Chasidut על שבת 236:4
Kedushat Levi
When we keep this in mind we may be better able to understand a strange statement in Shabbat 118 according to which if the entire Jewish people were to observe just two consecutive Sabbath days properly the messiah would arrive immediately. The Talmud quotes Isaiah 56,4-7 in support of this; we read thereכה אמר ה' לסריסים אשר ישמרו את שבתותי.....והביאותים אל הר קדשי ושמחתים בבית תפלתי, “thus says the Lord, as for the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,………I will bring them to My sacred Mountain and let them rejoice in My House of Prayer, etc.” Why did the Talmud choose to interpret Isaiah’s words as applying to the observance of two Sabbaths? Why would not the collective observance by all the Israelites of a single Sabbath suffice to bring on the redemption?
We have a rule that there is a spiritual awakening that occurs in the “lower” regions of the universe, just as there is a parallel spiritual awakening originating in the celestial regions. Translated loosely, the difference between these two “awakenings” is their origin. Spiritual awakenings can be the result of good deeds performed by man here on earth, or they can be the result of inspiration from above.
[I have heard that the difference between a psalm commencing with the words לדוד מזמור, and one commencing with מזמור לדוד, is that in the former the holy spirit had already entered David before he commenced composing, whereas in the latter type he commenced composing, as a result of which he was granted holy spirit. Ed.]
Whereas it is easy to understand the merit accruing to us if we by our own efforts decided to observe the Sabbath in deed and thought, the question is why we deserve credit when our Sabbath observance was inspired by G’d and not by our own efforts? We must remember that when G’d favours us with the inspiration to observe the Sabbath, (or some other commandment) He does so because of something good we must have done or our forefathers must have done. We have pointed out repeatedly that G’d “takes pride” in His creatures having performed the commandments. He does so when they did so without having to be prompted. This is proof that they did so enthusiastically. As a result of such enthusiasm by the person or persons or congregations when they perform G’d’s commandments, G’d is encouraged to provide stimulus for further mitzvah performance. [This is what the sages in Avot 4,2 call שכר מצוה מצוה, “the reward for performance of a commandment is the encouragement provided with the help of heaven to perform additional commandments.” Ed.] G’d’s largesse need not necessarily manifest itself in material benefits but it can take the form of human beings becoming endowed with greater intellectual capacity as a result of which they will desire to observe more commandments and with greater enthusiasm.
When the Talmud spoke about the observance of two Sabbaths being a requisite for the redemption following immediately on the heels of these two Sabbaths, the Talmud referred to the second such Sabbath being the result of G’d having inspired the people so that they can intensify the Sabbath observance and do so with greater enthusiasm than when they observed the first of these Sabbaths. When we attain the level of awareness so that we please the Creator by the way in which we observe His commandments, we truly deserve to be redeemed.
We have a rule that there is a spiritual awakening that occurs in the “lower” regions of the universe, just as there is a parallel spiritual awakening originating in the celestial regions. Translated loosely, the difference between these two “awakenings” is their origin. Spiritual awakenings can be the result of good deeds performed by man here on earth, or they can be the result of inspiration from above.
[I have heard that the difference between a psalm commencing with the words לדוד מזמור, and one commencing with מזמור לדוד, is that in the former the holy spirit had already entered David before he commenced composing, whereas in the latter type he commenced composing, as a result of which he was granted holy spirit. Ed.]
Whereas it is easy to understand the merit accruing to us if we by our own efforts decided to observe the Sabbath in deed and thought, the question is why we deserve credit when our Sabbath observance was inspired by G’d and not by our own efforts? We must remember that when G’d favours us with the inspiration to observe the Sabbath, (or some other commandment) He does so because of something good we must have done or our forefathers must have done. We have pointed out repeatedly that G’d “takes pride” in His creatures having performed the commandments. He does so when they did so without having to be prompted. This is proof that they did so enthusiastically. As a result of such enthusiasm by the person or persons or congregations when they perform G’d’s commandments, G’d is encouraged to provide stimulus for further mitzvah performance. [This is what the sages in Avot 4,2 call שכר מצוה מצוה, “the reward for performance of a commandment is the encouragement provided with the help of heaven to perform additional commandments.” Ed.] G’d’s largesse need not necessarily manifest itself in material benefits but it can take the form of human beings becoming endowed with greater intellectual capacity as a result of which they will desire to observe more commandments and with greater enthusiasm.
