Ki Tisa תרל”ב

תרל”ב

אך את שבתותי תשמורו כו’ וכן ושמרו בנ”י את השבת. ומה שמירה זו שאדם שומר השבת. הלא האדם נשמר בשבת.
The Pasuk (Shemos 31:16) tells us “Guard the Shabbos”, and (Shemos 31:16) “Bnei Yisrael shall guard the Shabbos”. However what sort of protection can a pson give Shabbos, it is Shabbos that protects us.
אך כתיב את שבתותי. והוא הטפל לשבת.
However it says את שבתותי the word את teaches us there is something else included in this commandment, something that is secondary to Shabbos.
היינו להמשיך קדושת השבת לכל הדברים.
This commandment is to draw the holiness of Shabbos into everything we do (during the other days of the week).
ובכל דבר יש בחי’ שבת אף בחול. רק שנגנז ונסתר בימי המעשה. ובשבת מתגלה. ובעת שנסתר צריך שמירה.
For everything has an aspect of Shabbos, even though it is mundane. However in the mundane days of the week it is hidden, and it is only revealed on Shabbos. It is in these times of hiddenness that a special protection and gurding is necessary.
והוא הרצון והתשוקה שבימות החול שצריך להיות כל המעשים רק לצורך השבת להיות נ”ר להשי”ת.
This (extra protection) is the desire and longing during the days of the week, that in every action a person should aim to do them for the sake of Shabbos, ie. that it should bring about pleasantness for HaShem.
כמ”ש בספרים שלכל מעשה קטן וגדול יש עלי’ בשבת אם נעשה כראוי. וצריך להיות כל המעשים לצורך שבת כנ”ל.
We find this concept written (See Be’er mayim Chaim Shemos 20:11), that in every action, big or small, has an elevation on Shabbos, and every action should be done for the sake of Shabbos. As above.

וז”ש לעשות את השבת. שלא להיות עשי’ אחרת כלל רק השבת כנ”ל.
With this we can explain the words לעשות את השבת “to do the Shabbos”, this teaches us that anything we do (even during the mundane days of the week) should always be Shabbos, (as explained above, that the focus in every action even during the days of the week is focused on Shabbos).
ופרשנו אך את שבתותי. כמ”ש חז”ל על אך את הזהב להעביר החלודה ע”ש. שלא ישאר רק גוף הזהב. כן בנ”י כשמעבירין ההסתר והחלודה. נמצא קדושת השבת בכל מקום כנ”ל.
Similarly we have explained above (תרל”א 1) that the word אך – only, is similar to the commandment of אך את הזהב, when purifying gold one first needs to remove any rust so there will be only gold. So too when Bnei Yisrael remove any hiddenness and ‘rust’ (the physical hiding the holiness), then they are able to find Shabbos in everything. As explained above.
לדעת כו’ ששבת נותן דעת לאדם. כי וודאי מתנת השי”ת שנתן השבת. נכלל בזה שיוכל האדם לדעת ולעשות השבת. כמ”ש חז”ל הנותן מתנה כו’ צריך להודיעו שנא’ לדעת כו’.
Furthermore it says on the commandment of Shabbos “That you shall know לדעת”. This teaches us that Shabbos gives us דעת. Now the gift of HaShem that gave us the Shabbos, certainly includes the ability to understand how to keep the Shabbos. As we know that anyone who gives a gift must notify the receiver of the gift.
פי’ ידיעה התקשרות ודביקות. כי אם לא הי’ נכלל בנתינת שבת ההתקשרות ודביקות בנ”י בבחי’ שבת א”כ לא הי’ נתינה כלל:
However here the idea of דעת is teaching us (something more than just how to do the mitzva), that דעת is a connection and attachment. For if there was no attachment between Bnei Yisrael and Shabbos, then it would not be a gift at all. (we see from here that the main idea of Shabbos is to connect and attach ourselves always to the concept of Shabbos, even during the week, as explained above, by uncovering and finding the elements of Shabbos – holiness in everything mudane).

