Meaning in Mitzvot by Asher Meir Each week we discuss one familiar halakhic practice and try to show its beauty and meaning. The columns are based on the commentary "Meaning in Mitzvot" on the Kitzur Shulchan Arukh, which is serialized on Yeshivat Har Etzion's "Virtual Beit Midrash", www.vbm-torah.org. Subscribers are currently learning about Shabbat. TIMES OF DAY ON SHABBAT Our parsha does not say when Mattan Torah was, but the gemara reveals that it took place on Shabbat. (Shabbat 86b.) This timing has an important message. By giving the Torah on Shabbat, a day when mundane practical pursuits are suspended, HaShem let us know that it is not a "weekday Torah" - a Torah which merely helps regulate everyday life. Rather, the Torah is transcendental, binding us to higher, spiritual worlds and ultimately to HaShem. There is also an important educational message for the individual. It hints that separation from practical concerns is a prerequisite for receiving Torah. A person who is caught up in workaday matters, however important they may be, will never attain the peace of mind needed to grasp Torah. The timing of Mattan Torah on Shabbat also has an interesting halachic expression. On weekdays and Yom Tov, the wording of the Amida is basically the same for Shacharit, Mincha and Maariv. But on Shabbat each prayer has its own blessing: At Maariv we begin "You sanctified the seventh day in Your name, the culmination of the creation of heaven and earth." At Shacharit we say "Moshe rejoiced in his portion". And at Mincha we say "You are One and Your name is One; and who is like Your people Israel one people on earth?" The Tur (OC 292) explains that these three wordings correspond to three different Shabbatot: The Maariv blessing, which refers to the creation of the world, corresponds to "Shabbat Bereshit" - the seventh day of creation, when HaShem rested. The Shacharit blessing, which refers to Moshe receiving the Torah, corresponds to Shabbat Matan Torah. (Shabbat 86b.) And the Mincha blessing, which refers to perfect unity, corresponds to the Shabbat of the future, the "day which is all Shabbat" - the future perfect world which will follow the complete redemption. This beautiful explanation can also give us insight into some other halachic differences among the times of day on Shabbat. For instance, most communities make an additional distinction among the prayers. At Maariv, Shabbat is referred to in the feminine: "vayanuchu vah". At Shacharit, we use the masculine: "vayanuchu vo". And at Mincha, the plural: "vayunuchu vam". This fits in with the Tur's explanation. The Shabbat of creation omission - creation took place on the first six days but not on the seventh. This corresponds to the feminine gender, which often symbolizes passivity. Whereas Shabbat Mattan Torah was marked by something active - the giving of the Torah. This corresponds to the masculine gender. And the Shabbat of the future, when God's unity will be realized, will synthesize both aspects. Some other examples: The commandment from our parsha to remember the Shabbat (zakhor) is primarily fulfilled by Friday night kiddush. (Berakhot 20b.) Remembrance relates to the past and is mainly fulfilled at night, which the Tur connects to the Shabbat of the distant past. The main Torah reading is in the morning, which corresponds to the Shabbat of the giving of the Torah. And the mitzva of "oneg Shabbat", the Shabbat enjoyment which saves us from the travails preceding the Messianic age (Shabbat 118a) is exemplified by the third, extra Shabbat meal which is eaten in the afternoon, corresponding to the Shabbat of the future. Rabbi Asher Meir is in the process of writing a monumental companion to Kitzur Shulchan Aruch which beautifully presents the meanings in our mitzvot and halacha. Rabbi Meir - who had given a series on Business Halacha at the Center, is currently giving a series on Tuesday mornings on the Meaning in Mitzvot. [The Yitro Homepage]
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