When the Talmud spoke about the observance of two Sabbaths being a requisite for the redemption following immediately on the heels of these two Sabbaths, the Talmud referred to the second such Sabbath being the result of G’d having inspired the people so that they can intensify the Sabbath observance and do so with greater enthusiasm than when they observed the first of these Sabbaths. When we attain the level of awareness so that we please the Creator by the way in which we observe His commandments, we truly deserve to be redeemed.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 31,16. “the Children of Israel are to observe the Sabbath, etc.;” this verse helps us understand a statement by the Talmud in Shabbat< 118 according to which “if the Jewish people were only to observe two Sabbaths the Messiah would already have come.” When an Israelite observes the Sabbath properly, the spiritual uplift derived from that experience will leave its mark during the six weekdays following, so that in effect he has observed two Sabbaths, i.e. on the day that G’d had sanctified at the end of His creative activity, and the one to which His creatures, have given sanctity during the days following. Not only that; if one has served G’d during the six working days, “observing” the negative commandments of the Sabbath on the following Sabbath becomes very much easier. As a result, he will almost automatically observe every Sabbath in the future also and be looking forward to it.
When we keep these considerations in mind we will also have less difficulty in answering a question posed in the Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 1,1 that even the observance by the Jewish people of a single Sabbath is sufficient to usher in the messianic age. [The question raised by the reader of this statement is if the Jerusalem Talmud disagrees with the Babylonian Talmud in Shabbat 118 that we quoted previously. Ed.] What the Jerusalem Talmud means is simply that once the first Sabbath has been observed optimally, observing the next Sabbath is so easy that it represents no additional achievement in terms of overcoming Satan’s attempts to deflect us from our purpose. At any rate, essentially it is the collective observance by the Jewish people of a single Sabbath which will result in the messiah coming shortly thereafter. This is the meaning of the words: ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת לעשות את השבת, “the Children of Israel are to observe the Sabbath to ‘“make it into a Sabbath.’”
When we keep these considerations in mind we will also have less difficulty in answering a question posed in the Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 1,1 that even the observance by the Jewish people of a single Sabbath is sufficient to usher in the messianic age. [The question raised by the reader of this statement is if the Jerusalem Talmud disagrees with the Babylonian Talmud in Shabbat 118 that we quoted previously. Ed.] What the Jerusalem Talmud means is simply that once the first Sabbath has been observed optimally, observing the next Sabbath is so easy that it represents no additional achievement in terms of overcoming Satan’s attempts to deflect us from our purpose. At any rate, essentially it is the collective observance by the Jewish people of a single Sabbath which will result in the messiah coming shortly thereafter. This is the meaning of the words: ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת לעשות את השבת, “the Children of Israel are to observe the Sabbath to ‘“make it into a Sabbath.’”
