LESSON 43: Shabbos and Redemption

One of the first mitzvos the Jewish people received after leaving Egypt was that of Shabbos. As the Midrash explains, they had already been resting on the seventh day of the week, even while still enslaved in Egypt, thanks to the advice of Moshe Rabbeinu to Pharaoh. However, in Marah, Shabbos became halachah (Sanhedrin 56b).
Shabbos is considered to be the cornerstone of Judaism, since it embodies so much of what Torah is all about. Therefore, by keeping its laws, as a nation, we merit to see everyday life transformed into a permanent state of Shabbos:

Rebi Yochanan said in the name of Rebi Shimon bar Yochai: “If Israel were to keep two Shabboses according to the law, they would be redeemed immediately.” (Shabbos 118b)

This is because the proper observance of Shabbos results in a state of redemption — every Shabbos. For the time being, until the rest of the nation gets with the program and observes Shabbos properly, the redemptive power of Shabbos remains an individualistic opportunity. When Shabbos is observed both in law and spirit, it is a great way to prepare for redemption.
Hence, the gemora adds:
Rebi Shimon ben Pazzi said in the name of Rebi Yehoshua ben Levi, in Bar Kappara’s name: One who eats three meals on Shabbos is saved from three evils: Chevlei Moshiach, the judgment of Gihenom, and the war of Gog and Magog. (Shabbos 118a)

These are three catastrophic events that all of us would like to avoid, at just about any cost. Why would the three Shabbos meals, a mitzvah that seemingly is very easy to perform, be the reason to be spared from any of them? What is so redeeming about fulfilling the halachah of three Shabbos meals? The reward seems to be far out of proportion to the effort made to receive it.
The Maharal explains:

The three meals teach about the good that is in Creation of God. Therefore, these three meals, which represent the good and perfection within Creation, save from three punishments that represent what is missing within Creation. (Chidushei Aggados, Shabbos 118a)

In other words, Shabbos represents the perfection of Creation, and the pleasure that comes from eating the three meals is meant to be a way to experience that good. By eating them, and ideally, with this intention, one becomes part of that perfection, and is influenced by it, saving him from punishments that come because of what goes wrong in Creation. Hence, it is very important to eat all three meals, and with this intention.
However, there is another aspect to Shabbos that is very important, because it actually represents the transition from this stage of history to the next one, that of Yemos HaMoshiach. It’s what went wrong in the desert, and that which we have been trying to rectify ever since.

Friday, February 15, 2008