בראשית ב:ג
וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃
And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done.
The passuk above describes Shabbos. What is the significance of stopping from work? Why is it specifically Shabbos on the 7th day? What does it mean that Shabbos is "holy"? What does it mean that Shabbos was "blessed" by Hashem? Why isn't the mitzvah of Shabbos mentioned here?
Rashi says that Shabbos is blessed in that the מן fell in double portions on Friday and Shabbos was made "holy" by not having מן fall on Shabbos.
What are other approaches to these questions?
Rashi says that after Hashem created the world it was lacking one thing, rest. So he created shabbos so that there would be rest. Maybe Hashem made it the end of the week so that you can completely rest since your work is all completed.
ReplyDeleteRamban quotes Rashi on how he mentions that Hashem blessed the seventh day through the מן by not having it fall on the seventh day. Ramban also quotes Ibn Ezra how he says that the blessing is that there is a renewal/recharging of strength in the human body on that day. I think that is a satisfying answer, because we always refer to Shabbos as the day of rest. Another approach includes Sforno who says that this blessing doesn’t just refer to the first “seventh day”, it refers to every Shabbos to come.
ReplyDeleteThis is Ruthy Berlinger’s
DeleteIbn Ezra comments that the words “and God blessed” has a very interesting meaning. It means an increase in well being. What does that mean? It means that on Shabbos, the body is blessed with a renewal of its strength and soul. Also, the body has an increase to be more intellectual and have more reasoning.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I love the fact that Ibn Ezra has a more of a physical take by talking about the renewal of strength and for the soul. Also, I love that there is a mental and emotional take by saying that there is an increase in intellectual idea and reasoning. If there’s a physical and an emotional/mental aspect, the body is being completely “purified” on Shabbos.
What does it mean shabbos was blessed?
ReplyDeleteRashi says, that Hashem blessed shabbos through the man, by not having it fall on shabbos. On all other days of the week, one portion of man world would fall a day for each person, instead Hashem made two portions of man fall on Friday instead of one to bless shabbos.
How do we know which day is Shabbat?
ReplyDeleteIn Exodus 16 ( Chabad.Org) : B”Y were told that ‘man’ fell every day but on shabbos, therefore when the ‘man’ stopped falling B”Y knew it was time for shabbat. But then what did they eat on Shabbat? On friday the ‘man’ fell double the amount giving B”Y the opportunity to collect double the portion.
A thought I have from this response is, even though the ‘man’ falls everyday it stops on shabbat. It demonstrated how important the day is and even collecting (cooking) food is not considered resting. Really helps me understand how special the day is and helps me build a bigger connection.
What does it mean that Shabbos was "blessed" by Hashem?
ReplyDeleteIbn-ezra says And hashem blessed shabbat that the body is blessed with renewal and strength for the soul. No work is done on the seventh, only on the six other days.
Hashem blessed the 7th day for our bodies to rest, renew, and strengthen. I understand this. When working all week with no rest a body cannot function properly. Hashem blessed one day for us to rest.
Ibn Ezra says that a blessing means an increase in well being. On Shabbat the body is blessed with a renewal of its reproductive strength and the soul with an increase in its intellectual and reasoning capabilities
ReplyDeleteI connect to this idea because on Shabbat I feel well rested and I feel like I am a ‘new’ person and I feel shabbat is a very blessed day because we are very close to HaShem and have many blessings, especially on Shabbat
this is annabelle
DeleteWhat is the significance of stopping work on the seventh day?
ReplyDeleteOr HaChaim
Once shabbos arrived Hashem stopped/abstained from completing his endeavors. The Or Hachaim restates that Hashem interrupted his creation of the demons only because He wanted to emphasize how important shabbos is. Hashem did this to convey the matter of shabbos and that all work must be stopped even if it may ruin an entire project. It was not because of the lack of ability to complete it before shabbos. In an instant Hashem can create anything. Rather Hashem deliberately created “half finished'' creatures in the last moment before shabbos just to show us that we should stop working when shabbos arrives even if a project may be ruined.
This is my comment- I think the Or HaChaims comments on stopping work on Shabbos is really amazing because it shows how meticulous Hashem is and how everything He does is for a reason whether we understand it or not. Everything, even from the smallest pebble on the ground to a big rainstorm all have their reasons.
Delete-Layla Sanft
According to Ibn Ezra, when Hashem “blessed” Shabbat He was actually blessing our bodies and our souls. He describes how we are blessed by becoming smarter and wiser and also making our bodies healthier. I think this answer is very interesting because although in the Torah it says Hashem actually blessed Shabbat, this is a unique approach because the blessing of Shabbat also includes blessing us. This makes me feel very loved by Hashem because it makes me feel like He sees us as holy and still wants to bless us just like he blessed Shabbat.
ReplyDelete