Parshat Vayishlach 5783
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha that Yaakov arrives back in Eretz Yisrael and enters the city of Shechem. The Torah, in describing his return, states (Chapter 23, Pasuk 18), ויחן את פני העיר; And he encamped upon the city. Chazal darshen from these words, נכנס בערב שבת עם דמדומי חמה. Yaakov entered the city on Erev Shabbos, while it was still day, as the sun was setting. The Medrash continues, וקבע תחומין Yaakov established Eiruv Techimun, for we learn from here that Yaakov kept Shabbos.
Though Chazal teach that the Avos kept the mitzvos of the Torah (see Rashi on Chapter 26, Pasuk 5), Yaakov is the only of the Avos with a specific reference to Shabbos, as is taught in this pasuk. But where do we see that Yaakov kept Shabbos? It only says that he encamped upon the city! And further, why did Yaakov arrive as the sun was setting right before Shabbos? The Torah describes a very dramatic scene of Yaakov returning to Eretz Yisrael as Shabbos was ready to begin. Surely it would have been preferable to arrive earlier and be prepared to greet Shabbos calmly!
The commentaries on the Medrash learn that the word ויחן, and he encamped, suggests that Yaakov measured the exact borders of the city before Shabbos. He needed to know precisely where he could go. This is why Chazal derive that Yaakov established Eiruv Techumim; he determined and extended his exact borders for Shabbos.
One of the commentaries suggests that the word ויחן relates to the word מנוחה. Yaakov Avinu greeted the Shabbos with מנוחה, with the mitzvah of keeping Shabbos. And the mitzvah of Eiruv Techumin has great significance. We learn in the Gemara in Eiruvin 32B that the acquisition of the מקום שביתה, the place of his resting on Shabbos outside the city from where he can walk two thousand amah, takes place just as Shabbos comes in. And the Chidushei Harim teaches that just as the technical place of rest is acquired as Shabbos comes in, so too our acquisition of Shabbos in general is based on how we greet Shabbos when it comes in.
The Sfas Emes explains that this is the real meaning behind ויחן את פני העיר. Yaakov wasn’t rushing out of the shower as Shabbos was coming in! Yaakov was rushing to greet the Shabbos with the proper care and שמירה as the sun was setting. And the significance of Eiruv Techumin being the mitzvah which expresses Yaakov’s keeping Shabbos is that it is a paradigm for greeting the Shabbos. Just as the מקום שביתה is acquired at the beginning of בין השמשות, so too we need to greet the Shabbos and be ready to acquire Shabbos at its onset.
The Gemara in Shabbos 10B teaches מתנה טובה יש לי בבית גנזי ושבת שמה. Hashem tells Moshe, I have a special present in my treasure house and it’s called Shabbos. ואני מבקש ליתנה לישראל, לך והודיעם. And I would like to give it to Yisrael; go and tell them. The Sfas Emes asks, Hashem already gave Shabbos to Clal Yisrael. What does it mean I would like to give it to them?
He answers that there are two aspects to the mitzvah of Shabbos. One is the overall general command of Shabbos given to Bnei Yisrael at Marah, and of course, at Har Sinai. The second one is the individual giving of Shabbos which takes place every Shabbos. Of course we are commanded to keep Shabbos every week. But in the Gemara Hashem is saying, I would like to give Bnei Yisrael the Shabbos in a way they would appreciate it. It’s one thing to be obligated in Shabbos. It’s quite another to acquire Shabbos in a way that it really belongs to us, and that we are truly appreciating the holiness of Shabbos. This is a weekly ongoing occurrence, that each week we need to be מקבל שבת and how we greet Shabbos determines how much we experience the light of Shabbos.
The Sfas Emes learns the Gemara above, that when Hashem says I want to give the Shabbos to Bnei Yisrael, it also indicates it’s possible for us to greet and experience Shabbos properly. We are all vessels capable of experiencing the light of Shabbos. We don’t need to be involved in a food fest or a drinking fest on Erev Shabbos in order to greet Shabbos properly. We can be like Yaakov Avinu; as the red sun sets, we are ready to guard and keep the holiness of Shabbos, allowing us to experience the Kedushah and light descending into the world.
Good Shabbos
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