| "Six days work shall be done…" (Shemot 35:2) "And the Children of Israel shall keep the Shabbat…" (Shemot 31:16) Two Parshiyot placed next to each other - two commandments and two warnings. But what does it truly mean to keep the Shabbat? A guard who is entrusted with an object that must be transported from one place to another first stands outside, waiting until he reaches the house where the object is meant to be kept. He looks forward to the moment he can finally enter. Once he enters the house, his responsibility is to guard the object so that it will not be damaged. All week long we are meant to wait and long for when Shabbat will arrive - when we will finally be able to enter the day of rest. We can listen to Shabbat songs and take delight in the knowledge that it is drawing near. And when Shabbat finally arrives, we must guard it with the greatest care - not to transgress its halachot, and to fulfill its mitzvot properly. This is a true guardian - both on the outer level and on the inner level. But the most important thing to understand is that the inner guardian lives the external and the internal together as one. He longs for Shabbat with the very same intensity with which he observes it. There can be no contradiction between them. If there is a gap between the inner feeling and the outer practice, it can lead to frustration and emotional distress - like guarding a simple box of bread with an armored Brink's truck. May it be the will of HaShem that we merit to guard the Shabbat, the Torah, and the mitzvot—both inwardly, through the heartfelt fulfillment of the mitzvot, and outwardly, through our preparation for them—until we merit to see the true redemption speedily in our days, Amen. Shabbat Shalom |
No comments:
Post a Comment