Parshat Eikev 5783
Rabbi Jablinowitz
The Medrash Rabbah on this week’s parsha begins with a Halachic question. Is it permissible to put together a Menorah made of connecting parts on Shabbos? The Medrash concludes that it is prohibited on Shabbos, and is considered the Melacha of Boneh, of building on Shabbos. And the Medrash continues and says, don’t think that Shabbos is just a day of difficult restrictions, meant to make us miserable; לא לרעתך. Rather, לטובתך, it is a day of great opportunity for reward. But the ultimate reward, a person only receives at the end, as the first pasuk in our parsha states, והיה עקב תשמעון. Just like the heel is at the bottom of the person, as opposed to the head, one’s ultimate reward is at the end of his time in this world.
What is the significance of the question about assembling a Menorah on Shabbos? And why does the Medrash discuss the notion of reward of Shabbos? Clearly the Medrash is teaching us that our reward is בעקב, yet praises the reward of Shabbos. How can we put together the different parts of the Medrash and understand the message it’s teaching us?
Assembling and building the Menorah symbolizes one’s life’s work. The world is a complex place, a mixture of good and evil. One is meant to perform mitzvos and as a result, put together the goodness of the world and separate it from the negative and create a unified, complete structure. This is one’s work in the עולם העשייה. And ultimately one’s reward will come in Olam Haba, בעקב, for only then will his life’s work be completed. Only then will he be able to have built a complete Menorah, capable of providing eternal light, his reward for his work in this world. The complete Menorah represents his having finished his task, and being a vessel, a כלי, which can be filled up with reward.
Chazal teach in the Gemara in Makkos 23B this same concept, stating that a person has two hundred forty-eight limbs corresponding to the 248 positive commands of the Torah. And when one fulfills these commands, he is making himself a complete and perfect being. The performance of the mitzvos purifies a person and unifies him into a total, organic entity.
But the Medrash says that one may not assemble the Menorah on Shabbos. This process of building and perfecting, of separating the good from the bad, is not done on Shabbos. This is because Shabbos is completely לטובתך ולא לרעתך. It is only for the good and no bad; the building process of separation ceases on Shabbos. Shabbos has a שלמות of its own, as we say in davening Leil Shabbos, ופורש עלינו סוכת שלומיך.
Since our life’s work pauses on Shabbos and there is a sense of wholeness and perfection, we are able to have a taste of the reward of the world to come. This is why Shabbos is called מעין עולם הבא. And the Arizal says that this is hinted at in the pasuk which teaches paying day workers right away (Chapter 24, Pasuk 15), ביומו תתן שכרו. The first letter in the words of this pasuk spell שבת, indicating that even though our reward is only at the end, בעקב, since Shabbos is מעין עולם הבא there is reward on this day. ביומו תתן שכרו.
And since receiving reward usually requires being a complete vessel, our ability to appreciate the reward on Shabbos is commensurate to our preparation in receiving Shabbos. The Medrash above states את מקדש את השבת במאכל ובמשתה ובכסות נקיה; if we sanctify Shabbos with special food and drink and nice, clean, clothes, we can merit this reward on Shabbos. If we sanctify Shabbos with Oneg Shabbos, we receive great blessing (see last week’s shiur). Raising ourselves up and experiencing the Neshamah Yeseirah enables us as well to be worthy vessels and receive this blessing.
The mitzvah of Shabbos is unique in that every week we are reminded that we are בני עולם הבא. The fact that we are able to experience the great reward of מעין עולם הבא indicates that this is our ultimate reward. As the pasuk says (Shemos, Chapter 31, Pasuk 17), ביני ובין בני ישראל אות היא לעולם; it is a sign of our eternity and ability to receive great reward. But this great light only comes when we complete the Menorah of our lifetime. But every Shabbos we pause our work and have a taste of the great reward awaiting Clal Yisrael which eventually comes בעקב.
Good Shabbos
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