“וַיְכַל אֱ-לֹהִים בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ
אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ... /On
the seventh day God completed His work that He did …” (Breishis 2:2) This pasuk implies that God’s work was
completed on the seventh day itself, not before. What work did God do on
the seventh day? Rashi answers that the world was still lacking מְנוּחָה/rest. God created rest on the
seventh day.
We usually think of rest as a
cessation from activity. Rashi, however, relates to rest as something
positive. What is this positive entity called מְנוּחָה/rest? God created the world to bestow His light and
good. The vehicle that God uses is
nature. Since God’s good comes through
nature, His hand is not apparent. Looking around us, it seems as if the
universe operates autonomously. The Chiddushei
HaRim points out that God’s concealment in the Creation is alluded to
by the Hebrew word for world – עוֹלָם – which has the same root as the word for
concealment – הָעָלַם.
There are places and times when God’s
presence is more strongly felt just as
there are places and times when His presence is not felt at all. When we view the Creation as a whole, though,
when we see the harmony that exists in the universe, each part of the Creation
performing its unique task, doing the will of God, so that the entire system
that we call the universe works, we become aware of God’s presence in the
Creation. The universe, then, while
concealing God, is also a tool for revealing Him.
The following p’sukim and Chazal
allude to the idea that the completed universe is a tool for revealing God's
glory. “כָּל
פָּעַל ה' לְמַּעֲנֵהוּ/Everything
that God made, He made for His own sake.” (Mishlei 16:4). Chazal tell us, too, that He created
everything for His honor.[1] Also, we find in this week’s parsha, “וַיַּרְא ה' אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר
עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד/
God saw all that he had done and behold it was very good.” (Breishis
1:31) Since God Himself is the
ultimate “Good”, the deeper meaning of this pasuk is our concept; the completed
Creation, as a whole, reveals God. The
common denominator in these p’sukim and the Mishnah is the word כָּל/everything implying completion. The
completed Creation enhances God's glory.
This idea is hinted at also in the
pasuk signifying the completion of the Creation which begins, “וַיְכֻלוּ/ They were completed.” (Breishis 2:1) This word has the same root as the Hebrew
word for vessel and tool – כְּלִי. The Midrash says that once the
Creation was completed, it became a tool.[2] The completed Creation is a tool for
revealing God’s glory. The word “וַיְכֻלוּ/
They were completed” also has the same root as the Hebrew for yearning as in
the pasuk in Tehillim (84:3), “... כָּלְתָה נַפְשִׁי
... /… my soul yearns …”
indicating that each part of the Creation yearns to do the will of God.
Before the Creation was completed,
the harmony of the universe was not apparent. It was not apparent that
every creation was fulfilling the will of the Creator. The universe was
not yet a single system working together. However, once the Creation was
completed and there was a cessation from creative activity, it became apparent
that the Creation was one complete system wherein every part, by performing
its own unique function, accomplishes God’s will. This state that
the universe achieved on the first Shabbos is what Rashi refers to as מְנוּחָה/rest.
A system can be said to be at rest when all its parts are working
smoothly and efficiently. There is no
“noise” in the system.
This idea sheds light on an enigmatic
Zohar which states that Shabbos is the name of God, a name that is complete in
every aspect.[3]
The Sfas Emes explains that God’s name represents His influence in
the Creation. God, of course, does not change. He was One before the Creation and He is One
after the Creation. The Creation is the
mechanism by which God reveals Himself, His Oneness, as it were. When the
entire Creation works harmoniously to do God’s will, God is essentially
revealing Himself through the Creation. The Creation reflects God, in a
manner of speaking. When the prophet says that God’s Name is One[4], he
means that God’s oneness is revealed in the harmony we see in the
Creation. On the first Shabbos the universe became a completed tool for
revealing God’s greatness. On the first
Shabbos, His Name became One. This is
why the Zohar associates Shabbos with the name of God. The first Shabbos was the first time it
became possible to recognize God’s oneness through the harmony of the completed
Creation.
The Hebrew for complete – שָׁלֵם – has the same root as the word for peace –שָׁלוֹם. On the first Shabbos with completeness
came peace. Chazal teach us that only a vessel of peace can hold
blessing.[5]
When the Creation became complete, it became a vessel that was able to receive
God’s blessing.
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