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Keeping such considerations in mind, we can understand the comment in the Talmud Beytzah 16 that with the onset of the Sabbath the Jew enjoys the presence within him of an additional “soul.” This additional soul is taken away again at the end of the Sabbath. The Talmud bases itself on the word וינפש in Exodus 31,17, where G’d’s state of mind on the first Sabbath after the six days of creation has been described as וינפש, “He was endowed with a soul.” Since G’d most likely had a “soul” during the six days of creation also, this word must refer to an additional soul. [Rashi (in his commentary there on the Talmud as opposed to his commentary on the Torah) understands the word as the regret experienced at the departure of the additional “soul.” Ed.] It is peculiar that according to the text in the Talmud, the sense of loss felt by the soul on the Sabbath was due to its owner observing rest on the Sabbath, whereas in fact this sense of loss surely was due to the loss of the additional soul at the end of the Sabbath? We must therefore resolve this puzzle by falling back on the Talmud in Shabbat 118 where we are told that if only the Israelites were to observe two consecutive Sabbaths in all its details the messiah would come immediately. In another place we are told if only all Israelites had observed the first Sabbath [in the desert at Marah (Exodus 17,20)] they would have been redeemed at once. In order to reconcile these two statements we must remember that the meaning of the word שבת is not only “to rest,” but it also means “to return, i.e. to repent.” The three root letters תשב when read in this order spell the word “teshuva.” This is a clear allusion that the Sabbath is meant to facilitate repentance. This repentance involves recognition that the objectives pursued during the six working days were in the main the pursuit of transient values as opposed to the enduring values that the Sabbath is to help us pursue by our abstaining from the “rat race” that we are part of during the week. When the Israelite becomes aware of this during the course of the Sabbath, he naturally bemoans the departure of the additional spiritual dimension that he had enjoyed during the Sabbath, the dimension the Talmud calls נשמה יתרה, an additional soul. The Israelite bemoans the fact that he does not enjoy this additional spiritual dimension during the six days he must face at the end of making הבדלה, the ritual signifying the departure of the Sabbath. In light of this, we understand that the Israelites require two Sabbath “days” in order to secure the arrival of the Messiah. The first Sabbath will serve as the day when they will do teshvuvah, after which they will understand the significance of this day for their spiritual well being. The “second” Sabbath will teach them to enjoy the additional spiritual dimension that concentrating on the study of the Torah brings with it. (On the same day).
When the Jewish people left Egypt in great haste, בחפזון, as stated by the Torah, (Deuteronomy 16,3) they were not in the frame of mind to appreciate such lofty concepts, seeing that according to all our sources they had descended to the 49th level of impurity, and if they had descended one more rung they would have been beyond redemption. They had been in a state where they greatly enjoyed the taste of the forbidden, the abominable in G’d’s eyes. Hence G’d said to them: “I am the One Who takes you out from this moral morass,” i.e. the סבלות מצרים. G’d promised that henceforth they would no longer find these abominations enjoyable but would shun them like death. Instead they would learn to enjoy spiritually uplifting experiences such as the study of G’d’s Torah and observance of its commandments. They would find satisfaction in prayer and the fact that G’d listens to their prayers, and responds positively to their good deeds. It is clear therefore that at that junction in their lives Moses had to address them by using the formula כה אמר ה', as they had not yet qualified for the benefits of prophecy from the lofty platform represented by זה, a communication from G’d directly without screen. Once they had ascended to far higher spiritual levels they would indeed be addressed by prophecies that had come to Moses under the heading of זה.
When the Jewish people left Egypt in great haste, בחפזון, as stated by the Torah, (Deuteronomy 16,3) they were not in the frame of mind to appreciate such lofty concepts, seeing that according to all our sources they had descended to the 49th level of impurity, and if they had descended one more rung they would have been beyond redemption. They had been in a state where they greatly enjoyed the taste of the forbidden, the abominable in G’d’s eyes. Hence G’d said to them: “I am the One Who takes you out from this moral morass,” i.e. the סבלות מצרים. G’d promised that henceforth they would no longer find these abominations enjoyable but would shun them like death. Instead they would learn to enjoy spiritually uplifting experiences such as the study of G’d’s Torah and observance of its commandments. They would find satisfaction in prayer and the fact that G’d listens to their prayers, and responds positively to their good deeds. It is clear therefore that at that junction in their lives Moses had to address them by using the formula כה אמר ה', as they had not yet qualified for the benefits of prophecy from the lofty platform represented by זה, a communication from G’d directly without screen. Once they had ascended to far higher spiritual levels they would indeed be addressed by prophecies that had come to Moses under the heading of זה.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy