The last two portions of the Book
of Exodus, which are read together – Va’yak’hel and Piku’day – continue the
discussion of building the Mishkan
(Tabernacle). But before the text ventures again into the exact measurements,
materials, quantities, blueprints, and drafts required for the project, Moshe
reminds us of The Shabbat, one of God’s most important decrees, which
applies equally to the building of the Mishkan as well as to any act of labor performed
on the seventh day. And so says Moshe:
During the first
six days of the week you shall be engaged in labor, but on the Seventh Day –
which shall be of holiness, Shabbat [no work] Shabbaton [no work completely]
for God – anyone engaged in labor shall be put to death; and you shall light no
fire in any of your dwellings on that Shabbat Day. [Ex. 35:2-3]
I want to talk briefly today on
the notion of Shabbat. As a religious concept, it has always fascinated me. As
a social concept, I always found it extremely progressive. Finally, as an
Israeli who moved to the United States, I was always curious to see the
differences in keeping the Shabbat. Accordingly, I begin my discussion today
with a short note on God’s own Shabbat; I then move to discuss this week
potion’s Shabbat; and I conclude by offering some lessons for Shabbat as it is
practiced today.
I. God’s First Shabbat
To me, one of the most puzzling
and fascinating stories in the entire bible is that of the God's own First Shabbat. Here are some some of my queries:
1. After creating the entire
universe and all living beings in merely six days, God decides, on the Seventh
day, to conclude His work and to rest. (Gen. 2:1) (Incidentally, in the Hebrew
original, the term used to denote God’s decision not to work is “Ya’Yishbot,”
which roughly means that on the Seventh Day God went on a strike.) In other
words, after working continuously for six entire days and nights, God arrives
at the conclusion that a special day should be set aside for rest. But why?
What was so unique about that day that made it “unfit” to work? Was the world
already perfect by this time (as the text may suggest)? More broadly, why was
it so important to denote a special day for rest? Does it have anything to do
with the fact that prior to the first six days, every day was also
(strictly speaking) a Shabbat?
2. What type of a day was the
First Shabbat? Was it a like any other day? Recall that all the other six days
ended with a similar concluding remark: “And there was evening and there was
morning, hence the first [and then second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth] day
was concluded.” But nothing like that appears in relation to the Shabbat. The
length of that day is not clear at all.
In theory, since that Day has never end one may suggest that it is still
in effect today! Moreover, one could argue that God “worked” throughout the six
days – which, according to some commentators, lasted for thousands of years –
and then stopped His “labor,” such that he has created nothing since then. Is it possible that, from His perspective,
this is still a Shabbat? Since it has
no discernable end as a “Day,” and since God purposefully hasn’t created
anything since then, can we say we are still in a state of Godly Shabbat?
3. Finally, the very idea that
God needs a “rest” is also baffling. According to a popular Shabbat song, God
not only ceased working, but also “vacationed” on Shabbat (“Shavat
Va’Yina’fash.”). Why would God need a vacation?
Now God not only stopped working
Himself on Shabbat; he also instructed us to do the same. This is
important, as this is the first time that God instructed us to copy Him. In
contrast, he never instructed us to re-create the heavens, part the sea, or
perform any His many miracles. But He did require us to keep the Shabbat like
He did. This is astounding, as this may be the only one of the 613 Mitzvot that
apply equally to both God and Man. In this sense, the decree not to
perform labor on Shabbat is a neat example of the well-known Talmudic verse:
“Na’eh Do’resh – Na’eh Meka’yem” (“He who demands, should abide by his own
demand first”; or, in other words, no one is above the law. If only our
politicians could internalize this principle… ).
To summarize, paraphrasing a
great biblical scholar: Shabbat was made by God, for God, and
of God, and it shall not perish from the earth.
II. This Portion’s Shabbat
It is accustomed to think that
the decree to stop working at the end of the week represents a reward, some
sort of prize, or a mini-consideration for the hard work one performed during
the week. While completely valid, this is the non-religious view of the
Shabbat.
Another plausible view of the
Shabbat, espoused by many liberal commentators, considers it to be one of the
earliest examples of advanced social legislation, taking into account the needs
of the employees over their employers. It also well demonstrates, according to
these same commentators, how the Jewish religion well balances between the
paramount value of work (also considered highly by other religions, such as
protestants) and the well being of the people who perform it. In that respect,
it is important to note that the duty – not option – to give employees a rest
day should be exercised by any Jewish employer towards any employee, no
matter their religious affiliation.
Alongside these well-established
views stands a more basic view, the religious view. According to that view – as
this week’s portion clearly demonstrates – the Shabbat, as a concept, is meant
neither for granting a prize nor for advancing egalitarian values; rather, the
Shabbat was meant to serve one purpose, and one purpose only: it is a holy day,
marking the fact that God – not man – has ceased working on that day. “The
Seventh Day shall be holy to you; Shabbat Shabbaton to your God.” (Ex.
35:2)
Therefore, while it is true that
both religious and non-religious Jews may enjoy the effects of the
Shabbat in the same way – both would not work, and both would rest on that same
day – the understanding of the Shabbat to each is completely different:
From a non-religious perspective that Shabbat was meant for us: This is our
time to rest, enjoy, go out to drink with friends, and more generally do
all those things that are not “allowed” to us during the week. For the
religious person, however, the Shabbat means a Divine Restriction,
marking God’s completion of His working Week. Moreover, a violation of
the Shabbat decree may mean, for a religious person, a serious sanction – all
the way to death.
Thus, the Shabbat may be viewed
as a right, but also as a duty; a prize, but also a burden; a well-deserved
rest, but also a responsibility. Only once we comprehend the Shabbat in that
way, we can fully appreciate its meaning and begin to understand its
holiness.
Indeed, we, the People, are
having every single Shabbat the exact same way God has experienced it many
years ago during His own Shabbat. We are emulating God. We are resting not only
because it is more comfortable but because we are instructed to do so by God
himself. And if we won’t keep the Shabbat, while it is no longer likely that we
ourselves would die, it is more than likely that Judaism itself will begin to.
Shabbat Shalom,
Doron
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