Rev Joseph Matzner
G-d took soil from the earth, breathed into it the breath of life and created man. He took one day out of the physical days and infused it with holiness. And so, the seventh day became a different kind of day, a new type of day.
The leap from the physical days to this new type of day, was not unlike the leap from the animal world to the world of man.
Nature never ceases its work. It continues its work relentlessly day and night. Because, everything has to be non-Shabbosdik out there. Should even one star stop rotating or shining on Shabbos, our Shabbos would be meaningless. Nature is not allowed to rest, Shabbos has to be the very opposite of nature.
The Midrash describes Shabbos rest as follows:
For six days G-d created only the parts, the individual parts of the universe. But the moment Shabbos began, the Divine hammer came down on the anvil and all the parts started to function in magnificent synch and harmony. The end-result of the six days work was revealed at last on Shabbos.
On that first seventh day the universe was launched on its incredible journey of 7 000 years and G-d gave his handiwork the blessing of bon voyage and the guarantee of safe arrival. The forces and energies released on that day were to continue non-stop day and night in amazing continuity.
Unfortunately, we happily let ourselves be rocked by the rhythms of nature and by its poetic and ensnaring beauty.
Evolution beckons with its glittering neon lights from every textbook and has safely installed itself in the seat of Ashmadai proclaiming: “I am King”. This is the reality of the non-Sabbatical world, a world of sound and fury.
G-d sanctified the first seventh day and all following seventh days, in order to help man retain and nurture his G-d-given Divine image.
The Jewish people’s responsibility has always been to be the guardian of the Divine image in man.
Let us keep Shabbos and merit to behold the splendour of a living and harmonious world.
A final shot from the Midrash: “The world looked like an empty chuppah, what was missing, the bride! Came Shabbos, came the bride!”
And here is another one: “The world was like a signet ring, without any identity as to who could possibly own it. Came Shabbos and everyone and everything knew immediately to whom the world belongs!” This is the Shabbos’ greatest possible blessing.
Good Shabbos.
