Chasidut for Exodus 20:8
זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 28,12. “Hashem will open for you His bounteous store, the heavens.” Although we have a statement by our sages in B’rachot 33 that G’d’s only “possessions” in His treasure chambers are the four cubits of “halachah,” i.e. reverence for Him displayed by meticulous observance of the laws of the Torah, [a statement based on Deuteronomy 10,12, Ed.], we also have a rule that although man’s spiritual journey in this world commences with a dose of reverence and awe for Hashem, this is followed by a feeling of pleasure which proves to have been “hidden” within the folds of the garment called יראה, awe. The reason why this is so is that had service of the Lord commenced with feelings of pleasure, its ethical value would have been null and void, as “serving” the Lord would have been turned into an entirely pleasurable act, not something that is the result of choosing this option in the knowledge that the alternative appeared to offer more immediate rewards. This is the reason why the pleasurable aspects of practicing reverence and awe for the Lord need to be hidden during life on this earth. When man “tires himself out” during a lifetime of service to his Creator, then G’d will open His treasure chamber in the heavens so that he will enjoy pleasure. This has been alluded to in the words of Isaiah 33,6 where the prophet said: יראת ה' היא אוצרו,”reverence for the Lord –that was her treasure. (Zion’s)
The word אוצר, usually translated as “treasure, or granary,” applies to something stored out of sight, hidden. This “treasure” normally concealed inside the attribute of יראה, “fear, awe,” will be released openly, i.e. in due course G’d will “open” these treasures previously kept hidden as a result of the recipient having served the Lord loyally. Our verse therefore concludes with the simile of beneficial rainfall, i.e. G’d’s treasures being openly revealed to the Jewish people as well as the world at large as His gift to them. [During early Jewish history, when Yitzchok, in a year of famine, and although not a farmer by vocation, could plant and his harvest was 100 fold the harvest in normal years, this convinced the Philistines to remain on good terms with him. (Genesis 26,12-14, and 26-31) Ed.] This is also the reason why the Torah once decrees that we observe the Sabbath by writing: זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, “remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, (Exodus 20,8) and another time שמור את יום השבת לקדשו, “observe the Sabbath Day to keep it holy;” (Deuteronomy 5,12). The first time reference is made to serving the Lord by your actively observing the Sabbath; the second time it refers to the time when you will be passive, i.e. receive the reward for having observed the Sabbath here on earth.
The word אוצר, usually translated as “treasure, or granary,” applies to something stored out of sight, hidden. This “treasure” normally concealed inside the attribute of יראה, “fear, awe,” will be released openly, i.e. in due course G’d will “open” these treasures previously kept hidden as a result of the recipient having served the Lord loyally. Our verse therefore concludes with the simile of beneficial rainfall, i.e. G’d’s treasures being openly revealed to the Jewish people as well as the world at large as His gift to them. [During early Jewish history, when Yitzchok, in a year of famine, and although not a farmer by vocation, could plant and his harvest was 100 fold the harvest in normal years, this convinced the Philistines to remain on good terms with him. (Genesis 26,12-14, and 26-31) Ed.] This is also the reason why the Torah once decrees that we observe the Sabbath by writing: זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, “remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, (Exodus 20,8) and another time שמור את יום השבת לקדשו, “observe the Sabbath Day to keep it holy;” (Deuteronomy 5,12). The first time reference is made to serving the Lord by your actively observing the Sabbath; the second time it refers to the time when you will be passive, i.e. receive the reward for having observed the Sabbath here on earth.
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Kedushat Levi
Exodus 20,8 “keep remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” In the review of the Ten Commandments by Moses in Deuteronomy 5,12 the Torah writes: שמור את יום השבת לקדשו, “observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
[Moses there adds the apparently unnecessary words: כאשר צוך ה' אלוקיך, “just as the Lord your G’d has commanded you.” Apparently, aware of the slight variation in the text from our verse, Moses reassures the people that this is not a deviation. Ed.]
