Shabbos (שבת) — the Sabbath day

Core definition

Shabbos, the seventh day, is the day on which Elokim "rested from all His work" — the cessation of creation's six days' labor and the revelation that completes it. The corpus develops Shabbos as the bride, the seal of truth, the day of the revelation of the name Havayah, and the holy day that is sanctified of itself — "mikadsha vekayma" — needing no human sanctification, unlike Yom Tov [19800/maamar_025 :: Overview; 58837/maamar_045 :: Overview].

How the Rebbeim develop it

The two (three) Shabboses. Expounding "es Shabsosai tishmeru" (Shemos 31:13) — "My Shabboses" in the plural — a Shabbos Behar discourse teaches: "ushamru b'nei Yisrael es haShabbos" — one Shabbos needs guarding; "es Shabsosai tishmeru" — two Shabboses need guarding: in all, three Shabboses — two that need guarding, and one that they must make. "Veshamru b'nei Yisrael es haShabbos la'asos es haShabbos" — the Shabbos already exists, only keep it; after keeping, another Shabbos to make. The two Shabbosos are "isarusa de'le'eila" (arousal from above) and "isarusa delesasa" (arousal from below): the Shabbos of isarusa delesasa — Israel's making — arouses the Shabbos of isarusa de'le'eila [19800/maamar_025 :: Overview; 58837/maamar_045 :: Overview].

"Vayechal Elokim bayom hashevi'i" — the bride. On "and Elokim finished on the seventh day" — implying some work on the seventh, though all was finished on the sixth — the Midrash Rabbah's two opinions are unfolded. Geniva: an analogy to one who made a chuppah — painted and adorned — what is it lacking? A bride, that she enter into it; so what was the world lacking? Shabbos. "Vayechal" is the language of "kallah" (bride): the chuppah is the worlds of Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah, the bride is the Malchus of Atzilus — "a bride, that she enter into the chuppah" — the drawing of the Malchus of Atzilus in Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah. What was finished on the sixth was the creation of BY"A; the drawing of Atzilus — the main, the revelation of Atzilus in BY"A — is on the seventh. Hence "lechah dodi likras kallah," "bo'i kallah": Shabbos is the aspect of the bride [19800/maamar_025 :: Overview].

The seal is truth. The Rabbis: an analogy to a king who made a ring — what is it lacking? A seal; so what was the world lacking? Shabbos. "The seal of the Holy One is truth" — and "asher bara Elokim la'asos" has the end letters "emes" (truth). On Shabbos shines the aspect of truth — "ve'emes Havayah le'olam": the name Havayah is truth, because it is the name of the Essence — a revelation from the Essence. The other names, though drawn also from the essences, are not a revelation from the Essence: El, Elokim are in the vessels — their root from the force of the bound in the Ohr Ein Sof, the force of concealment and bounding. In the deed of Bereishis the name Elokim is mentioned thirty-two times and the name Havayah is not mentioned; on Shabbos it is the revelation of the name Havayah — "sha'ar hechatzer hapnimis... uveyom haShabbos yipase'ach" ("and on the Shabbos day it shall be opened"), whose initials spell Havayah. According to Geniva, on Shabbos is drawn an encompassing light (ohr makif); according to the Rabbis, an inner light — the light's inwardness [19800/maamar_025 :: Overview].

"Mikadsha vekayma." Unlike Yom Tov — "Yisrael inun dekadshinhu lezimna" (Israel sanctify the seasons), and "mekadesh Yisrael vehazmanim" (Who sanctifies Israel and the seasons) — Shabbos is "mikadsha vekayma": it is sanctified of itself and stands. The blessing says "mekadesh haShabbos" (Who sanctifies the Shabbos) — Shabbos needs no beis din's sanctification. What then is "la'asos es haShabbos" and "lekadsho"? The Ramban: sanctify with words — Kiddush. And the deeper drawing: on Shabbos the six workdays' six middos ascend — "sheishes yamim asah Havayah" — Shabbos is the seventh, Binah — "kadosh," separate from the middos; "lekadsho" is the drawing of Chochmah, called "kadosh," above even Binah's fiftieth gate [58837/maamar_045 :: Overview].

Oneg — the essence of delight. "Vekarasa laShabbos oneg" — oneg is Keter's inwardness: oneg and ratzon are Keter's two levels. The ta'anug's essence cannot be drawn through avodah — only as a gift: "matanah tovah yesh li bebeis genazai, veShabbos shemah" (I have a good gift in My treasury, and Shabbos is its name); "az tis'anag al Havayah" — "bederech meimeila" (automatically). "La'asos es haShabbos" and "lekadsho" — drawing "kodesh" — then "vekarasa laShabbos oneg" — the ta'anug's essence. The keeping of Shabbos is then guarding from the hinderers — ervas davar (the tongue), haughtiness ("ein ani vehu yecholim ladur"), falsehood — "vehayah machanecha kadosh," "bekirbecha kadosh" — drawing "kodesh" and "kodesh kodashim": His dwelling below, completed through Israel's neshamas and the Torah — "Bereishis": for Israel and for the Torah [58837/maamar_045 :: Overview].

Key distinctions

1. Two Shabboses — the one they must make (isarusa delesasa) and the one(s) needing guarding (isarusa de'le'eila); the made Shabbos arouses the from-above Shabbos [19800/maamar_025 :: Overview]. 2. Geniva vs. the Rabbis — Shabbos as the bride (Malchus of Atzilus entering the chuppah of BY"A; the encompassing light) vs. Shabbos as the seal (emes; the inner light of Havayah's revelation) [19800/maamar_025 :: Overview]. 3. Shabbos vs. Yom Tov — Shabbos "mikadsha vekayma," sanctified of itself; the seasons are sanctified by Israel [58837/maamar_045 :: Overview]. 4. Avodah vs. gift — "la'asos es haShabbos" draws kodesh through avodah; the ta'anug's essence is "matanah tovah," a gift from the treasury, not drawable through avodah [58837/maamar_045 :: Overview].

Related concepts

Sources