Shabbos Rest: A Taste of the World to Come
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Bereishis 2:1
וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכׇל־צְבָאָם
The heavens and the earth and all their host were completed.
Rashi on “And on the seventh day God finished” (Bereishis 2:2): “What did the world lack? Rest. Shabbos came, rest came, and the work was finished and completed” (Bereishis Rabbah 10:9).
1“The heavens and the earth and all their host were completed.”1 Rashi comments: “What did the world lack? Rest. Shabbos came, rest came, and the work was finished and completed.”2 But what does Rashi mean by “What did the world lack? Rest”? At first glance the world can exist even without rest. We see that the gentiles have no rest and do their work even on Shabbos, and still they exist. Indeed, Chazal said quite the opposite: “A gentile who keeps Shabbos is liable to death.”3 So how can we say that the world lacked rest, as though the world itself needed it?
וַיְכוּלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאָם (ב, א). ברש״י ז״ל, מֶה הָיָה הָעוֹלָם חָסֵר מְנוּחָה, בָּאת שַׁבָּת בָּאת מְנוּחָה, כָּלְתָה וְנִגְמְרָה הַמְּלָאכָה. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין מַה כַּוָּונַת רש״י בְּאוֹמְרוֹ ׳מֶה הָיָה הָעוֹלָם חָסֵר מְנוּחָה׳, הֲלֹא לִכְאוֹרָה הָעוֹלָם יָכוֹל לְהִתְקַיֵּים גַּם בְּלֹא מְנוּחָה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִים אֵצֶל הַגּוֹיִים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם מְנוּחָה וְעוֹשִׂים מְלַאכְתָּם גַּם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, וּבְכָל זֹאת יֵשׁ לָהֶם קִיּוּם בָּעוֹלָם גַּם לְלֹא מְנוּחָה, וְאַדְּרַבָּה אָמְרוּ חז״ל (סנהדרין נח, ב) גּוֹי שֶׁשָּׁבַת חַיָּיב מִיתָה. וְאִם כֵּן מַהוּ זֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁהָיָה הָעוֹלָם חָסֵר מְנוּחָה, דְּמַשְׁמַע דְּהַמְּנוּחָה הָיְתָה חֲסֵירָה בִּשְׁבִיל הָעוֹלָם עַצְמוֹ.
In shortHow can Rashi say the world “lacked rest,” when gentiles work on Shabbos, exist without it, and are even forbidden to keep it?
2Let us first cite a saying of Chazal: “An additional soul is given to a person on the eve of Shabbos.”4 Rashi explains: “An expansive heart for rest and joy, open to ease, so that he eats and drinks and his soul does not grow weary of it.” So far his words. Clearly, then, the additional soul is there to broaden the heart for eating and drinking. But surely a person can have this broadening of the heart for eating on weekdays too; it has nothing to do with Shabbos in particular. A second question: can busying oneself with eating and drinking, which are physical things, really be counted as an “additional soul”? Reason says the opposite: the “additional soul” should broaden the mind for Torah and mitzvos.
וְנַקְדִּים הָא דְּאָמְרוּ חז״ל (תענית כז, ב) נְשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה נִיתֶּנֶת בָּאָדָם בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת. וּפֵירֵשׁ רש״י ז״ל, רוֹחַב לֵב לִמְנוּחָה וְשִׂמְחָה, וְלִהְיוֹת פָּתוּחַ לִרְוָחָה, וְיֹאכַל וְיִשְׁתֶּה וְאֵין נַפְשׁוֹ קָצָה עָלָיו, עכ״ל. מְבוֹאָר בִּדְבָרָיו, שֶׁעִנְיַין הַנְּשָׁמָה יְתֵרָה הִיא לְצוֹרֶךְ הַרְחָבַת הַלֵּב לַאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין, הֲלֹא גַּם בִּימוֹת הַחוֹל יִיתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה זֶה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לְאָדָם הַרְחָבַת הַדַּעַת לַאֲכִילָה, וְאֵין לָזֶה שַׁיָּיכוּת עִם שַׁבָּת דַּוְקָא. וְעוֹד וְכִי זֶה לִ׳נְשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה׳ יֵחָשֵׁב, הָעִיסּוּק בַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה שֶׁהֵם עִנְיְנֵי גַּשְׁמִיּוּת, אַדְּרַבָּה הַדַּעַת נוֹתֶנֶת שֶׁעִנְיַין ׳נְשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה׳ הִיא הַרְחָבַת הַדַּעַת לַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְוֹות.
