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Breishis - Shabbos Bride

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it He abstained from all His work which God created to make.”  Genesis 2:2

Judiasm is serious business.  The Torah has tremendous benefits, but these great benefits are achieved only by observing the Torah’s great obligations.  We say “Asher Kidshanu be Mitzvotav” – we are sanctified by your commandments.  If we follow the commandments, we become sanctified.

Nowhere is this more evident than regarding the hallachas of Shabbos.  The more we are careful about keeping the many details of Shabbos, the more Shabbos radiates its Kedushah throughout the week and throughout our lives.

But there is something mysterious about Shabbos.  Here are three questions about Shabbos:
These are three puzzling questions about Shabbos:  Why aren't non-Jews allowed to keep Shabbos, why is Shabbos so strict for Jews, and what does Shabbos have to do with our leaving Egypt?

A possible answer is alluded to in the song that we sing at the onset of Shabbos, Lecha Dodi lecrat Kalah, Come my friend, let us greet the Bride. We call Shabbos a Kala, a bride.  The song ends with the words, Boie Kala – come here bride.  If Shabbos is the bride, who is the husband?  The implication of the song is that Shabbos’s husband is Klal Yisroel.

According to this understanding, the relationship between Shabbos and the Jewish people is as follows.  During the six days of creation, Hashem created a beautiful world – light, galaxies, earth, water, animals, and man.  But still waiting to be created was one of Hashem’s greatest creations, the seventh day, Shabbos.  As it says in the Chumash, and as we say in Kiddish, Hashem blessed the seventh day and Veyakadesh oto, He made it holy. 

The medresh says that each of the other six days of the week had a partner, but Shabbos had no partner.  Hashem was like a king with a beautiful daughter that everyone ignored.  For over 2000 years, Shabbos was alone, waiting for her zivug. 

Then when the Jews were leaving Mitzrayim, Messechet Beya 16a says, “Hashem said to Moshe, Moshe I have a great gift in my hidden treasure house, and Shabbos is its name, and I want to give it to Israel.  I ask you to make it known to them.”  At the end of Parsha Beshalach, Hashem instructs Moshe to tell the Jews about Shabbos. The Chumash says, “Veyishvisu Ha-am be yom Hashvivi”, the people rested on the seventh day.  This was their first shiddush date.

Then at Har Sinai, the medresh says there was a Chupah.  There was a mystical marriage between Klal Yisroel and Shabbos.  In Messechet Kiddushin it says that a father can Mekadesh his daughter.  The phrase in Bereshis about Shabbos – that Hashem ‘mekadesh oto’ – can now be completed.  Hashem Mekadesh oto le amo Yisroel, Hashem gave Shabbos in Kiddushin to His people Israel.   

As in all marriages, after kiddushin the isha becomes ossur to everyone else. Beya 16a continues, “Rabbi Yochonon said in the name of Shimon Ben Yochai, All the mitzvoth that Hashem gave to Israel, He gave to them in public – except for Shabbos, which was given in private.”  Shabbos became the isha to Klal Yisroel only, not to be shared with the umos ha-olam.

This marriage relationship between the Jewish people and Shabbos explains so much.  It explains why we all love Shabbos so much – Shabbos is our zivug.  It explains why there is both a spiritual and a physical element to Shabbos – we enjoy the meals and the rest and everything about Shabbos both spiritually and physically.

Hashem gave us a place to live with our bride, Eretz Yisorel. We work six days a week to support our bride, and so we can be with her one glorious day a week.  As Shabbos returns on Friday afternoon, we turn to our fellow Jews and sing, “Lecha Dodi lecrat Kala”.  And we also spend Shabbos with our wonderful Father-in-law, Hashem, who also comes to visit.

Who are the children from this wonderful marriage?  All the mitzvoth and inspiration that Shabbos gives rise to.  This inspiration carries us throughout the week.

So now we can answer our three puzzling questions. 

First, a non-Jew is not allowed to keep Shabbos because Klal Yisroel is married to Shabbos – it’s a crime of Aishes Ish.

Second, Shabbos is so strict for Jews because with one day to spend with our special holy bride, doing non-Shabbos activity is a violation of that special relationship, violating the very rest that Shabbos means, and is considered as serious as infidelity.  It is also an insult to Hashem the King of the Universe, our Father-in-Law.

And why is Shabbos zecher leztiat mitzrayim?  That was when Klal Yisroel was first introduced to Shabbos. It was our first Shidduch date.

Of course as is true for so much of the holy Torah, this is shrouded in mystery.  What does it mean for the Jewish  people to be married to a day of rest?  But even as we may not understand it, let us continue to enjoy and love our unique and special relationship with Shabbos that is like marriage!