Hasidic Book 02 The Role of Shabbos

Home Page -Foreword - Introduction - One The Commitment at Birth - Two The Role of Shabbos - Three The Tzadik - Four Humanity’s Five Categories - Five Body Versus Soul - Six The Body Can Complement The Soul - Seven The Soul and Body of a Tzadik Eight The Five Parts of the Soul - Nine The Image of God Ten to Twenty Six – NOT ON THE WEB YET.

Lesson Two

The Role of Shabbos

In Jewish practice we continually renew the seven-fold commitment of birth through commemorating Shabbos, the seventh day. Shabbos is like a Shevuah. On Shabbos the silent devotional prayers contain seven blessings, for these prayers are like an oath, they invigorate the seven parts of the heart and personality. Shabbos is called in Chassidic Literature, Beer Sheva, the seven fold well, for it is like a well, a source of life renewing water, for the seven parts of the personality. Shabbos energizes every spiritual part of the soul so that we might redouble our efforts to serve God in this world.

In the writings of Slonimer Chassidim the role of Shabbos is explained by means of the following parable.

In pre-modern Eastern Europe there was an itinerant peddler who would trudge from town to town selling meager wares. One time, while making his way through the forest between hamlets, the sky darkened and a winter storm commenced. The overcast sky soon disappeared in the black darkness of night and a thick layer of snow covered the forest paths. He lost his way and found himself alone with snowflakes and biting wind. As the hours progressed and he marched on helplessly, he lost all feeling in his fingers and toes while his cheeks turned crimson red with frostbite. Suddenly in the distance he saw a shimmering light. Realizing that the light must be a sign of human settlement he marshaled his final reserves of strength and made his way toward the beacon. He arrived at the light source and found that it was a travelers’ inn. He entered the motel and sat down next to the roaring fireplace. He then ate the dinner that was served and quickly fell asleep. The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, he received directions from the innkeeper how to make it to the next town. He then stepped out into the snow-covered forest confident that he would find his way.[1]

Shabbos is the inn, the fireplace, and the food, the respite from the storm; life is the journey through the forest and the inclement weather.

Each soul was sent down from a Heavenly perch to this lowly earth to fulfill its mission of increasing the glory of God. Life during the week, when we engage the material world, is like the storm in the forest, it is dangerous for the soul and we easily lose our way. That danger though is also the reason for eventual reward.

Another parable might help explain this concept:

A king once sought to display the broad reaches of his empire. He issued an edict that called on his subjects to provide him with precious stones from the different parts of his kingdom for he desired to fashion a crown that would demonstrate to all the breadth of his rule. The loyal subjects scaled mountains and dug deep mines to find the many different types of gems in the king’s territories. A simple peasant decided that he would provide evidence that the king’s rule reached the depths of the ocean. He set out in a small boat to the middle of the sea, then, he dived into the frothing waters, to try and discover a pearl from the ocean floor. It was a dangerous dive, undercurrents swept him away from his goal, sharks lurked beneath the waves, and his lungs quickly felt as if they would burst from exhaustion. He had to rise to the surface and gulp air many times, yet he persevered and kept diving below. Eventually, he found a tiny pearl. Exhausted, he brought the pearl to the king. The king, touched by the peasant’s dedication, took the small and simple stone and made it the centerpiece of his crown.[2]

Each of us is the simple peasant in the story. We were sent to this sphere of existence to display the breadth of God’s rule.[3] When we obey His commands while in a lustful, physical body and in a tempting material environment, we demonstrate that God is King even in the depths of the physical realm.