- Taanis 27b. ↩
In shortRashi's “additional soul” broadens the heart for eating, but that is not unique to Shabbos, and a soul should open the mind to Torah.
3We also find in the Midrash: “R' Shimon bar Yochai said: Shabbos said before the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘Each of the other days has a partner, but I have no partner.’ He said to her, ‘Knesses Yisrael is your partner.’ When Israel stood before Mount Sinai, He said to them, ‘Remember what I said to Shabbos: Knesses Yisrael is your partner.’ This is the commandment ‘Remember the day of Shabbos to sanctify it.’”5 This Midrash, too, is puzzling. Shabbos seems to have asked for a “day” as her partner. Her complaint was that each of the other days has another day as its partner: the first day's partner is the second day, and so on, as the Midrash says there. What kind of answer, then, was “Knesses Yisrael is your partner”? Knesses Yisrael is not a “day,” so how does that answer her complaint?
עוֹד מָצִינוּ בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה יא, ט), אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי, אָמְרָה שַׁבָּת לִפְנֵי הקב״ה, לְכוּלָּן יֵשׁ בֶּן זוּג וְלִי אֵין בֶּן זוּג, אָמַר לָהּ הקב״ה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁעָמְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, אָמַר לָהֶם הקב״ה, זִכְרוּ הַדָּבָר שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְשַׁבָּת, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ, וְהַיְינוּ דִּיבּוּר (שמות כ, ח) ״זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ״. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין, דְּלִכְאוֹרָה מַשְׁמַע דְּהַשַּׁבָּת בִּיקְשָׁה שֶׁיִּינָּתֵן לָהּ ׳יוֹם׳ אֶחָד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בֶּן זוּגָהּ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁטָּעֲנָה שֶׁלִּשְׁאָר הַיָּמִים יֵשׁ בֶּן זוּג, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁלְּכָל יוֹם יֵשׁ יוֹם אַחֵר שֶׁהוּא בֶּן זוּג וּבֶן זוּגוֹ שֶׁל יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן הוּא יוֹם שֵׁנִי וְכוּ׳ (כדאיתא שם במדרש), וְאִם כֵּן מָה הֵשִׁיב לָהּ הקב״ה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ, וַהֲלֹא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינֶנָּה בְּחִינַת ׳יוֹם׳, וּמַה תְּשׁוּבָה יֵשׁ בְּכָךְ לְטַעֲנָתָהּ.
- Bereishis Rabbah 11:9; Shemos 20:8. Knesses Yisrael is the community of Israel as a whole. ↩
In shortShabbos complains that every other day has a partner day; how does “Knesses Yisrael is your partner” answer her, when Israel is not a day?
4aWe can explain all this as follows. We know that this world is like a corridor, as the Mishnah teaches,6 and that its whole purpose is to bring us to the life of the World to Come. By keeping the Torah and mitzvos in this world we earn our way into the life of the World to Come. The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to give us a taste of the World to Come even in this world. So He gave us the day of Shabbos, which is a reflection of the World to Come, “the day that is entirely Shabbos and rest.”7 Through Shabbos we would sense a little of how great and precious the World to Come is, and that would make us want to serve our Creator and rise higher and higher.
וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה, דְּהִנֵּה יָדוּעַ דְּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה דּוֹמֶה לַפְּרוֹזְדוֹר (אבות ד, כא), וְתַכְלִית כָּל הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הוּא רַק בִּכְדֵי לְהַגִּיעַ לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹות שֶׁמְּקַיְּימִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה זוֹכִים וּמַגִּיעִים לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְהִנֵּה רָצָה הקב״ה לְהַטְעִים לָנוּ גַּם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה מֵעֵין הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, עַל כֵּן נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁהוּא מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא (ברכות נז, ב), יוֹם שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ שַׁבָּת וּמְנוּחָה, בִּכְדֵי שֶׁעַל יְדֵי כֵּן נַכִּיר קְצָת אֶת גּוֹדֶל יְקַר מַעֲלַת הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִרְצֶה לַעֲבוֹד אֶת בּוֹרְאֵנוּ וְלַעֲלוֹת מַעְלָה מַעְלָה.
