShanah falls on Shabbat, it is unnecessary to raise our memory before God for our benefit with the blowing of the ויכל אלקים יום " says, Shofar, because Shabbat in its essence is a day of remembrance. It - The Lord ceased on the seventh day..." (Berayshit 2:2), which the Targum השביעי Yerushalmi translates as " וחמיד - he took delight." On Shabbat, all of creation finds favor and is a delight before God, as it says, "My world, My world, you should only delight Me at all times as you do now!" (Berayshit Rabbah Parasha 9). For this reason we say (in the Shabbat Shemonah Esray) " חמדת ימים אותו קראת - You have called it the most delightful of days." (See the commentary the Abudraham.) All day long on Shabbat, the delight [of Shabbat] brings before Him the activity of the six days of the week so it is remembered beneficently. This is the meaning of " זכר למעשה בראשית - a remembrance of the acts of creation" (Shabbat Shemonah Esray). The souls of the people of Israel guide this whole process, as it says, בראשית`" - in the beginning,' meaning for Israel, who are called ראשית` - the first.'" (See Rashi on Berayshit 1:1.) Sanctity and Blessing Concerning [the phrase] " ברכתו מכל הימים - You blessed it (Shabbat) above all days" (whether it refers to the fact that Shabbat is more blessed than all other days or to the fact that Shabbat contains all the blessing for all the other days of the week is irrelevant, for), it would seem that you do not find (in the episode of Creation, Berayshit ch. 1,) that a blessing is bestowed on any of days during the six days of the week. Only the fish and man are blessed. However, on Shabbat, a blessing is given to the very day itself, as it says, "the Lord blessed the seventh day" (Berayshit 2:3). This is to be understood according to what is written (Baba Metzi'a 107b) concerning the verse, "You will serve God, your Lord... את ה' אלקיכם "ועבדתם (Shemot שמונה- and to "Tefila" (i.e. the (קריאת שמע ( Shema 23:25). This refers to the saying of the Saying the Shema is [the equivalent of] Torah, as it says, reading the Shema is like.(עשרה reading from the Torah (see Berakhot 10b). By reciting the Shema every morning and evening, one fulfills the obligation that the Torah "never leave our mouths" (see Menachot 99b). As a result, "He will bless your bread and your water" (the continuation of Shemot 23:25), which refers to bread and salt and a jug of water (see Baba Metzi'a 107b), meaning that through the daily [involvement with] Torah and Tefila our daily meals are blessed, that every day a special blessing flows to a person's sustenance. This 4

5 is similar to what it says in the holy Zohar (pt. II, 62a) on the verse, "They will collect for each day, on each day" (Shemot 16:4), "a person does not have to cook food on one day for the next." [Similarly,] in the Mekhilta on this verse [it says,] "He who created this day, created its sustenance." The Siddur HaRav, in commenting on the verse, "one new moon after another new moon ( חודש בחדשו "(מדי (Isaiah 66:23), asks why does it repeat "new moon - comes from "renewal "חודש - moon It is possible to answer that the word "new "?בחדשו to hint that on each ",(בחדשו ( moon which is why it says "after another new ",התחדשות - "Rosh Chodesh ( חודש "(ראש there is a different renewal (.(התחדשות Just as each of the twelve months of the year has a different combination of God's name ( 'ה,(הוי a different "simple" letter [of the Hebrew alphabet] and a different "limb - "אבר (as is written in the Sefer Yetzirah), so, too, throughout the year, each "Rosh Chodesh ( חודש "(ראש has a new,.(התחדשות ( renewal different Similarly the words "one Shabbat after another Shabbat ( שבת בשבתו "(מדי (Isaiah 66:23) hint that every Shabbat there is a renewal of a new sanctity. For this reason each and every Shabbat is called a bride. Usually one becomes a bride once [at the wedding] and during the [following] seven days of celebration. Yet every Shabbat there is the light of a new, different sanctity. "(דבר יום ביומו ( day By the same token, the phrase "one day's thing after another indicates that no two days are equal in term of the divine flow of blessing, for God did not create two days the same, as it says (in the Siddur), "He who renews, in His goodness, always, every day, the acts of creation." The sustenance of each day belongs to that day only, to give man the wherewithal to live as needed on that day (Tanchuma? Toldot 41:8). This is also the straightforward ( (פשט meaning of this phrase, "one day's thing after another day ( יום ביומו ",(דבר everywhere it is used. For instance, "Do not deduct from one days bricks to the next day ( יום ביומו "(דבר (Shemot 5:19), means that no two days are exactly alike in length, so the number of bricks [to be produced] depends on the number of work hours each day. The verse, "You will serve God, your Lord... את ה' אלקיכם "ועבדתם (Shemot 23:25), teaches us that the renewed flow of divine blessing each day which provides each day's sustenance is dependent upon the renewal of the soul's service through Torah and Tefila. For before the giving of the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, renewed the acts of creation every day via the "new" Torah Halacha He taught each day in the heavenly court (see Berayshit Rabbah 49). After the giving of the Torah, the [daily] renewal of the Halacha was transferred to the souls of Israel. For this reason, the Torah scholars ( חכמים (תלמידי are called "builders," since they participate in the building of the world (see Shabbat 114a). Their daily "building" occurs when their souls taste something new in the Torah, beyond that which is the everyday habit. They derive this from the word, "You will serve ",ועבדתם i.e. the essence of service [to God] is the renewal of the soul's will beyond what is natural. This is similar to the comment regarding the difference between one who serves God and one who does not, that it is comparable to one who reviews his studies one hundred and one times as opposed to only reviewing one hundred times (see Chagiga 9b). In the Sefer HaTania, it is written that the norm is to review one hundred times, but עובד ( God the one extra time above the norm earns him the title of "one who serves will. for this indicates a renewal of ",(אלקים The same is true of Tefila. Each and every Shemonah Esray has something new in it, as we see in the writings of the R' Isaac Luria. The cleansing of one Shemonah Esray is unlike any other in its effect on the ascent of the divine worlds. The measure of the renewal of the flow of divine blessing into one's weekday sustenance is dependent upon the soul's daily renewal ( (התחדשות in Torah and Tefila. 5

6 ויברך אלקים את - day Concerning Shabbat, it says, "The Lord blessed the seventh Our Rabbi commented (see Berayshit Rabbah ad. loc.) that He blessed it ".יום השביעי with a double portion of manna on Erev Shabbat as well as with bread that has a different taste, smell and look (see the Mekhilta). On the basis of this, it says, "You blessed it (Shabbat) above all days - מכל הימים ",ברכתו meaning that all of the confluence of divine blessing from throughout the six days of the week which has flowed into the souls of Israel according to their Torah and Tefila "service" is gathered all together in the sanctity of the Shabbat day. As we have pointed out [previously], in the Friday night Shemonah Esray we say, "we rest on her (Shabbat)" in the feminine form, indicating the receipt of the blessing from the six days of the week. Yet during the morning Shemonah Esray we say, "we rest on him (Shabbat, as masculine)" meaning that the sanctity of Shabbat influences the flow of divine blessing to all of the six days of the coming week. This, too, is the meaning of "You blessed it (Shabbat) above all ".ברכתו מכל הימים - days 6