Forgetting Mitzvos
Originally published twenty years ago in 5760, this two part series written by HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira zt"l explains very basic and important concepts of Shabbos, that teach us how to approach this holy day.
Indeed HaKodosh Boruch Hu in His Torah promised us that it would not be forgotten by His children, that the Torah would remain with am Yisroel forever. This, however, refers only to the Torah itself. With In regard to the Torah's mitzvos, Yeshaya the novi decreed a gezeira and inflicted a punishment of, "Since this people draw near and with their mouths and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear towards Me is as a commandment of men learned by rote, therefore behold I will proceed to do more wonders against this people, wonder upon wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid" (Yeshaya 29:13-14).
When bnei Yisroel do mitzvos by rote, without reflecting about what they are doing, Hashem causes the ensuing mitzvos to be even more habitual as a result of our wise men losing their wisdom and our prudent ones their understanding. This loss of wisdom and understanding destroys the entire form of the mitzvah since then we observe Hashem's Torah mechanically. Furthermore, such behavior induces us to perform mitzvos in contrast to what is appropriate.
Several decades ago the people of am Yisroel were accustomed to perform several hallowed minhagim. I still remember from my childhood how every erev Rosh Chodesh was transformed from an ordinary week day to a sort of erev Yom Kippur. The shuls were overflowing with Jews praying the tefillas Yom Kippur Koton, beseeching HaKodosh Boruch Hu for pity, and shedding tears in the hope of kaporoh on Rosh Chodesh. That day is a day of kaporoh, as we say in Shemoneh Esrei, "A time of atonement for all their offspring."
This is how the sanctified minhag of our tefillah on erev Rosh Chodesh was once. But today, is there anyone who feels that Rosh Chodesh is a time of kaporoh? Although some kehillos kedoshos still observe this custom of tefillas Yom Kippur Koton, the majority of our nation has forgotten it.
Some will doubtless whitewash this occurrence saying that after all, tefillas Yom Kippur Koton is only a non- obligatory minhag, and we should not make such a fuss if it is not observed.
What will these people answer about our lack of observance of Rosh Chodesh itself? The gemora writes that Rosh Chodesh is called a yom tov by the Torah, and the Torah mentions Rosh Chodesh together with all other yomim tovim. Where today is there any remembrance of Rosh Chodesh observance? Apart from saying Hallel and davening Musaf, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh has been consigned to oblivion. We are realizing the loathsome punishment of losing our wisdom and fulfilling mitzvos without thinking into them.
Although Rosh Chodesh is a mitzvah with few pertinent halochos in Shulchan Oruch, even a major mitzvah in am Yisroel has been obliterated. Let us reflect on our Shabbos observance. How is the mitzvah of Shabbos presented to us in the Torah, and how do we actually fulfill it? Is it not clear that we have squandered its true form and are instead fulfilling it contrary to how the Torah commands us?
The reason for this is simple: If we would really know what Shabbos is, what are the segulos a person can attain through Shabbos, we would surely prepare for it beforehand as we should and fulfill it properly. It seems that we do not know what Shabbos really is.
To better appreciate the value of Shabbos we will cite the clear-cut perspective of Maran the Chofetz Chaim ztvk'l. When he wanted to express the greatness of the Torah, this renowned tzaddik would illustrate it with a moshol of a person conferring a gift to another.
The gift's value is not dependent merely upon its own intrinsic worth but also upon the one who so generously provided it. If the donor is an ordinary person, the recipient does not value it to the same degree as if he is rich. If, for example, a person of untold wealth offered him a present which the wealthy person himself greatly values, the receiver would surely value it highly. So it is if an affluent person who benefits from an abundance of Olam Hazeh sees the present as being extremely worthwhile.
So too with regard to Torah. When the mal'ochim requested from Hashem not to hand the Torah over to mortals they said, "Set Your glory above the Heaven" (Tehillim 8:2). If the mal'ochim who have a clearer perception of spiritual values wanted it for themselves, undoubtedly it is immeasurably valuable. This is how the Chofetz Chaim described the Torah's worth.
This perception is also true about the Shabbos. "See that Hashem has given you the Shabbos, therefore He gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days" (Shemos 16:29). Chazal (Shabbos 10b) write: "HaKodosh Boruch Hu said to Moshe Rabbenu: `In My treasure houses I have a matonoh tovah (a good gift) called Shabbos and I want to give it to Yisroel. Go and tell them about it.'" Hashem Himself depicts the Shabbos as being a matonoh, a good gift, originating from His treasure houses! If so, Shabbos is undeniably a good gift.
The Midrash Tehillim writes: "R' Yossi said: `I am giving you a pearl.'" R' Yossi is revealing to us that only pearls are found in the treasure houses of HaKodosh Boruch Hu and regarding the pearl of Shabbos, Hashem says: "See I am giving you a pearl and it is good!" Now if HaKodosh Boruch Hu Himself testifies about this pearl of Shabbos as being good it is incontestably a tremendous gift.
