Sanctifying Shabbos and the unity of mitzvos

ומצות זכור כו' לקדשו.

And the mitzvah of "Remember [the Shabbos day] … to sanctify it."

The Sefas Emes opens with the mitzvah of "Zachor… l'kadsho," which charges us not merely to remember Shabbos but actively to sanctify it.

שבכח בנ"י ניתוסף קדושה בשבת קודש.

For through the power of Bnei Yisrael, kedushah is added to Shabbos Kodesh.

Although Shabbos is intrinsically holy, Bnei Yisrael have the ability to add further kedushah to it through their sanctification — they are active partners in the holiness of the day.

ויתכן לפרש המשך הפסוק זכור כו' על כן ברך ה' כו' השבת ויקדשהו.

And it is possible to explain the continuation of the verse: "Remember…" [therefore] "Hashem blessed… the Shabbos and sanctified it."

The Sefas Emes connects the command "Zachor" to the verse's conclusion that Hashem blessed and sanctified Shabbos — the two are causally linked.

שע"י שראה הקב"ה שבנ"י מוכנים להיות מקדשין השבת.

For because the Holy One saw that Bnei Yisrael are prepared to sanctify the Shabbos,

Hashem foresaw that Bnei Yisrael would be ready and willing to add holiness to Shabbos through their avodah.

ולהעיד על הבורא ית'.

and to testify about the Creator,

By keeping Shabbos, Bnei Yisrael bear witness that Hashem created the world — Shabbos is an eidus, a testimony to the Borei.

על כן ברכו וקדשו.

therefore He blessed it and sanctified it.

It was precisely in anticipation of Bnei Yisrael's sanctifying and testifying that Hashem originally blessed and sanctified the day.

וז"ש נתן לכם השבת.

And this is the meaning of "He gave you the Shabbos."

The phrase "He gave you the Shabbos" indicates that Shabbos was given for the sake of Bnei Yisrael.

שבעבורכם הי' קדושת השבת.

For it was for your sake that the kedushah of Shabbos came to be.

The very holiness of Shabbos exists on account of Bnei Yisrael, who are its purpose and the ones who draw out and add to its kedushah.

ובוודאי לא כל אדם מוכן לזה.

And certainly not every person is prepared for this.

Not everyone reaches the high level of actively adding kedushah to Shabbos through full "zachor."

ומ"מ יש לכ"א מבנ"י חלק בקדושת שבת.

Nevertheless, every single one of Bnei Yisrael has a portion in the kedushah of Shabbos.

Even one who cannot reach the loftiest level still shares in the holiness of Shabbos — no Jew is left without a portion.

ואמרו חז"ל זכור ושמור בדיבור אחד נאמרו.

And Chazal said: "Zachor" (remember) and "Shamor" (guard) were spoken in a single utterance.

The two commands of Shabbos — the positive "Zachor" and the protective "Shamor" — were uttered simultaneously by Hashem, showing they are bound together as one.

כל שישנו בשמירה ישנו בזכירה.

"Whoever is included in 'Shamor' is included in 'Zachor.'"

Because the two were said as one, anyone obligated in the guarding of Shabbos is likewise included in its remembering — the two cannot be separated.

כי זכירה הוא דבר גדול.

For "Zachor" is a great matter.

The active sanctification of "Zachor" is an exalted level, seemingly beyond the reach of every individual.

ומ"מ כל השומר שבת כפשטו.

And nevertheless, anyone who guards the Shabbos in its plain sense,

Yet even one who simply observes Shabbos on the basic level of "Shamor" — refraining from melachah —

יש לו חלק בזכירה.

has a portion in "Zachor."

Through the link of "spoken in one utterance," basic Shabbos observance grants a share even in the lofty level of "Zachor," the active adding of kedushah.

וכן הוא בכל המצות שיש בהם כמה מיני מדרגות.

And so it is with all the mitzvos, in which there are several types of levels.

This principle is general: every mitzvah contains a range of madreigos, and one's basic fulfillment connects him to the higher levels as well.

וכ' ויהי נועם ה' כו' עלינו ומ"י כו'.

And it is written: "May the pleasantness (noam) of Hashem… be upon us, and the work of our hands…"

The Sefas Emes turns to the pasuk in Tehillim 90 recited on Motzaei Shabbos, reading it as a description of the Shabbos light and our task to retain it.

פי' נועם ה' היא הנשמה היורדת בש"ק.

The explanation: "the noam of Hashem" is the [extra] neshamah that descends on Shabbos Kodesh.

The "pleasantness of Hashem" alludes to the neshamah yeseirah, the additional soul that comes down upon a Jew on Shabbos.

פורס סוכת שלום עלינו.

