שפת אמת

Exodus as Shabbos Revelation

Vaetchanan · תרנ"ו (1895) · Essay 1
בשמור כ' וזכרת כי עבד כו' ובזכור כ' כי ששת ימים עשה כו' וב' הטעמים עולים בקנה אחד כי עבדים היינו במצרים מצד חלק ימי המעשה

In the version of 'Shamor' (Devarim 5:12, 'Guard the Shabbos day') it is written, 'And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt' (Devarim 5:15), while in the version of 'Zachor' (Shemos 20:8, 'Remember the Shabbos day') it is written, 'For in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth' (Shemos 20:11); and these two reasons rise up as one stem, for we were slaves in Egypt by virtue of our portion in the weekday days of action.

The two versions of the fourth commandment give different reasons for Shabbos: 'Shamor' ties it to the Exodus from slavery, while 'Zachor' ties it to creation. The Sfas Emes says both are really one idea, because our slavery in Egypt stemmed from our connection to the weekday realm of physical action.

והגאולה בחי' שבת דכ' אנכי ה"א אשר הוצאתיך כי מתחילת הבריאה היו בנ"י מוכנים להיות עבדים במצרים כי במעשה בראשית קורא הדורות מראש עד סוף כל הדורות

And the redemption is the aspect of Shabbos, for it is written, 'I am Hashem your God Who took you out' (Shemos 20:2); for from the very beginning of the creation Bnei Yisrael were prepared to be slaves in Egypt, since within Maaseh Bereishis, the act of creation, Hashem 'calls forth the generations from the beginning' (Yeshayahu 41:4) from the start until the very end of all the generations.

Geulah corresponds to Shabbos, hinted in the opening words 'I am Hashem your God Who took you out.' From the very start of creation Bnei Yisrael were destined to be enslaved in Mitzrayim, because the whole sweep of history is already embedded within Maaseh Bereishis.

ומצד מערכת הטבע הם ת"י מצרים

And from the standpoint of the natural order of the world, they were under the dominion of Egypt.

Seen purely through the lens of nature and the ordinary order of the world, Bnei Yisrael fell under Egypt's power.

אך מצד חלק ה' עמו דכתי' באדם וייצר ב' יצירות בעוה"ז ובעוה"ב

But from the standpoint of 'the portion of Hashem is His people' (Devarim 32:9), as it is written regarding Adam, 'And He formed' (Bereishis 2:7) with two formations, the formation for this world and the formation for the World to Come.

But there is a higher dimension: Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's own portion. This is hinted in the double-spelled word 'vayitzer' by Adam's creation, teaching that man was given two formations, one for this world and one for the World to Come.

וזו היצירה של עוה"ב הי' צריך להיות בשבת כדפרש"י שאדם הי' צריך להיות נברא בשבת וכפל הקב"ה בע"ש הבריאה של שבת ולכן בשבת נגלה זה הציור הפנימי כי שבת מעין עוה"ב ובנ"י הם בני עוה"ב ולהם זה היצירה של עוה"ב ולכן אין דומה מאור פניו של אדם בשבת לימי המעשה

And this formation of Olam Haba was meant to take place on Shabbos, as Rashi explains that Adam was meant to be created on Shabbos, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, doubled on Erev Shabbos the creation that belonged to Shabbos; therefore on Shabbos this inner form is revealed, for Shabbos is a semblance of Olam Haba, and Bnei Yisrael are the children of Olam Haba, and to them belongs this formation of Olam Haba, and therefore the radiance of a person's face on Shabbos is not comparable to that of the weekday days of action.

The Olam Haba dimension of man was meant to be created on Shabbos itself; Rashi explains Hashem instead doubled that creation onto Erev Shabbos. Hence on Shabbos this inner, World-to-Come form shines forth, since Shabbos is a taste of Olam Haba and Bnei Yisrael are its children, which is why a person's face literally glows differently on Shabbos than during the week.

ונודע כי עוה"ב אין בו לא אכילה ושתי' כו' א"כ הוא בחי' חלק אלקי ממעל שיש באדם וז"ש אנכי ה"א אשר הוצאתיך ולכן יצ"מ היא בחי' השבת ולכן נק' חג הפסח ג"כ שבת בתורה דכ' ממחרת השבת:

And it is known that in Olam Haba there is no eating or drinking and so forth; if so, it is the aspect of the portion of the Divine from above that is within a person, and this is the meaning of 'I am Hashem your God Who took you out' (Shemos 20:2); and therefore Yetzias Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, is the aspect of Shabbos, and therefore the festival of Pesach is also called 'Shabbos' in the Torah, as it is written, 'on the morrow of the Shabbos' (Vayikra 23:11).

Since Olam Haba has no eating or drinking, it reflects the Divine portion within a person, which is exactly the 'I' that took us out of Egypt. Therefore the Exodus itself is an aspect of Shabbos, and that is why the Torah calls Pesach 'Shabbos' in the phrase 'on the morrow of the Shabbos.'

Summary: The Sfas Emes reconciles the two reasons given for Shabbos in the two versions of the fourth commandment: 'Zachor' grounds it in creation, while 'Shamor' grounds it in the Exodus, and he shows they are one. Our enslavement in Mitzrayim flowed from Bnei Yisrael's bond to the weekday realm of physical action and the natural order of the world, in which they fell under Egypt's dominion. But Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's own portion, possessing a second, inner formation meant for Olam Haba, which Adam was meant to receive on Shabbos and which the Holy One, Blessed is He, doubled onto Erev Shabbos. This is why Shabbos, a semblance of Olam Haba free of eating and drinking, reveals the radiant inner form within a person, the Divine portion from above. Because Yetzias Mitzrayim drew out precisely this Shabbos-like Divine portion, the Exodus itself is an aspect of Shabbos, and the Torah even calls Pesach 'Shabbos.'