The Gift's Essence
We can infer this gift's essence from the abovementioned Chazal: Hashem's good gift to bnei Yisroel is Shabbos, meaning rest. "On the seventh day He rested and was refreshed" (Shemos 31:17). This rest that Hashem gives us on the seventh day is the gift of Shabbos. Now let us see what segulos this rest called Shabbos has.
Although it has the segulah of one's body being able to relax, as the Rambam writes in More Nevuchim (part III), surely this resting on Shabbos is not mainly of the body but of the nefesh. The Rambam himself writes that we daven every Shabbos at mincha: "A rest of love and magnanimity, a rest of truth and faith, a rest of peace and serenity and tranquility and security, a perfect rest." The Shabbos is a rest that serves as the foundation to acquiring all the higher levels of rest enumerated in our tefillah, which is definitely only a rest of the nefesh.
"By the seventh day Elokim ended His work which He had done and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done" (Bereishis 2:2). It seems that Rashi (ibid.) was bothered that we understand from the posuk the creation's work was finished on the seventh day although it was actually completed on the sixth day. Rashi cites the Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 10:9) that the world was missing rest and with Shabbos came rest. The world was finally finished by the creation of rest on the seventh day.
But what does the Midrash mean that the world was missing something? Were not all of works of the heaven and earth already functioning? Did not the firmament and all of its hosts, the land and all that what was on it, the oceans and all that were in it, coexist in the world? An entire enormous world existed. What was missing?
Rashi is mechadeish that although the Heaven and earth were operating, the world was still missing something. It was not yet completed. Hashem could not say, "By the seventh day Elokim ended his work which he had done" until "He rested on the seventh day from all His work which he had done" (Bereishis 2:2). The work of setting up the creation was only perfected when the rest of Shabbos came. Hashem created on the seventh day the rest of Shabbos and that rest is an integral part of the creation.
The siddur of the Vilna gaon cites a Midrash that the creation of the seventh day is, "A rest of love and magnanimity, a rest of truth and faith, a rest of peace and serenity and tranquility and security, a perfect rest." These special qualities were put into existence through the creation of rest on Shabbos. Hashem created the rest for one's nefesh. Through this rest we can gain all these sublime spiritual levels.
The rest for the nefesh on Shabbos is such a colossal matonoh of tohoroh that through it a person removes himself from his worldly problems and affairs. He receives all the elevated qualities enumerated in our tefillah that HaKodosh Boruch Hu wants us to have on Shabbos.
"A psalm, a song for the Shabbos day. It is good to thank Hashem and to sing praise to Your Name, O Exalted One" (Tehillim 92:1-2). Maran the Brisker Rav zy'a and all the commentaries ask an obvious question: What does this psalm have to do with Shabbos? Actually the psalm does not refer to Shabbos at all. It writes about completely different matters: the greatness of Hashem's deeds, how exceedingly profound are His thoughts, Divine guidance of the world, and reward and punishment. One cannot find even a hint to Shabbos in this psalm.
Rabbenu Avrohom, the son of the Vilna Gaon, answers that the theme of the psalm of Shabbos is "it is good to thank Hashem." The higher neshomoh which, according to many commentaries refers to the neshomoh yeseirah (the added neshomoh that we receive on Shabbos), remains tohor on Shabbos and realizes it must thank Hashem!
Such a realization is the segulah of the Shabbos. During the entire week a person is occupied with various matters and lacks the menuchas hanefesh to reach this level of being able to thank Hashem. On Shabbos we are privileged to have this pure realization of our obligation to express appreciation to the Creator. On Shabbos a person is released from all his mundane affairs and the radiance of the neshomoh illuminates him so he understands he must be grateful and praise the Ruler of the World.
Maran HaRav Yechezkel Abramsky ztvk'l would humorously say the following on the posuk: "Moshe said, `Eat that today, for today is a Shabbos to Hashem; Today you shall not find it in the field'" (Shemos 16:25). It was Shabbos on that day and Moshe told them that Shabbos, meaning rest, will not be found by working in the fields. If you go to cull manna in the field it will not be a day of Shabbos. If you want the Shabbos, do not go out to the fields. Someone who goes to the fields to engage in other things will not have a day of Shabbos. The Shabbos must be a complete rest of the nefesh and dedicated to the lofty ideals of the Torah. The entire neshomoh must see and recognize its need to pour out its thanks to Hashem and glorify His name.
Rabbenu Bechaye teaches us the same on the posuk, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Shabbos to Hashem your Elokim, in it you shall not do any work" (Shemos 20:9-10). [It seems that Rabbenu learns the above from the apparently redundant phrase in the Torah "Do all your work," added after writing "Six days you shall labor."] He further explains according to the Rambam that "six days you shall work" refers to our avodas Elokim, that during the six days you shall worship Hashem. Doing all your work means the worldly work of man.
During the six days of the week a Jew must occupy himself with avodas Hashem together with his profane work to sustain himself. Shabbos is different. The Shabbos is only for Hashem! It should be entirely devoted to avodas Hashem, not distracted by any other matters. This is the rest that we must be zoche to on Shabbos, a menuchas hanefesh on Shabbos.
This is the first segulah of Shabbos: the matonoh called Shabbos that is a rest for the nefesh.
HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira shlita was the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Beer Yaakov and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Degel HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel.