The mission is a dangerous endeavor. Many fail. They drown in the ocean of natural urges[4] and ignore their higher calling. The danger is ultimately for the good. The fact that our souls take risks, the fact that we are struggling to sanctify God’s name despite material desires, is what gives the Almighty great joy and earns the soul infinite reward in the World-to-Come. Were there to be no risks of sin, such as if we would live in an exclusively spiritual state, our observance of Mitzvos would not be a display of dedication. Now that we are in a physical realm and blessed with difficult temptations, our observance of God’s Mitzvos and avoidance of misdeeds solely because He commanded shows that we love the King.[5]

The peddler’s journey through the forest stands for the same life long mission that the peasant’s dive into the sea represented. The dangers of the sea and the winter storm of the forest are representations of the material pitfalls that can drive us off task and cause us to lose our way. The peddler who is lost is the human who has forgotten the goal of increasing God’s glory. (The peddler lost in the wilderness began to suffer from the cold and deprivation.) When we forget our task in life and ignore our Divine obligations, the soul suffers spiritual frostbite and hunger. Shabbos is the light in the distance that guides and provides a glimmer of hope from the midst of the tempest.

When Shabbos comes, we retreat from the world to warm our bodies and nourish our souls, so that we might redirect our lives and renew our faith in God. Then we are ready to reengage and sanctify existence as commanded by our Creator. Shabbos is a sheva/shefa-moment when the seven forces of creation, represented by the seven days of creation coalesce and recharge. It is the day in which our souls reenact the oath-taking of our births and recommit to be Tzadikim - Righteous Individuals.[6]

In mystical literature[7] the Biblical personality of Noah is identified as a paradigm of Shabbos like living. Perhaps the reason for this is that Noah represents renewal. His world was destroyed in the deluge that swept away a sinful creation and he merited to see mankind start anew.[8] Shabbos is a day of renewal, after Shabbos we are reborn. At birth the baby is dedicated with full passion, as Shabbos departs and we start afresh, we are charged with renewed vigor to march firmly along the path of holiness.

Oaths and Shabbos are examples of a davar klali, entities that encapsulate in microcosmic form the entire physical world. Shabbos touches all seven forces through the dimension of time whereas an oath-taking localizes them in the construct of personality.[9] This davar kelali appears in another manifestation as well.

Shabbos in Three Dimensions

The mystical aspect of Torah teaches that a profound unity underlies mundane reality. Phenomena and objects that commonly appear to be different and distinct may be identical in their abstract essence. The Book of Creation[10] teaches that each spiritual concept in the world necessarily appears in three dimensions - space, time, and soul.[11]

The holidays called Mo’adim[12] display this principle. The room in the Temple in which God spoke to Moses was also called Mo’ed, Ohel Mo’ed, the Tent of Meeting. Here then, in a word, is a connection between the holidays (part of time) and a place (the meeting Tent of God). The selfsame holiness of the Divine Presence that filled the Tent of Meeting infuses the holidays.[13]

During the holidays God is so close that He can be seen.[14] The tent of Meeting was the place where His presence was so tangible that it was as if He was seen there. The Midrash reinterprets a verse in Leviticus in a manner consistent with the principle of unity in different dimensions. The Torah states, “Eleh mo’adey hashem asher tikau osam.” “These are the meeting times of G-d that you shall proclaim…” the Midrash suggests that the closing, “Asher tikrau osam” literally “that you should call them” should be interpreted to refer to people, and read as, “asher tikrau atem” literally “that you will call yourselves.” The Midrash is applying the concept of Mo’ed to the realm of person. Some individuals are like Mo’adim, they see God and when you see them you might be inspired to seek and discover Divinity.[15]

In lesson one we discovered that Shabbos is an all encompassing force of holiness in the realm of time, since all forces appear in triplicate form, Shabbos-like holiness must also manifest simultaneously in the realms of place and soul.

Shabbos is Jerusalem

The liturgy for Shabbos, in a seemingly incongruous diversion, prays for Jerusalem.

The highlight of the prayers to inaugurate Shabbos is the song of Lechah Dodi. The second stanza refers to the teaching of Shabbos at Sinai in the Ten Commandments. In the third stanza we sing,

To welcome the Shabbos come let us go,

For it is the source of blessing;

From the beginning, from antiquity she was honored, Last in deed but first in thought.