4bThis answers our first question, on the words “What did the world lack? Rest.” The purpose of this world is the life of the World to Come. So this world lacks the rest that is the life of the World to Come, because in this world the World to Come cannot be seen or perceived. Hashem wanted to show us the World to Come and give us a taste of it even in this world, so He gave us Shabbos. That is the meaning of “Shabbos came, rest came.” When the rest of holy Shabbos came, it brought with it a reflection of the rest of the World to Come, which is entirely Shabbos and rest. That is how the world was made complete: now the rest of the World to Come can be perceived even within this world.
וְזֶה פֵּירוּשׁ אוֹמְרָם ז״ל, מֶה הָיָה הָעוֹלָם חָסֵר מְנוּחָה, הַיְינוּ שֶׁמִּכֵּיוָן שֶׁתַּכְלִית הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הוּא חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, נִמְצָא שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה חָסֵר זוֹ הַמְּנוּחָה שֶׁהִיא חַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה לֹא נִיכָּר וְנִגְלֶה עִנְיַין הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָצָה הקב״ה לְהַרְאוֹתֵנוּ וּלְהַטְעִימֵנוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא גַּם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בָּאת שַׁבָּת בָּאת מְנוּחָה, הַיְינוּ שֶׁכְּשֶׁבָּאָה הַמְּנוּחָה שֶׁל שַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ, בָּאָה מֵעֵין מְנוּחַת הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ שַׁבָּת וּמְנוּחָה, וְעַל יְדֵי כֵּן נִשְׁלַם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִיכָּר גַּם בִּמְצִיאוּת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, אֶת עִנְיַין הַמְּנוּחָה שֶׁל הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
In shortThis world is a corridor to the World to Come; it lacked a taste of that rest, and Shabbos brought it, completing the world.
5The gentiles have no connection to the World to Come, as the Midrash makes clear, and even the pious of the nations receive only a little of its light, as the Zohar shows.8 So they have no connection to holy Shabbos either, and that is why “a gentile who keeps Shabbos is liable to death.”
וְעַל כֵּן גּוֹי שֶׁשָּׁבַת חַיָּיב מִיתָה, דְּכֵיוָן דִּלְגוֹיִים אֵין שַׁיָּיכוּת לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, (כמבואר מויקרא רבה ב, ט, ועיין סנהדרין קי, ב. ואפילו חסידי אומות העולם אין זוכים רק למעט מהאור כמבואר מזוהר ח״א לח, ב), מִמֵּילָא גַּם אֵין לָהֶם שַׁיָּיכוּת לְשַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ.
- Vayikra Rabbah 2:9; and see Sanhedrin 110b; Zohar I 38b. ↩
In shortThe gentiles have no share in the rest of the World to Come, so Shabbos, its foretaste, does not belong to them.
6Yet Chazal said that in the World to Come “the tzaddikim sit with their crowns on their heads and delight in the radiance of the Shechinah.”9 There is no eating or drinking there, nor any of the other physical things of this world. It would seem, then, that on Shabbos, a reflection of the World to Come, a person should be unable to occupy himself with physical things, just as in the World to Come. Rashi therefore explained that the additional soul broadens a person's mind so that he can eat and drink. Hashem wants us to serve Him through eating and drinking too, for “the Torah was not given to the ministering angels.”10 So He gives a person an additional soul, which lets him occupy himself with eating and drinking on Shabbos. Without the additional soul, holy Shabbos would be like the World to Come in every respect, and we would not be able to eat at all.