ושמרו בני ישראל כו’ הוא הבטחה ג”כ שבני ישראל ישמרו השבת.
(Shemos 31:16) “Bnei Yisrael shall guard Shabbos” This is (not only a commandment, but it is) also a promise, that Bnei Yisrael will always guard the Shabbos.
ואיתא כי מרע”ה מחזיר לישראל בש”ק הכתרים של נעשה ונשמע. נראה שבשבת לא קלקלו ע”י החטא.
It is written (Shabbos 88a) that Moshe returns the crowns of na’ase and nishma to Bnei Yisrael on Shabbos. (These were confiscated at the sin of the Golden Calf). This implies that the sin of the Golden Calf did not negatively effect the Shabbos.
ולכך שבת מעין עוה”ב כמ”ש בלוחות ראשונות חירות כו’.
Therefore Shabbos is a taste of the world to come, just as when we originally received the Torah (before the luchos were broken), we were free of the negative forces, (like in the world to come)
וכן איתא בחטא אדם הראשון שנתקבל בשבת. ג”כ כנ”ל שלא הגיע החטא לבחי’ שבת.
So too when Adam sinned, he was (protected) and accepted by the Shabbos (See Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer 19:3). This too is because Adam’s sin did not effect the Shabbos.
והוא ששבת במקום הגניזה כמ”ש מתנה טובה יש לי בבית גנזי כו’ וכיון שנגנז לא הגיע קלקול החטא לשבת כנ”ל:
This is because Shabbos is hidden in HaShem’s treasure house, as HaShem told Moshe: “I have a great gift in my treasure house called Shabbos”. This teaches us that since HaShem hid the Shabbos, the negative power created from sin did not reach and effect Shabbos.

במדרש כי אמרה שבת לפני הקב”ה לכל יש בן זוג ולי אין בן זוג והשיב כנ”י יהי’ בן זוגך. ואין מובן.
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 11:8) Says that Shabbos complained to HaShem that each of the other days of the week have a partner (Sunday with Monday etc) yet Shabbos doesn’t have partner. HaShem replied that Bnei Yisrael כנסת ישראל will be its partner. This is not easily understood?
וי”ל הפי’ שיש הסתר לששת הימים. כי שורשן למעלה מיום השביעי. כסדר המנין שביעי אחר ששה. רק שע”י שהם גבוהים יש להם הסתרות. ואין עצמותם בעוה”ז. רק בדרך הסתר.
We can explain this based on the level of hiddenness of each of the days.. That really the six days of the week are more hidden, this is becasue they are actually sourced in a higher place that the Seventh (Shabbos) day. Just as in the order 6 is before 7 (this teaches us that 6 is actually closer to the source that 7). However since they are so elevated they actually need more hiddenness, and the actual essence of the days are not actually in this world and they acan only be in this world in a hidden fashion.
וכמ”ש חז”ל שבחול ההנהגה ע”י המלאך. והוא שליח. אף ששלוחו של אדם כמותו. כי בוודאי ואתה מחי’ את כולם כתיב. ומ”מ הוא ע”י הסתר.
As our sages explain that the directive of the days of the week is done via an angel, a messenger. Even though (halachically) a messenger is just as the one sending him, for it is definitely (HaShem that sends the angel) as it says “You give life to everything”. Nevertheless (the directive of a messenger means that) it is more hidden.
אבל בשבת נגלה כבודו ית’ בעולמות. וע”י השבת מתקשרין ימי החול בשורשן. כי השבת מדבק עוה”ז לשורש החיות שבעולם העליון.
However on Shabbos the glory of HaShem is revealed (where there is now no intermediary), and it is therefore through the Shabbos that the days of the week can now connect to their source (directly to HaShem without an intermediary). For Shabbos is the day that connects this world to its life source in the upper worlds.
וז”ש שאין לה בן זוג שהוא קבלה מיוחדת כמו בימות החול. שיש לכל יום בחי’ המקבלת חיים מיום העליון כנ”ל להחיות העולם.
This is therefore the meaning of Shabbos’s ‘complaint’ to HaShem that it does not have a partner, meaning that there is no day that receives from it like other days of the week, for the other days have receive from the day above it, whereas Shabbos does not have a day that receives from it. (Since the Shabbos is the day that attaches this world to its source in the upper worlds, it is even higher than all the days of this world*)
והשיב כנס”י יהי’ בן זוגך. כי גם בשבת כתיב ביני ובין בני ישראל. ורק לבנ”י מתגלה בשבת כבודו ית’. ועל ידיהם נמשך חיות לכל העולמות.
HaShem’s response was that Bnei Yisrael will be Shabbos’s partner. For regarding the Shabbos it says “between Me and Bnei Yisrael”, and the Glory of HaShem on Shabbos is only revealed to Bnei Yisrael. (Bnei Yisrael are the ones that give shefa to the Shabbos), and it is through Bnei Yisrael that life force is drawn the entire world.
ועפי”ז מובן כי לאומות גם בשבת בא השפע על ידי אמצעי והוא עמו בני ישראל:
Therefore we can understand why the nations of the world also only receive the blessing of Shabbos through an intermediary – Bnei Yisrael. (Because the Shabbos is exclusive “between Me and Bnei Yisrael”)
See תרל”ה 4