But then, there is an abrupt change of subject. Instead of Shabbos, the song speaks of Yerushalayim, Jerusalem. We call on this royal city to leave the destruction and its vale of tears(the fourth stanza), and to awaken and reveal its Godly light (the sixth stanza). Finally, we declare that, with the redemption, the city will expand to the right and left and all of Jewry will rejoice in her success (the ninth stanza). Only in the final stanza does the song return to the topic of Shabbos, welcoming her as a bride into Jewish hearts and souls.

Why do we sing of Jerusalem in the prayers of Shabbos? The answer is that Jerusalem is Shabbos. What Shabbos is in the dimension of time, Jerusalem is in the realm of place; they share the same type of Godly revelation[16].

According to the Talmud when God began the creation of the universe, He first created a middle point and that center then expanded until the entire universe was formed. According to the deeper wisdom of Torah that starting point contained within itself the entire world in a form of latent potential. Mystics add that the creation process is constantly occurring afresh. King David wrote in Psalms[17] that the Divine words that formed the Heavens still hover in the ether, since God renews the entire Creative process every moment. Thus, even today, thousands of years after the happenings in the Book of Genesis, the central starting place contains within it a microcosm of the entire universe that emerged and will reemerge from it. That point is Jerusalem.

Shabbos contains within it the entirety of time, it is a microcosm of the other days and of itself, while Jerusalem is a microcosm of the realm of place. Shabbos is the portal through which the Divine blessings for the coming six days shower down to earth. Similarly, Jerusalem was described by Jacob as “the Gate to the Heaven.”[18] All of the earth’s blessing for the dimension of space flow to Jerusalem and then to the rest of the universe. Jerusalem is an international city. All nations desire a foothold within her walls, because spiritually all the sources of life for all countries inhere within her streets.

Just as Shabbos sanctifies every fiber of our feelings so does Jerusalem. The holy city provides added strength and inspiration to every part of one’s person.[19] Through observance of the Shabbos in the dimension of time, we will be worthy of reclaiming the Shabbos of place, the rebuilt city of Jerusalem.[20]

Shabbos in man

There are individuals who are Shabbos and they have an all encompassing holiness. These individuals have within their souls a little bit of every other soul that exists. They touch all and provide added strength to the totality of the natural world. All the blessings for the coming six days, the realm of time, flow through Shabbos, and the Divine blessings for all lands, the realm of space, flow through Jerusalem. Similarly, there is an individual through which all souls are blessed.[21]

The Tzadik is this person, the person of Shabbos.[22]

The Baal Shem Tov taught that God only shows a person the sights that he deserves to see. If you see the performance of a sin, it is because you have that misdeed within you in some form. God might reveal to you an exaggerated form of your flaw so that you will examine yourself and improve your character.[23]

The Baal Shem Tov once witnessed a Jew violating Shabbos. He realized that his witnessing Shabbos desecration meant that in some way he too was a violator of the holy day. The Baal Shem examined his deeds on past Shabbossos and concluded that his observance of Shabbos had been perfect. But after extensive analysis the Baal Shem realized that he had committed a sin of “Shabbos desecration”. He had seen an individual insult a Torah scholar. The Besht had not attempted to defend the scholar’s honor. Torah scholars (since they are Tzadikim) are individuals who possess the holiness of Shabbos, the desecration of their honor that the Besh”t was complicit in, was in a certain sense the desecration of Shabbos.[24]

To understand why a Tzadik merits to reach all human souls it is necessary to refine the definition of who is a Tzadik.

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[1] Divrey Shmuel, Shabbos note # 22

[2] Sidduro Shel Shabbos, shoresh 5, anaf alef, aleh 15.

[3] In Proverbs (16:4) King Solomon taught, “All that God made He made for His sake, even the evildoer for the day of retribution.” The Gaon of Villna explains that the verse is revealing the purpose of life, to reveal God as Ultimate Sovereign. Righteous individuals fulfill this purpose through observance of God’s commandments. Obeying His directives demonstrates that He is King. Wicked individuals ignore God’s ethical mandates. They reveal God as King when they are punished for their misdeeds. Thus, since all were created for the sake of increasing God’s glory, the wicked will suffer punishment for their misdeeds if they do not repent.