[Most students in elementary school are already familiar with the line in the hymn of לכה דודי that שמור וזכור בדבור אחד השמיענו א-ל המיוחד, “shamor and zachor the One and only G’d has let us hear as a single word.” Ed.] The source of the words in the hymn are found already in the Talmud Rosh Hashanah 27. The deeper meaning of this somewhat enigmatic statement is that the commandments of the Torah may be divided into two parts; 1) the actual physical performance of the commandment; 2) awareness at the time of performance of the underlying intention of the Creator when He gave us this commandment.. The qualitative difference between these two aspects of the commandment is that only the performance is of the essence, the underlying intention of G’d when formulating the commandment is secondary.
There is, however an exception to this rule, and this exception is the commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy. In this instance the Torah clearly spelled out what our thoughts must be when observing the Sabbath properly, i.e. the fact that it is a testimonial of G’d having created the universe in the 6 days preceding the first Sabbath. When a Jew refrains from doing any of the activities which are forbidden on the Sabbath but he fails to reflect on the fact that the sanctity of this day is due to G’d having bidden us to remember that he created the universe in the 6 days preceding the original Sabbath, such a Jew has not observed the commandment of “keeping the Sabbath.” Seeing that the זכירה, “the remembering,” primarily by reciting the Kiddush is an integral part of the Sabbath is cited first shows that as opposed to the other positive commandments where the performance by the body is the primary element, this is not the case in respect of the commandment of the Sabbath. The very expression זכר למעשה בראשית, “in commemoration of the process of creation,” (on several occasions (in both the shacharit and mussaph prayers) is proof that our sages viewed this element of the Sabbath day as an essential part thereof, no less so than the abstention from the type of work that G’d “rested” from, i.e. וינפש, on the original Sabbath of creation. The Sabbath is the symbol of our faith that G’d preceded the universe and therefore is the only Being in the universe deserving to be worshipped as Deity.
[Moses there adds the apparently unnecessary words: כאשר צוך ה' אלוקיך, “just as the Lord your G’d has commanded you.” Apparently, aware of the slight variation in the text from our verse, Moses reassures the people that this is not a deviation. Ed.]
[Most students in elementary school are already familiar with the line in the hymn of לכה דודי that שמור וזכור בדבור אחד השמיענו א-ל המיוחד, “shamor and zachor the One and only G’d has let us hear as a single word.” Ed.] The source of the words in the hymn are found already in the Talmud Rosh Hashanah 27. The deeper meaning of this somewhat enigmatic statement is that the commandments of the Torah may be divided into two parts; 1) the actual physical performance of the commandment; 2) awareness at the time of performance of the underlying intention of the Creator when He gave us this commandment.. The qualitative difference between these two aspects of the commandment is that only the performance is of the essence, the underlying intention of G’d when formulating the commandment is secondary.
There is, however an exception to this rule, and this exception is the commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy. In this instance the Torah clearly spelled out what our thoughts must be when observing the Sabbath properly, i.e. the fact that it is a testimonial of G’d having created the universe in the 6 days preceding the first Sabbath. When a Jew refrains from doing any of the activities which are forbidden on the Sabbath but he fails to reflect on the fact that the sanctity of this day is due to G’d having bidden us to remember that he created the universe in the 6 days preceding the original Sabbath, such a Jew has not observed the commandment of “keeping the Sabbath.” Seeing that the זכירה, “the remembering,” primarily by reciting the Kiddush is an integral part of the Sabbath is cited first shows that as opposed to the other positive commandments where the performance by the body is the primary element, this is not the case in respect of the commandment of the Sabbath. The very expression זכר למעשה בראשית, “in commemoration of the process of creation,” (on several occasions (in both the shacharit and mussaph prayers) is proof that our sages viewed this element of the Sabbath day as an essential part thereof, no less so than the abstention from the type of work that G’d “rested” from, i.e. וינפש, on the original Sabbath of creation. The Sabbath is the symbol of our faith that G’d preceded the universe and therefore is the only Being in the universe deserving to be worshipped as Deity.
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Kedushat Levi
Exodus 20,9.“during six consecutive days you are to labour , (in the mundane sense of the word) and carry out all your activities, and the seventh day shall be a Sabbath for the Lord your G’d;” this verse may be understood best with the help of B’reshit Rabbah 2,2 on the words: ויברך ויקדש אותו (Genesis 2,3) who explains the word ויברך אותו, “He blessed it,” as referring to the double portion of manna that descended on the eve of the Sabbath, and the word ויקדש, “He sanctified it,” as referring to the absence of the manna on that day.