אַךְ הִנֵּה אָמְרוּ ז״ל (ברכות יז, א) שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא צַדִּיקִים יוֹשְׁבִין וְעַטְרוֹתֵיהֶם בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶם וְנֶהֱנִין מִזִּיו הַשְּׁכִינָה, וְאֵין שָׁם אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וּשְׁאָר דְּבָרִים גַּשְׁמִיִּים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְאִם כֵּן לִכְאוֹרָה בְּשַׁבָּת שֶׁהִיא מֵעֵין הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל הָאָדָם לְהִתְעַסֵּק עִם עִנְיְינֵי גַּשְׁמִיּוּת, כְּמוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְעַל כֵּן פֵּירֵשׁ רש״י ז״ל דְּהַנְּשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה מַרְחִיבָה דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם שֶׁיּוּכַל לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת, וְהַיְינוּ דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁרְצוֹן השי״ת שֶׁנַּעֲבוֹד אוֹתוֹ גַּם מִתּוֹךְ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, דַּהֲרֵי לֹא נִיתְּנָה תּוֹרָה לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת (ברכות כה, ב), עַל כֵּן נוֹתֵן השי״ת לָאָדָם נְשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה שֶׁבְּאֶמְצָעוּתָהּ יוּכַל לְהִתְעַסֵּק עִם עִנְיְינֵי אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים בְּשַׁבָּת, וְאִלְמָלֵא הַנְּשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה, הָיְתָה שַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ כִּבְחִינַת עוֹלָם הַבָּא לְכָל דָּבָר, וְלֹא הָיִינוּ יְכוֹלִים לֶאֱכוֹל כְּלָל.
- Berachos 17a. ↩
- Berachos 25b. In other words, the Torah was given to human beings, who live in bodies, and not to angels. ↩
In shortShabbos reflects the World to Come, where no one eats, so the additional soul lets us serve Hashem by eating on Shabbos.
7This also explains the Midrash “Knesses Yisrael is your partner.” Shabbos is a day of rest and holiness, a reflection of the World to Come, so none of the six working days can fittingly be her partner. Only Knesses Yisrael can be her partner, for Israel has a share in the World to Come and is obligated to sanctify Shabbos, the reflection of the life of the World to Come.
וְזֶה גַּם בֵּיאוּר מַאֲמַר הַמִּדְרָשׁ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ, דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁהַשַּׁבָּת הוּא יוֹם מְנוּחָה וּקְדוּשָּׁה מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא, עַל כֵּן לֹא שַׁיָּיךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁאֶחָד מִשֵּׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה יִהְיֶה לָהּ לְבֶן זוּג, וְרַק כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וַעֲלֵיהֶם מוּטָּל לְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, מֵעֵין חַיֵּי עוֹלָם הַבָּא, רַק הֵם יְכוֹלִים לִהְיוֹת בֶּן זוּגָהּ.
In shortNo weekday can partner Shabbos, which belongs to the World to Come; only Israel, which shares in that world and must sanctify Shabbos, can.
8May the Holy One, blessed be He, grant that we be privileged to serve Him properly on holy Shabbos and to feel a taste of the World to Come. Through this may we be privileged to reach the days of Moshiach and the life of the World to Come itself. Amen.
יִתֵּן הקב״ה, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה בְּשַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ לַעֲבוֹד אוֹתוֹ כָּרָאוּי, וּלְהַרְגִּישׁ מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִזְכֶּה לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ וּלְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא מַמָּשׁ, אָמֵן:
In shortThe Rebbe prays that serving Hashem on Shabbos and tasting the World to Come bring us to Moshiach's days and the World to Come itself.
Takeaway
This world is only a corridor, and on its own it does not let us see the World to Come. Shabbos is Hashem's gift of a taste of that rest, given so that we will long to serve Him and rise higher. That taste belongs to Israel, the partner of Shabbos, and even the Shabbos meal is part of it, for the additional soul is given so that we can serve Hashem by eating and drinking on a day that reflects the World to Come.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
More on Parshas Bereishis
See all ›Yismach Yisroel · Rav Yerachmiel Yisrael Yitzchok DancygerTwo Beginnings: Teshuvah and Endless RenewalBereishis means two beginnings: the uprightness we are born with, and the new uprightness of one who falls and returns, to whom Hashem gives the Land. Because Hashem, the Torah…Yismach Yisroel · Rav Yerachmiel Yisrael Yitzchok DancygerShabbos: The Seal of Truth That Sustains CreationShabbos is the world's seal of truth: on the one day no human work is done and blessing still flows, we see that all our achievements, material and spiritual, come from Hashem…Yismach Yisroel · Rav Yerachmiel Yisrael Yitzchok DancygerTeshuvah and the Two Beginnings of TorahTeshuvah is beyond human reason: Hashem, Who sees the heart's inner uprightness, lets the broken-hearted penitent become a new creation, upright as before, a second beginning…
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.