[4] The Hebrew word for nature is teva. The same letters in a different context mean drowning. The connection between the two meanings of the word is that, “The natural world of desires and animal instincts drowns an individual.” (Chidushey Harim, the first Gerrer Rebbe)

[5] Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev once sought to demonstrate the dedication of the Jewish people. On the morning of the third day of Passover he turned to his followers and asked them to find for him some contraband, “I would like to save two rubles and avoid the government’s tax” he explained. The word quickly spread, “The Rebbe desires some illegal material.” Within thirty minutes a Chassid came forward and brought the Rebbe a spool of yarn that had been smuggled illegally across the border. Then the Rebbe said, “Find me some leavened bread in the house of a Jew! I will pay two thousand rubles for a single slice.” His followers protested, “That is impossible, Rebbe. The Torah prohibits the possession of Chametz during these days, there is not a single piece of bread in any Jewish home in Berditchev!” At this point, the Rebbe turned to God and said aloud, “God, see the love of your people! The czar has thousands of soldiers and police. He prohibited possession of this yarn with a penalty of death. His soldiers are looking for these infractions and eagerly punish those they catch; people are afraid of his men. Nevertheless, with a meager sum of two rubles I could display disobedience of this human king. You have no policemen nor soldiers. You wrote in your Torah that Jews should not have Chametz on Passover; and see, no Jew in Berditchev has a drop of Chametz! I offered thousands of rubles and the people thought I was mad, they had no desire for such funds, they observe your commands with disregard of monetary loss and gain. Why is this so? Because they are committed to You!”(ZR)

[6] The connection between Shabbos and the prenatal oath can be found in a lesson of the Sfas Emes:

“Our sages teach that the Angel makes him swear “I will be a tzadik etc.” Can a soul undergo an oath?! Can it hold a Torah scroll?! Rather, the meaning of that passage is that at the point before birth it is clear to the soul that life comes exclusively from the Almighty and should be utilized to fulfill a mission, the realization of God’s willed commands. Similarly the Shabbos is called a Shevua, this is why the Torah was given to Israel on a Shabbos. We refer to the experience at Sinai as being an occasion when we all entered into an oath, since at Sinai as well it became clear that life comes from Him and all our energies were charged and directed, which is the meaning of Shevua.” (Parshas Mattos 5634 - 1874)

[7] Tikkuney Zohar Tikkun 21.

[8] C.f. Midrash Rabbah to Noach parsha 30 letter 8.

[9] See Shem Mishmuel (Commentary to Breishis page 5) who explains, “Shabbos unites all and encompasses all that is why it is described with the word col (all) - as in the verse “vayechulu hashamayim vihaaretz vichol tzavaam, vayechal elokim bayom hashvii etc.”- On Shabbos, heaven and Earth became part of col, since the microcosm that integrated all appeared.”

[10] In Hebrew it is called Sefer Yetzira, many sources attribute its authorship to Avraham Avinu, the Biblical Abraham, others, say it bears the handiwork of Rabbi Akiva. See further Innerspace p.4 and notes 22 and 23.

[11] The acronym for this idea is Asha”n, indicating the common denominator of Olam, places in the world, Shana, time during the year, and Nefesh, individuals within society and parts of the human being.

[12] Levit. 23:4-8

[13] In his book Horeb, Rabbi Samson Rapheal Hirsch also points out that the Mo’ed in time corresponds to the Mo’ed in place, although he explains their relationship in a way that is different from the metaphysical explanation provided in the text.

