The holy day of Shabbat is intimately related to the concept of blessing. Hashem blessed the Shabbat. The rabbis call it the source of blessing.
Shabbat isn’t just filled with lots of blessings, it’s filled with lots of food. Lots and lots of food. So much so, that food seems to be at the epicentre of the importance of the day. We’re expected to eat at least three meals over the course (pardon the pun) of the day. And the opening blessing on the bread at each meal needs to be made on not one, but two loaves. And it’s not enough to merely eat a lot. Oh no! Our Shabbat meals are traditionally garnished with zemirot (songs) which have us singing about eating a lot too!
If that’s not enough, when our sages tell us that on Shabbat we’re blessed with an extra soul, a neshama yeteira, the great commentator, Rashi, explains that the purpose of this extra soul is to – wait for it – allow us to eat more! I kid you not.
So what’s going on here? It appears that the blessings of Shabbat are directed more at our tummies than our hearts and souls. Something fishy – and soupy and meaty and desserty – is going on here.
The preoccupation with food on Shabbat would, indeed, be hard to swallow if it weren’t for one important realisation: the food we eat on Shabbat isn’t only for the calories and energy it provides for Shabbat itself. For sure not. All the additions to the Shabbat menu are intended for the energy that they provide after Shabbat. And it’s because they are for after Shabbat that they bring blessing.
What’s blessing? Blessing is when something has goodness that isn’t primarily for itself, but for that which is outside of itself, that which comes after itself.
When Shabbat provides for something that comes after Shabbat, for the six days of doing, the time of creativity and of contribution, it becomes blessed.
When Shabbat food is enjoyed for its ability to energise us for what we can accomplish after Shabbat, it’s transformed into the sauce of blessing.
