It turns out, that feeling might be older – and trickier – than you think.
The Torah tells us, "God completed on the seventh day His labor that He had made; He rested on the seventh day from all His labor that He had made" (Genesis 2:2). But the rabbis, bless their inquisitive souls, immediately zeroed in on a potential snag: "God completed on the seventh day?" Shouldn't it say God completed it by the seventh day? What's this about completing work on Shabbat itself?
Bereshit Rabbah, that magnificent collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dives right into this puzzle. And that's where we encounter a fascinating story about Rabbi Ḥanina, a disciple of Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei.
Rabbi Ḥanina recounts that Rabbi Yishmael took him to a certain inn and pointed out the spot where his father would pray the Shabbat evening prayer – before Shabbat had actually begun! Now, that's a head-scratcher, isn't it? Praying Ma'ariv, the evening service for Shabbat, on Friday afternoon?
This little anecdote sparks a whole debate. Rabbi Yirmeya and Rabbi Aḥa tell us that Rabbi Yoḥanan himself raised an eyebrow. "Did my father really pray the Shabbat prayer before Shabbat?" he wondered. It seems almost paradoxical, doesn't it? How can you usher in Shabbat before its time?
But then, a solution emerges, a whisper from the everyday world. Donkey drivers, those tireless travelers who journeyed from Arav to Tzippori, offered a crucial piece of information. They reported that Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, a man known for his piety, had already begun observing Shabbat in his city before sunset!
Ah, now it starts to make sense. Maybe some individuals, through their extraordinary devotion, can draw down the holiness of Shabbat a little early. They can, in a sense, "begin" Shabbat before the official astronomical start.
But the story doesn't end there. Our rabbis, ever meticulous, find another angle. What about a different version of the story? What if Rabbi Yishmael actually said his father prayed the post-Shabbat evening prayer on Shabbat itself – before Shabbat was over?
That throws another wrench into the works! How could someone recite the Motzei Shabbat prayer, the prayer marking the end of the Sabbath, while it was still daytime? It seems impossible, a violation of the natural order.
Rabbi Abba, however, steps in with another intriguing explanation. He recalls a time when Rabbi – meaning Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, the compiler of the Mishnah – was giving a lecture. Afterwards, Rabbi instructed Abba Yudan, his spokesperson, to announce to the congregation that they should pray the weekday evening prayer, even though it was still daytime!
What are we to make of all this? These stories, preserved in Bereshit Rabbah, aren't just historical anecdotes. They're invitations to ponder the very nature of time, holiness, and our relationship to both. They suggest that while Shabbat has a defined beginning and end, there's also a fluidity, a personal dimension to its observance.
Perhaps the key lies in intention, in preparation, in the conscious act of setting aside the mundane and embracing the sacred. Maybe we can, in our own way, invite Shabbat into our lives a little early, or linger in its glow just a little longer. It reminds us that time isn't just something we measure; it's something we imbue with meaning.