“Mo’adim, appointed seasons, summon us entirely to the contemplation and inner realization of those ideas which lie at their foundation. Just as the Mo’ed in the spatial sense refers to the locality which men have as their appointed place of assembly for an appointed purpose, so Mo’ed in Time is a point in Time which summons us communally to an appointed activity -(emphasis added) in this case an inner activity. Thus Mo’adim are the days which stand out from the other days of the year. They summon us from our everyday life to halt and to dedicate all our spiritual activities to them.” (to the messages of the holiday) Horeb para. 161

[14] See also the Talmud Hagiga 2a and Rashi s.v.Yireh Yeira’eh

[15] C.f. Likutey Moharan Lesson 4 who teaches that seeing the face of a righteous individual can cause a person to fully devote themselves to God.

Rabbi Dr. A. Tatz described how a righteous face leads one to Divinity in the following passage:

“There is a mystical idea that the highest level of the personality is crystal-clear and transparent, but the lower self, the ego clouds it. (Spiritual beauty is expressed as being transparent, Hashem’s (God’s) light shines through. When one sees a Tzadik one is perceiving something of God; the limited human dimension has been clarified and a higher reality becomes visible. In fact the opposite of beauty, ugliness, is caur, the same root as acur,opaque.)” Living Inspired page 104

Another application of this principle of the Sefer Yetzirah pertains to Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. This day is called in the Torah, Shabbos Shabboson, the Shabbos of Shabbos, the source of all holiness. Just as there is a day, so too, there is a place that is the foundation of all holiness - the Kodesh Hakodoshim, the holiest of holies - the innermost sanctum in the Temple of Jerusalem. Similarly there is a person who is filled with this type of spiritual energy - Aharon the High Priest, who is described in the verse as “kodesh kadoshim hu” in “Vayvdel Aharon Lihakdisho, Kodesh Kadoshim Hu” “Aharon was set aside to be sanctified, he is the Holy of Holies.”(Divrey Hayamim book 1 chapter 23:verse 13)

On Yom Kippur a great unification occurs when the holiest of souls, enters the holiest place, at the holiest time. This union of themes arouses divine blessings for the coming year. (Arvey Nachal parshas Emor)

Rav Wolfson points out that the connection between Aharon and the Holy of Holies may explain why Aharon passed away on Rosh Chodesh Av - the first of the month of Av: The first day of a month is called Rosh, literally the head of the month, for its function is like that of the human head. It expresses the essence of the month and contains in microcosmic form all of that month’s events and energy. Because Av is the month in which the Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, Aharon the personification of those places, passed away on its first day. (Emunas Etecha, parshas Mattos).

[16] Shabbos displays that man is not the master of his fate and livelihood, God is the master of the Universe. During the times of the Temple there was no private ownership of homes in Jerusalem. For instance, during the holidays any Jew could stay in any home in Jerusalem without paying rent, for in Jerusalem the homes belong to God. Jerusalem teaches the lesson of Shabbos that God is the only master of the world. C.f. Tzion Viareha pages 100-107.

[17] 119:89

[18] Genesis 28:17

[19] In truth, the entire Land of Israel parallels Shabbos. That is why in Pirkey D’R’ Elazar it is written that just as God created six days of work with a seventh as Shabboss, He also created six important bodies of land, the six continents, and a seventh important land, the Land of Israel. Based on this Midrash, a question of liturgical accuracy can be resolved. In the prayers for Shabbos it is written that Shabbos was called by God, “the most beloved of days”, “Hemdas yamim osso karassa.” Yet, nowhere in the Holy Scriptures is Shabbos called “the most beloved of days.” In light of the above, Shabbos has the holiness and quality of the Land of Israel, adjectives about Israel are therefore true about Shabbos. The Land of Israel was called by God “Most beloved” in the verse “Vayimasu beeretz chemdah” “And they (the generation of the desert) rejected the most beloved land” (Psalms 106). (Tzion Viareha, p.23) C.f. The final lesson of the book.

