T

he angels have left; Kiddush is chanted the age-old melody reminding all present how Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the Shabbos. The Kiddush continues to describe how Hashem blessed the seventh day as well as sanctified it. What is the blessing and sanctification of Shabbos?

The Mahn on our Table

Chazal teach us that Hashem blessed the seventh day by having a double portion of mahn falling on Friday thus providing food for both Friday and Shabbos. The sanctification (v’kidashto) lay in the fact that the mahn did not fall at all on Shabbos.

This explanation is startlingly difficult to understand. The mahn fell for only 40 years in the desert — and we have been keeping Shabbos for thousands of years! In what way can we still draw from the blessing and sanctification of the mahn to Shabbos in the year 5777?

The most obvious contemporary connection to Chazal’s reasoning is the presence of lechem mishneh at every meal reminding us of the blessing of the mahn. Indeed one of the reasons we cover the challah is to remind us of the care-package way Hashem sent us down the mahn. First He sent a layer of dew then the mahn and then dew on top to protect the food. We likewise have a tablecloth beneath and a challah cover on top to remind us of the “dew sandwich.”

When we eat the challos we should feel that we’re partaking of the mahn. Piskei Teshuvos notes that many people keep the challah covered until after reciting hamotzi. We know that the blessing of the Shabbos affects the blessing of the next six days of the week. We also know that blessing is found in that which is concealed. Therefore we keep the challos which represent the blessing connected with the mahn covered for as long as possible to magnify the blessing of sustenance for the entire week.

Just the Axe

There’s another way to access this blessing. The Torah commands us to do all our work during six days and rest on Shabbos. Is it possible for any person to do all of their work by the time Shabbos enters? Rather notes Rashi we should consider in our minds as if all of our work is completed. As soon as the Shabbos candles are lit we should force thoughts of work out of our heads. Sifsei Chaim asks if this is really feasible when we know how much work is left over for next week — are we not simply fooling ourselves?

To answer this question we need to redefine the concept of work. Rav Chaim of Volozhon explains that creation was not a one-time occurrence. Rather Hashem is continuously recreating the world every moment: He is the Borei Olam Creator (in present tense) of the universe. In this world of constant renewal how should we view our own efforts?

We’re likened to the axe in the hands of the woodchopper. While the axe seems to be doing all the work without the woodchopper’s sure grip the axe would fall to the ground. While we must put in our best efforts the results are always in the hands of Hashem. To do “all” our work during the week means to invest our maximum to reach our goals. After that all is in the hands of Hashem.

Anyone who’s had a computer crash has experienced how hours of work can disappear in a moment — a stark reminder that we’re not in control. Shabbos grants us this reminder each and every week.

Rav Elimelech Biderman points out that this is one of the lessons we learn from eating cholent on Shabbos. On Friday we fry onions sear meat add potatoes beans barley and our secret ingredients. Twenty-four hours later we ladle the cholent into bowls — a dish that bears no resemblance to the ingredients we assembled. What an appropriate dish to serve on Shabbos — one in which we put in the effort but the result happens from Above! By internalizing this message we bring bountiful blessing into our lives.

The mahn too carried this message. One miraculous feature of this celestial bread was that no matter how much each person collected whether just a small amount or a huge quantity when they arrived home they found they had the perfect amount to fulfill their needs. This reminds us of how Hashem tailors His giving to meet our specific needs. The real tranquility of Shabbos is the inner peace that accompanies the knowledge that Hashem recreates not just the universe at large but our individual worlds as well.

It is in connection to the mahn that the Torah describes how each person should not leave their place on Shabbos. Sifsei Chaim notes that this indicates a worldview: Going out and jealously looking at other people’s possessions and lives is antithetical to Shabbos and the emunah it carries. Shabbos is a time to spend appreciating what we have not focusing on that we think we are missing.

A Day in the Yichud Room

Perhaps one of the most special components of the mahn was that it tasted like whatever you wanted. Imagine eating all the delicacies one can imagine every single day! Rav Shimon Schwab was once eating a Shabbos meal with the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim posed a surprising question: “If you weren’t thinking of anything when you ate the mahn what did it taste like?” The answer: “If you don’t think it has no taste.”

This is true of all spiritual matters in particular Shabbos: without thought the mitzvah can remain bland. And sprinkling just a little thought doesn’t take a lot of effort: saying “lichvod Shabbos” when purchasing food and preparing it takes only a second but it expresses anticipation for and appreciation of the holy day. Just as one who was hosting a rosh yeshivah for Shabbos wouldn’t be dressed in a housecoat doing last-minute errands minutes before his arrival likewise we should be ready to greet the Shabbos with anticipation of an exalted guest coming to our home.

Rav Pincus describes Shabbos as spending 24 hours in the yichud room alone with Hashem. Just as it would be highly inappropriate for a chassan to take out his phone and check the stock market at this special moment likewise we need to be mindful of how we spend our time on Shabbos. When we’re aware of the holy gift we’re granted weekly we can plan to make sure Shabbos is spent appropriately with reading material and games for the entire family. With the right mindset we can create the special feeling Shabbos has to offer each one of us to rejuvenate our connection with Hashem. Our goal is that we should be rushing into Shabbos early and taking leave of it slowly.

Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov notes that the word mahn is related to the question: Mi hu? Who is it? When the Jewish people ate of the mahn they became so uplifted so qualitatively different that they became unrecognizable to each other. Every Shabbos we too have this capacity. The Sefas Emes notes that Shabbos is a time for each person to return to his roots to his core self. Every person has a higher soul; when our lower soul is elevated and connects with it we become a complete human being.

At the peak of his spiritual life when Avraham Avinu was prepared to sacrifice Yitzchak at the akeidah an angel calls down to him “Avraham Avraham.” He was hinting that the Avraham of below had met the Avraham of above.

Oftentimes particularly during Elul and Tishrei we hear voices inside of ourselves prompting us to be better. This is the voice of the higher self which knows the levels we’re capable of reaching. The lower self can be compared to thousands of puzzle pieces and the higher soul the picture on the box. One chassidic understanding is that our neshamah yeseirah the extra soul we receive on Shabbos is our own higher soul coming each week to inspire us to identify with and act from our higher selves.

If we believe for example that we are capable of not raising our voices at our children although we may not be successful during the week on Shabbos we have this extra impetus. We have the capability of acting on Shabbos as we envision our true selves to act. Like those who originally ate the mahn we can tap into its blessing becoming unrecognizable to others on Shabbos.

As we sit back and sip the Kiddush wine let us reflect on the beauty of the blessing of Shabbos. We have done our week’s work — put in our maximum effort — and can bask in the feeling of tranquility that comes with knowing that Hashem is guiding and controlling our lives. As we bite into the challah let us reflect on how the mood on Shabbos is created by our mindset and how we can live according to our higher selves so that the pieces of the puzzle resemble the picture on the box.