"He spreads a sukkah of peace over us."

This Shabbos noam envelops Bnei Yisrael like a protective canopy of peace, as we say in the Maariv of Shabbos.

ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו הוא שצריך האדם לקבל הארת השבת להתדבק בו.

"And establish the work of our hands upon us" — this means that a person must receive the illumination of Shabbos and cleave to it.

Our part ("the work of our hands") is to absorb the Shabbos light and bind ourselves to it through devekus, so that it is firmly "established" within us.

שישאר בו הארה מיום השבת.

So that an illumination from the day of Shabbos should remain within him.

The aim is that the kedushah of Shabbos not vanish when the day ends, but leave a lasting glow within the person.

וזהו בחי' ג' ימים דבתר שבתא.

And this is the aspect of the "three days after Shabbos."

Chazal speak of three days following Shabbos that still belong to it; these are the days that carry the retained illumination of the past Shabbos.

ואח"כ יוכל בזה הכח לזכות להמשיך הארה בש"ק השני וזהו ג"י דקמי שבתא.

And afterward, with this power, one can merit to draw down illumination for the second Shabbos — and these are the "three days before Shabbos."

The strength retained from the previous Shabbos enables a person to prepare for and draw illumination into the coming Shabbos; thus the week's other three days "belong" to the approaching Shabbos.

וע"ז כ' ומעשה ידינו כוננהו.

And concerning this it is written: "and establish the work of our hands."

Our active effort during the week — building on the retained light and preparing for the next Shabbos — is the "establishing of the work of our hands."

פי' לעורר במעשה ידינו שורש השבת למעלה.

The explanation: to arouse, through the work of our hands, the root of Shabbos above.

By our deeds below we awaken the supernal root of Shabbos, causing fresh holiness to flow down — an arousal from below that stirs the source above.

והוא ענין שרמזנו עליו בפי' על כן ברך כו'.

And this is the matter we hinted at in the explanation of "therefore He blessed…"

This is the same idea raised earlier: just as Bnei Yisrael's readiness to sanctify Shabbos caused Hashem to bless it, so our deeds arouse the heavenly root of the day.

וכן הענין בכל המצות כמ"ש חז"ל ושמרתם ועשיתם ע"ש.

And so is the matter with all the mitzvos, as Chazal said on "and you shall guard and you shall do" — see there.

The same dynamic of guarding leading to doing, and lower deeds arousing higher kedushah, applies to all mitzvos, as Chazal expound on "u'shmartem va'asisem."

וגם בכלל המצות אמרו חז"ל מצוה גוררת מצוה.

And also regarding mitzvos in general, Chazal said: "one mitzvah draws another mitzvah."

Mitzvos are interconnected — performing one naturally leads to and draws after it the next, as Chazal teach in Avos.

וכל תרי"ג מצות תלוין זה בזה.

And all 613 mitzvos are dependent one upon the other.

The entire system of taryag mitzvos is interlinked; each is bound up with the others.

והם אחדות אחת.

And they are one unity.

All the mitzvos together form a single, unified whole, not a collection of separate commands.

לכן אמרו חז"ל וידבר אלקים כו' כל הדברים כו' שכולן בדיבור אחד נאמרו.

Therefore Chazal said on "And Elokim spoke… all these words…" that they were all spoken in a single utterance.

Because the mitzvos are one unity, Hashem was able to utter all the Dibros "in a single utterance" — a feat impossible for a human, expressing their essential oneness.

וגם כל תרי"ג מצות בעשרת הדיברות נכללין.

And also, all 613 mitzvos are included within the Aseres HaDibros (Ten Commandments).

The Ten Commandments contain within them all of taryag mitzvos, as is well known.

נמצא כולן בדיבור אחד נאמרו.

It emerges that all of them were spoken in a single utterance.

Since the Dibros were said as one and contain all the mitzvos, it follows that the entire Torah was effectively spoken in one unified utterance.

ממילא כל העושה מצוה אחת יש לו דביקות בכל:

Consequently, whoever performs a single mitzvah has devekus (attachment) in all of them.

Because all mitzvos are one unity spoken in one utterance, even one mitzvah performed properly connects a person to the entire Torah — just as basic Shabbos observance grants a share in the lofty "Zachor."

Summary: Through "Zachor," Bnei Yisrael add kedushah to Shabbos and testify to the Creator, which is why Hashem blessed and sanctified the day for their sake; though the highest level is not for everyone, even basic "Shamor" grants a share in "Zachor," because the two were spoken as one — and so it is with all mitzvos, which form a single unity spoken in one utterance, so that performing even one mitzvah brings devekus in the whole Torah, while our weekday deeds arouse the supernal root of Shabbos and retain its light across the week.