It's more than just a day off; it's a cornerstone of Jewish life, a sacred pause in the week. But why Shabbat (the Sabbath)? What makes it so special?
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, digs deep into this very question, particularly in its commentary on Psalm 92, "A Psalm, a song for the Sabbath day." This psalm isn't just a pretty melody; it's a gateway to understanding the profound significance of this day.
Rabbi Yitzchak points us to (Exodus 16:29): "See that the Lord has given you the Sabbath." But what does "see" really mean here? Rabbi Yosei of Marganita suggests it means the Sabbath "was given to you," a gift, pure and simple. And what a gift! Rabbi Yitzchak continues by saying that every aspect of Shabbat is doubled – its obligations, its rewards, even its punishments for violation. The offering of the omer, a measure of barley, is doubled. The sacrifices in the Temple are doubled with two lambs. The warnings, "Remember" and "Keep," are doubled in the Ten Commandments. It's like the universe is shouting: PAY ATTENTION! This day is different.
But then, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) takes a surprising turn. It quotes Ecclesiastes, that famously melancholic book: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" Kohelet, the author of Ecclesiastes, sees vanity in… everything. He links the seven days of Creation to this sense of futility. What was created on the first day? Heaven and Earth. And their end? "The heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment" (Isaiah 51:6). Vanity! The firmament? It'll be rolled up like a scroll (Isaiah 34:4). Vanity! And so on, through the luminaries, the creatures of the sea, even humankind itself, destined to return to dust (Genesis 3:19).
Pretty bleak. But then comes the seventh day, Shabbat. God looks at it, sees it as holy and serene… and then, according to Rabbi Isaac, sees that humans sin even on this day, and are held accountable. Even the Sabbath seems tainted by vanity. So, are we back to square one? Is everything meaningless?
Not quite. The Midrash isn't saying the Sabbath is vanity, but rather acknowledging the potential for it to be corrupted, for us to miss its true essence. The reason the other days feel like vanity, the Midrash argues, is precisely because of the Sabbath! On the seventh day, no work is done. It's a day set apart. Like a king who keeps a precious vessel only for his son, God bestows the Sabbath upon the Israelites, making it a day of rest and holiness.
Think about the story of the manna in the desert. For forty years, God provided the Israelites with food six days a week, but on Shabbat, nothing. Not because God couldn't, but because Shabbat demanded rest. It was a tangible lesson, a weekly reminder of God's provision and the importance of ceasing from labor. As it says in (Exodus 16:30), "So the people rested on the seventh day."
The Midrash continues, drawing parallels: God created seven heavens, but chose none as His dwelling place except the Sabbath (Psalm 68:5). Seven lands, but chose only the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 11:12). Seven seas, but chose only the Sea of Galilee (Joshua 19:32-33). Seven worlds, but chose only the seventh for rest. Seven days, but blessed only the seventh (Genesis 2:3). Seven cycles of years, but chose only the Sabbatical year for release (Deuteronomy 15:1).
See the pattern? Shabbat isn't just a day; it's a symbol of God's chosenness, a microcosm of the divine plan. And, according to (Isaiah 56:2), keeping Shabbat—"holding fast to the Sabbath, not profaning it"—brings forgiveness of sins.
So, what does all this mean for us today? Maybe it's a reminder that amidst the chaos and vanity of the world, there's a space for holiness, for rest, for connection. Shabbat is an invitation to step outside the cycle of work and consumption, to remember our purpose, and to reconnect with something bigger than ourselves. It's a gift, waiting to be unwrapped, week after week. Will we accept it?
