Parshat Vayechi 5780
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week's parsha that Yaakov Avinu blesses his sons before he dies. His blessing to Asher is (Chapter 49, Pasuk 20), Me'Asher Shemainah Lachmo V'Hu Yiten Ma'adanei Melech, From Asher goes forth bread which is fat, and he gives the delicacies of a king. This pasuk praises the area of Asher as being rich in bounty. The word Shemainah is understood to be a reference to Shemen, or oil, since his area was particularly rich in olives, as Moshe Rabbeinu mentions in his blessing to Asher (Devarim, Chapter 33, Pasuk 24), V'Tovel Ba'Shemen Raglo. The Gemara in Menachos 85B describes the portion of Asher as bringing forth olive oil like a spring and brings an illustration of its great bounty of olives as Rashi references on our pasuk.
The Zohar Hakadosh learns a different p'shat on the words Me'Asher Shemainah Lachmo. According to the Zohar, the words Shemainah Lachmo are a reference to Lechem Mishneh, the two loaves of Shabbos, since the words Shemainah and Mishneh contain the same letters. And the two loaves are described as Lechem Oni, poor man's bread as the Torah refers to Matzah, and Lechem Panag, which is a rich, fat bread. What is the connection between the section of Asher and the two loaves of Lechem Mishneh?
The pasuk in parshat Ki Sisa states regarding Shabbos (Chapter 31, Pasuk 17), Beini U'Bein Bnei Yisrael Os He L'Olam Ki Sheshes Yamim Asah Hashem es Ha'Shamayim V'es Ha'Aretz. Shabbos is a sign and a testament between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael that He created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. And every Friday night we recite Vayechulu Ha'Shamayim V'Ha'Aretz as testimony that Hashem created the world. Our role on Shabbos is to be witnesses for Hashem that He is the Creator.
The Sfas Emes asks, how can we testify that Hashem created the heaven and the earth? We can testify about the earth since we live on the earth and can speak about it and testify that everything we have in this world comes from Hashem. But what we do know from the heavens?
The word Mishneh is the Gematriya, the numerical value, of the word Ha'Shamayim. The double portion of bread we receive on Shabbos is through the special Neshamah (the same letters as the word Mishneh), we have from the heavens. And on Shabbos we receive a double dose, a Neshamah Yeseirah, from the heavens. And this is how on Shabbos we can testify that Hashem created, not only the earth, but the heavens as well. On Shabbos we receive a Neshamah Yeseirah Min Ha'Shamayim and through the clarity we receive on Shabbos we can testify the words of Vayechulu.
Man is composed of a Guf, a physical side,and a Neshamah, his spiritual component. Shabbos is when the spiritual dominates as a result of the double portion of Neshamah. When we have this greater portion of Neshamah, we see Hashem more clearly and testify about heaven and earth.
This double portion of Neshamah is paralleled by a double portion of bread. There is Lechem min Ha'Aretz, and this is referred to by the Zohar as Lechem Oni, a bread which is poor and lacking wealth, reflecting our spiritual situation in this word. But on Shabbos we receive Lechem min Ha'Shamayim, or as the Zohar teaches Lechem Panag, a rich bread, whose richness enables us to have a closer, more complete connection to Hashem. This is the Shemainah Lachmo found in the portion of Asher.
The bounty of Asher wasn't only a physical one. The Torah isn't praising his portion of Eretz Yisrael as merely being blessed with olives. The Gemara in Menachos describes the great effort undertaken to ensure that only the finest oil was used for the Avodah of Menachos, and even more so for lighting the Menorah. Only the richest oil is used in coming close to Hashem and in experiencing His light. Similarly, Me'Asher Shemainah Lachmo, the richness of the bread of Asher, references the light we experience on Shabbos when we have Lechem Mishneh and our portions are double. It is this light of Shabbos which enables us to experience a taste of the heavens and gives us better perspective of our life on earth as well.
Good Shabbos
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