Shabbos as Olam Haba
במדרש מנורה של פרקים כו'
In the Midrash there is the parable of the menorah composed of segments, and so forth.
The Sfas Emes opens by citing a Midrash that uses the image of a menorah made of separate segments as a starting point for the discussion.
הטעם דשכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא
The reason that the reward for a mitzvah is not given in this world
He raises the well-known principle that Hashem does not pay out the reward for performing a mitzvah here in this world.
כי א"י לקבל שכר עוה"ב עד אחר כל השלימות כמ"ש אין כלי מחזיק ברכה אלא שלום
is that a person cannot receive the reward of Olam Haba until after all wholeness and completion is attained, as Chazal said, "The Holy One, Blessed is He, found no vessel that holds blessing other than peace" (Mishnah Uktzin 3:12).
The reason is that the reward of Olam Haba can only be received once a person reaches complete wholeness, and peace (shalom) is the one vessel capable of holding such blessing.
וכל השלימות א"א להשיג בזה העולם לכן שכרו בעקב
And since complete wholeness cannot be attained in this world, the reward comes only at the "end" (eikev) of all things.
Because perfect wholeness is impossible to reach in this world, the reward is deferred to the very "end" — a play on the parsha name Eikev.
אכן בשבת קודש ע"י הביטול שמבטלין הכל יכולין להשיג הארה מעוה"ב
Yet on the holy Shabbos, through bittul — when a person nullifies everything before Hashem — one is able to attain an illumination from Olam Haba.
Shabbos is the exception: through bittul, nullifying oneself entirely before Hashem, a person can already draw down a glimpse of Olam Haba.
כמ"ש שבת מעין עוה"ב
As Chazal said, "Shabbos is a taste of Olam Haba" (Berachos 57b).
He supports this with the teaching of Chazal that Shabbos itself is a foretaste of the World to Come.
ונק' שלום כי צריכין להיות כלי מיוחד לקבל שכר עוה"ב
And it is called "peace" (shalom) because one must become a special, designated vessel in order to receive the reward of Olam Haba.
Shabbos is called "peace" because a person must first be refined into a fitting vessel before he can absorb the reward of Olam Haba.
כידוע שמקבלין לבוש חדש כי בלבוש זה של הגוף א"י לקבל עוה"ב
As is known, one is given a new garment, for in this present garment of the body one cannot receive Olam Haba.
He explains that in Olam Haba one receives a new garment, since the body's current physical garment cannot contain that elevated reward.
כמ"ש בזוה"ק כי עוה"ב א"י לסבול כחוט השערה מעוה"ז
As it is written in the holy Zohar, that Olam Haba cannot bear even a hairsbreadth of Olam Hazeh.
He cites the Zohar that the World to Come cannot tolerate even the slightest trace of this physical world mixed into it.
רק בש"ק יש נשמה יתירה ויכולין לקבל קצת הארה מעוה"ב
Only on the holy Shabbos there is the neshamah yeseirah, the extra soul, and through it one is able to receive a small illumination from Olam Haba.
Only on Shabbos, with the additional soul (neshamah yeseirah), can a person take in even a small portion of the light of Olam Haba.
ז"ש במד' לטובתך נתתי לך השבת כו' אני נותן לך שכר
This is what Chazal said in the Midrash, "For your own good I have given you the Shabbos... I am giving you a reward" —
The Midrash's wording that Hashem "gives a reward" through Shabbos hints at something deeper.
רמז למ"ש שבש"ק יש ענין שכר בעוה"ז ג"כ
an allusion to what we have said, that on the holy Shabbos there is an aspect of reward in Olam Hazeh as well.
It alludes to the idea that Shabbos uniquely brings a measure of reward already in this world.
ולכן רמז האר"י ז"ל ביומו תתן שכרו ר"ת שבת שבשבת יש קבלת שכר כנ"ל
And therefore the Arizal alluded to this in the verse "On its day you shall give him his wage" (Devarim 24:15), whose initial letters spell "Shabbos," for on Shabbos there is the receiving of reward, as explained above.
The Arizal found this hidden in a verse whose first letters spell "Shabbos," teaching that Shabbos is the time of receiving reward.
והנה באמת השבת הוא אות ועדות שבנ"י הם בני עוה"ב
And behold, in truth the Shabbos is a sign and a testimony that Bnei Yisrael are the children of Olam Haba.
The Sfas Emes adds that Shabbos serves as a sign and testimony that Bnei Yisrael belong to Olam Haba.
וכמו כן בפרט כפי מה שיש לאדם שייכות להשבת כן הוא מוכן לעוה"ב
And likewise, in particular, according to the measure of a person's connection to the Shabbos, so is he prepared and fit for Olam Haba.
Moreover, the degree to which a person is bound up with Shabbos is the very measure of how prepared he is for Olam Haba.
וכתי' ביני ובין בנ"י א"ה לעולם
And it is written, "Between Me and Bnei Yisrael it is a sign forever" (Shemos 31:17).
He brings the verse describing Shabbos as an eternal sign between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.
פי' כי הוא עדות לעולם הבא כי ששת ימים עשה כו' כי הטבע הוא בחי' ימי המעשה וביום השביעי שבת וינפש
The explanation is that it is a testimony to Olam Haba, for "in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed" (Shemos 31:17) — for nature is the aspect of the six days of work, while on the seventh day Hashem rested and was refreshed.
This sign testifies to Olam Haba: the six days represent the realm of nature, while the seventh day, on which Hashem rested, points beyond nature.
א"כ נראה כי הש"ק הוא למעלה מעשיות שמים וארץ וזה העדות שבנ"י מעידין ומבררין בש"ק
If so, it is apparent that the holy Shabbos is above the natural workings of heaven and earth, and this is the testimony that Bnei Yisrael bear witness to and clarify on the holy Shabbos.
Therefore Shabbos stands above the natural order of heaven and earth, and on it Bnei Yisrael bear witness to and reveal this truth.
וז"ש אם תשיב משבת רגלך כו' אז תתענג כו' כנ"ל שיכולין להשיג הארת עוה"ב כנ"ל:
And this is the meaning of "If you restrain your foot because of Shabbos... then you shall delight in Hashem" (Yeshayahu 58:13-14), as explained above — that one is able to attain the illumination of Olam Haba, as explained above.
Finally, the verse from Yeshayahu about restraining oneself on Shabbos and then delighting in Hashem teaches that through Shabbos one attains the illumination of Olam Haba.
Summary: The Sfas Emes explains why the reward for a mitzvah is withheld from this world: Olam Haba can only be received once a person attains complete wholeness, and that wholeness — likened to peace, the one vessel that holds blessing — cannot be reached in Olam Hazeh. Shabbos, however, is the exception. Through bittul and the neshamah yeseirah, a Jew can already draw down a small illumination of Olam Haba, which is why Chazal call Shabbos a taste of the World to Come and why the Arizal found "Shabbos" hinted in the verse of paying a wage on its day. Shabbos is thus a sign and testimony that Bnei Yisrael are the children of Olam Haba, standing above the six days of nature just as Hashem rested on the seventh day. The measure of a person's bond with Shabbos is the very measure of his readiness for Olam Haba, as the verse promises that one who honors Shabbos will delight in Hashem.