출애굽기 31:14의 Chasidut
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת כִּ֛י קֹ֥דֶשׁ הִ֖וא לָכֶ֑ם מְחַֽלְלֶ֙יהָ֙ מ֣וֹת יוּמָ֔ת כִּ֗י כָּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה בָהּ֙ מְלָאכָ֔ה וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמֶּֽיהָ׃
너희는 안식일을 지킬지니 이는 너희에게 성일이 됨이라 무릇 그날에 일하는 자는 그 백성 중에서 그 생명이 끊쳐지리라
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 12,2. “This month is for you the beginning of the months;” in order to understand the word “for you, i.e. yours,“ it will be well to recall Exodus 31,14 where we read: ושמרתם את השבת כי קדש היא לכם, “you shall observe the Sabbath as it is holy for you.”
We have a rule that G’d complies with the wishes of the righteous, the ones who revere Him. Just as the Israelites desire that G’d will deal with the inhabitants of the various parts of His universe with kindness and mercy, so we, His creatures, are desirous of causing Him joy and satisfaction in all parts of His universe. This is the meaning of the line quoted above, the words קודש היא לכם, “the Holy One is active for your benefit.” [I presume the basis for this exegesis is that the Sabbath, something inactive by definition, and even more inactive seeing that it represents repose, rest, can hardly “do” something for us. In other words, “the sanctity of the Sabbath is due to what G’d does for you.” Ed.]
We have a rule that G’d complies with the wishes of the righteous, the ones who revere Him. Just as the Israelites desire that G’d will deal with the inhabitants of the various parts of His universe with kindness and mercy, so we, His creatures, are desirous of causing Him joy and satisfaction in all parts of His universe. This is the meaning of the line quoted above, the words קודש היא לכם, “the Holy One is active for your benefit.” [I presume the basis for this exegesis is that the Sabbath, something inactive by definition, and even more inactive seeing that it represents repose, rest, can hardly “do” something for us. In other words, “the sanctity of the Sabbath is due to what G’d does for you.” Ed.]
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Kedushat Levi
Another approach to the line: מי כמוך באלים ה'...נורא תהלות עושה פלא, “Who is like You o Lord, among the celestials, …awesome in splendour, working wonders!” It is an accepted criterion of our faith that when a person denies his ego the way is paved to his becoming wise. This concept is spelled out in Job 33,33: אם אין אתה, שמע לי החרש ואאלפך חכמה, “if you are (prepared to be) ‘nothing’, listen to Me, and be still, and I will teach you wisdom.” As the author has mentioned several times, חכמה, true wisdom, is the result of divesting oneself totally of one’s “ego;” as we know from another verse in Job 28,12 והחכמה מאין תמצא, “and wisdom you will find through negating “ego”, becoming “nought,” i.e. אין. A closer look at the word אלף which symbolizes the beginning of everything in our world, will show you that when read backwards it reads פלא, “something transcendental, miraculous.” Moses alludes to this when describing G’d as the source of פלא, “wonders.” What we have previously described as אין, is also a reference to בינה, insight, which, as the word indicates, is something internal, therefore invisible, hidden, another aspect of the root פלא or מופלא. Negation of self, of ego, results in one’s becoming privy to the hidden insights, פלא.
The author sees in Exodus 31,14, ושמרתם את השבת כי קודש היא לכם, “you shall “observe” the Sabbath for it is holy for you,” an allusion to our “viewing” the concept of the Sabbath as our looking at its holy origin. The word “seeing” is understood as the person who “sees” receiving an image, i.e. he is a recipient of revelations of one sort or another. A painter cannot paint a painting until he has first seen an image which he tries to reproduce on canvas, or paper, or any other suitable surface. In the case of “observing” the Sabbath, we are privy to receiving “images” from the אין, from a dimension of the universe, the celestial dimension, that is devoid of a body and its attendant limitations. A Sabbath properly “observed,” is a day in which we distance ourselves from most of our physical needs, [except, of course, fulfilling the commandments that are prescribed and make our bodies participants in this holy experience. Ed.].
The author sees in Exodus 31,14, ושמרתם את השבת כי קודש היא לכם, “you shall “observe” the Sabbath for it is holy for you,” an allusion to our “viewing” the concept of the Sabbath as our looking at its holy origin. The word “seeing” is understood as the person who “sees” receiving an image, i.e. he is a recipient of revelations of one sort or another. A painter cannot paint a painting until he has first seen an image which he tries to reproduce on canvas, or paper, or any other suitable surface. In the case of “observing” the Sabbath, we are privy to receiving “images” from the אין, from a dimension of the universe, the celestial dimension, that is devoid of a body and its attendant limitations. A Sabbath properly “observed,” is a day in which we distance ourselves from most of our physical needs, [except, of course, fulfilling the commandments that are prescribed and make our bodies participants in this holy experience. Ed.].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy