Syncing with the Almighty
by Rabbi Dovid Wachs
(Exodus 20:8-11) Remember the day of Shabbos to make it holy. For six days, you should work and do allof your melacha (skilled work) ...and on the seventh day, it is a Shabbos to God, do not do any work. you, your sons, your daughters, your servants, and your animals....for in six days, God made the heavens and the earth...and he rested on the 7thday."
In this week's Parsha, the Ten Commandments are given at Mt. Sinai. The fourthcommandment is to observe the Shabbos as cited above. When we look at the other nine commandments, however, they seem to be much more serious: To not believe in other Gods, to not swear in vain, to honor your parents, to not kill, kidnap, to not commit adultery, etc.
If it is true as many people believe, that Shabbos is a day of rest, how did a mere "day of rest" make it into this list?
I am not minimizing the importance of rest, but can we compare it to murder or adultery? Rabbi Aryeh Caplan, of blessed memory poses this question in one of his books. He also notes that the commandment that is repeated the most in the entire Torah is the commandment to observe the Shabbos. Isn't it odd that a command to rest should deserve so much attention?
Furthermore, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial and Nechemiah placed a great emphasis on Shabbos but hardly mentioned any other commandment in their writings.
And why does the verse say that we should remember Shabbos to make it "holy?" How can you make "rest" holy?
So it seems pretty clear that Shabbos is much more than a day of rest and relaxation. As the verse tells us, G-d made the worldin six daysand rested on the seventh day.
What does it mean, that G-d "rested on the seventh day?" It obviously cannot mean that G-d rested physically. It means, rather, that He stopped creating. He stopped asserting his creative powers to make the world and everything in it. We too then are supposed to emulate G-d and assert our mastery over the world during the six days, but on Shabbos, we are to cease from this creative transforming of nature around us.
Rabbi Dayan Grunfeld in his classic book, "The Sabbath," writes that the Hebrew word for "work" in the verse above is "melacha." This type of work describes man's mastery over the world by means of his intelligence and skill. The word that describes mere physical labor is "avodah." To rest from this "melacha" then is to not interfere with nature through creative types of activity. It is a state of peace between man and nature."
This is why orthodox Jews won't cook or even turn on a light switch on the Shabbos whereas they would be allowed to shlep heavy boxes across the room. The first activities are creative and transforming in nature; the second activies are not.
By refraining from "melacha" on Shabbos, I sync myself with my creator. I become mindful of G-d as the creator of the heaven and earth and of G-d as refraining from this creativity on the Shabbos day. Our Oral law, which is now written in the Talmud, teaches that there are 39 main categories of melacha that we desist from doing.
We make the day holy by eating three sumptuous meals with family and friends interspersed with holy songs, zmiros, and inspiring words of Torah. We bath ourselves and wear nice clothes to honor and sanctify the day. We light Shabbos candles, go to shul, make kiddush, and my favorite, eat challah.
I cannot imagine a time when traditional Shabbos rest is more critical than at the present.With the constant, incessant preoccupation with our smart phones, emails, and texting during the week, Shabbos becomes an island of tranquility and peace when those devices are off limits. It's the perfect "tech-detox." We can step off the rollercoaster for 24 hoursand focus on who we really are and what our priorities in life are. We can talk to our friends, spouses, and family without interruption. We have the opportunity to think about the Almighty without distraction. We can recharge our spiritual batteries by plugging into the weekly gift of Shabbos.
In a more mystical sense, to the degree that one observes Shabbos, the more its holiness permeates the entire week.Sunday,Monday, and Tuesday become infused from the holiness of the previous Shabbos.Wednesday, Thursday, andFridaybecome filled with the anticipatory holiness of the upcoming Shabbos.
Shabbos is like the heart that pumps out brocha and spiritual radiance to the entire week. It is truly the source of blessing. It is for these reasons and many more, that Shabbos is mentioned so often in the Torah and takes its rightful place among the Ten Commandments.
Have a Good Shabbos!