A Psalm, a song for the Sabbath day. Rabbi Yitzchak said (Exodus 16:29), "See that the Lord has given you the Sabbath." What is meant by "see"? Rabbi Yosei of Marganita said, "[It means] it was given to you." Rabbi Yitzchak said, "Every engagement of the Sabbath is doubled." The omer offering is doubled (Leviticus 23:16), [combining] the two omer offerings into one. Its sacrifice is doubled (Numbers 28:9), with two lambs offered on the Sabbath day. Its punishment is doubled (Exodus 31:14), one who violates it shall surely be put to death. Its reward is doubled (Isaiah 58:13), "And you shall call the Sabbath a delight, the holy [day] of the Lord honored." Its warnings are doubled, "Remember" and "Keep." Its Psalm is doubled, "A Psalm, a song for the Sabbath day." This is what the verse means when it says (Ecclesiastes 1:2), "Vanity of vanities," said Kohelet, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity." Kohelet said there are seven vanities. One vanity is [the fact] that the seven days of Creation correspond to it. Solomon said, "What was created on the first day? The heavens and the earth. And what will be their end? 'The heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment' (Isaiah 51:6)." [This is] vanity. [He said,] "And what was created on the second day? The firmament. And what will be its end? 'And the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll' (Isaiah 34:4)." [This is] vanity. [He said,] "And what was created on the third day? The gathering of the waters. And what will be their end? 'And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea' (Isaiah 11:15)." [This is] vanity. [He said,] "And what was created on the fourth day? The luminaries. As it is said (Genesis 1:17), 'And God set them in the firmament of the heaven.' And what will be their end? 'And the moon will be confounded' (Isaiah 24:23)." [This is] vanity. [He said,] And what was created on the fifth day? "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures" (Genesis 1:20). And what is their end? "I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth" (Zephaniah 1:2). Says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). And what was created on the sixth day? Man. And what is his end? "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). Says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities!" And what was created on the seventh day, the Sabbath? He looked around to see if there was any flaw in it, but found it all holy and serene. Rabbi Isaac said that afterwards he saw that man sinned on it and was held accountable, and he also said, "This too is vanity." Thus, all seven days are considered vanity. As it says, "Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). The reason why all seven days are considered vanity is that on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, no work is done. This is expressed by the phrase "And there was evening and there was morning, the seventh day" (Genesis 2:2-3). This is similar to a king who had a precious vessel that he did not want to bequeath to anyone but his son. Similarly, Thus, the Sabbath is a day of rest and holiness, and God only wanted to bestow it upon the Israelites. Know that it was the same when the Israelites left Egypt, before they were given the Torah, God gave them the Sabbath and they observed two Sabbaths until they received the Torah, as it is said in Nehemiah 9:14, "You made known to them Your holy Sabbath." And the Lord blessed and sanctified the Sabbath, and the Israelites are obligated to sanctify it. It is known that every forty years that the Israelites were in the wilderness, during the six days of the week, God provided them with manna, but on the Sabbath, no manna would come down, not because God lacked the power to give it, but because of the Sabbath. When the people saw this, they also observed the Sabbath, as it is said in Exodus 16:30, "So the people rested on the seventh day." Then God said, "This Sabbath I have given to Israel as a sign between Me and them." During the six days of creation, God worked on the world, and on the Sabbath, He rested. Therefore, it is said in Exodus 31:17, "Between Me and the children of Israel, it is a sign forever." God created seven heavens, but He did not choose any of them as His dwelling place except the Sabbath, as it is said in Psalm 68:5, "A father of orphans and a judge of widows is God in His holy dwelling." God created seven lands, but He did not choose any of them except for the land of Israel, as it is said in Deuteronomy 11:12, As it is said (Deuteronomy 11:12) "the eyes of God are always upon it." I created seven seas, and from all of them, I chose none except the Sea of Galilee, which I gave as an inheritance to the tribe of Naphtali. As it is said (Joshua 19:32-33) "Naphtali, he possesses the Sea and the south." I created seven worlds, and from all of them, I chose none except the seventh. Six were created for coming and going, and one, the entire seventh, was created for rest and repose for the life of the world. I created seven days, and from all of them, I chose none except the seventh day, as it is said (Genesis 2:3) "God blessed the seventh day." I created seven cycles of seven years, and from all of them, I chose none except the year of release, as it is said (Deuteronomy 15:1) "At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release." And anyone who observes the Sabbath, the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives all his sins, as it is said (Isaiah 56:2) "Happy is the man who does this, he who holds fast to the Sabbath, not profaning it. And he who abstains from evil shall find favor."