Since the entire land of Israel is like Shabbos - the shefa chayim - the Godly life flow for the entire world flows through the land of Israel. Israel is to the rest of the universe what the heart is to the human body. The heart distributes nutrients to the limbs and Israel distributes Godly nutrition to the rest of the world. On the level of soul all countries are related to Israel and that is why the nations of the world seek to stake out a claim in the holy land and refuse to accept that it belongs exclusively to the Jewish nation. (Emunas Etecha Bereishis page 3 s.v. uvazeh muvenes)

Both Jerusalem and the Land of Israel can be Shabbos. Firstly, Jerusalem as the capital of the Land of Israel has within it a concentrated version of the entire Land of Israel. Furthermore, our sages teach that Jerusalem in the future will extend and fill the entire Land of Israel (Shir Hashirim Rabba 7:10), it may be that the latent Jerusalem quality in the Land of Israel makes the land of Israel Shabbos in place. Finally, Chassidus and Kabbalah are not attempting to draw fine distinctions. These disciplines seek to display underlying unity. They therefore highlight those aspects of institutions that bear a similarity. Thus, Jerusalem is the place of Shabbos when one compares Jerusalem to the rest of the land Israel and if one compares the Land of Israel to the rest of the world, the Land of Israel is Shabbos and the other lands are the days of the week.

[20] The Midrash Yolkut on Parshas Bihaalscha links Shabbos with the renewal of Jerusalem stating, “If you will observe (the obligation of) the lighting of Shabbos candles I will show you the candle of Zion (the reconstitution of Jerusalem).” The blessing for lighting Shabbos candles, through which Jewish women enter into Shabbos, contains the phrase “vitzivanu lihadlik ner shel shabbos” “And has commanded us to light the candle of Shabbos” the numeric value of the phrase is the same as the numeric value of the phrase “Liyirushalayim mivaser etain” “I will appoint a harbinger of redemption for Jerusalem”. Due to their innate congruence observance of Shabbos will cause God to restore the glory of Jerusalem.

[21] “The Land of Israel in general, and Jerusalem in particular, are the very heart and center of the world as a whole. The life-force for the world, all blessings and emanations from Above, therefore, issue to all countries through Jerusalem and the Land of Israel…

It is the very same with the people of Israel. It is the very heart of all mankind. Thus Israel is the channel for the sustenance and all blessings of the world…

In analogous terms, the tzadik, the leader and shepherd of Israel, is the very heart of the people of Israel. Thus he is the very specific channel connecting Above and below.” (Chassidic Dimensions, pages 114 -115)

[22] Since the Tzadik is the person of Shabbos and Israel is the land of Shabbos there is a special relationship between the Holy Land and the Tzadik. An example of this is the Biblical figure Noah. Noah is called a Tzadik (Genesis 6:9) and he was saved from the deluge that destroyed the earth. According to Rabbinic tradition the Land of Israel was never touched by the flood. Noah embodied Israel that was why he experienced the land of Israel wherever he went. (Tzion Viareha p. 15,Emunas Etecha Bereishis page 3 s.v. viyadua).

[23] Torah law obligates the witnesses who testify to the court about a crime that carries the penalty of stoning to cast the first stones. “This is due to the principle of the Baal Shem Tov (quoted in Heichal Habracha, Devarim, page 208b) that if one sees a misdeed performed by someone else it is a sign that the one who sees has the same flaw in at least a minute measure. Witnesses who saw idol worship have within them the flaw of paganism. This is why the witnesses must participate in meeting out the punishment. Through casting the first stones they are to learn to rectify their flaws in the realm of that sin.” (Emunas Etecha parshas Shoftim page 232 s.v. Yad)

Cf. Emunas Etecha parshas Naso s.v. Vichiper

[24] “Not Just Stories” page 58

Rav Wolfson quoted this story in Emunas Etecha parshas Naso s.v. Vichiper. He added that to rectify the flaw of not honoring Torah scholars sufficiently the Baal Shem Tov immediately traveled to the author of the work Pney Yehoshuo and helped light the pipe of the great Rabbi to fulfill the Mitzvah of serving Torah scholars.