It is common knowledge that different people act differently when they have something to say. Some, in order to get what they have to say, “off their chest,” say whatever they have to say without pauses, others insert pauses where appropriate during which time they mentally phrase what they will say next. This is reflected in how we relate to the 6 workdays of the week and to the Sabbath. During the six working days we try to accomplish whatever it is that we wish to accomplish without allowing for pauses, which we consider a waste of time. Not so, on the Sabbath, a day on which our “work” if it may be described as such, is primarily performed by the mind, i.e. the formulating of thoughts. This is why the manna could not descend to the physical world, עולם העשיה on the Sabbath, seeing that the Sabbath, intrinsically, is not part of that “world.” It is devoted to maintain our unbroken connection to the אין סוף and with other segments of the celestial worlds. The inhabitants of these regions, by definition, cannot appear, i.e. reveal their true nature, in our domain, so that even when an angel “visits” the terrestrial regions, this is not to be understood as a התגלות, revealing its nature to us. These “semi-revelations can occur only on weekdays.” On the Sabbath the means of communication with the celestial domains is restricted to our brain, i.e. through the appropriate thoughts. The statement quoted above i.e. ברכו במן וקדשו במן “He blessed it through the manna and sanctified it through the manna,” therefore must be understood as: the blessing descending on the manna (which had fallen on the previous day). The מחשבה, thought, is the precursor of the דבור, the word, i.e. benediction recited over wine on the Sabbath gives meaning to the manna on that day. Without it the manna on that day would not be an expression of G’d’s blessing. The Sabbath being “a Sabbath for the Lord,“ therefore means that we His creatures give meaning to this day by sanctifying it. The manna, i.e. the concept of manna, having been blessed by the Jewish people observing the Sabbath by mouth and by deed, prepares the conditions during the six days of the week for the manna to descend on earth again as G’d’s expression of His largess for His people. Proper observance of te Sabbath conveys to us emotionally that the day is one on which we reconnect with our spiritual origin, the אין סוף, the eternal essence of the Creator.
It is common knowledge that different people act differently when they have something to say. Some, in order to get what they have to say, “off their chest,” say whatever they have to say without pauses, others insert pauses where appropriate during which time they mentally phrase what they will say next. This is reflected in how we relate to the 6 workdays of the week and to the Sabbath. During the six working days we try to accomplish whatever it is that we wish to accomplish without allowing for pauses, which we consider a waste of time. Not so, on the Sabbath, a day on which our “work” if it may be described as such, is primarily performed by the mind, i.e. the formulating of thoughts. This is why the manna could not descend to the physical world, עולם העשיה on the Sabbath, seeing that the Sabbath, intrinsically, is not part of that “world.” It is devoted to maintain our unbroken connection to the אין סוף and with other segments of the celestial worlds. The inhabitants of these regions, by definition, cannot appear, i.e. reveal their true nature, in our domain, so that even when an angel “visits” the terrestrial regions, this is not to be understood as a התגלות, revealing its nature to us. These “semi-revelations can occur only on weekdays.” On the Sabbath the means of communication with the celestial domains is restricted to our brain, i.e. through the appropriate thoughts. The statement quoted above i.e. ברכו במן וקדשו במן “He blessed it through the manna and sanctified it through the manna,” therefore must be understood as: the blessing descending on the manna (which had fallen on the previous day). The מחשבה, thought, is the precursor of the דבור, the word, i.e. benediction recited over wine on the Sabbath gives meaning to the manna on that day. Without it the manna on that day would not be an expression of G’d’s blessing. The Sabbath being “a Sabbath for the Lord,“ therefore means that we His creatures give meaning to this day by sanctifying it. The manna, i.e. the concept of manna, having been blessed by the Jewish people observing the Sabbath by mouth and by deed, prepares the conditions during the six days of the week for the manna to descend on earth again as G’d’s expression of His largess for His people. Proper observance of te Sabbath conveys to us emotionally that the day is one on which we reconnect with our spiritual origin, the אין סוף, the eternal essence of the Creator.
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