Chazal instituted that on each of the three meals on Shabbos, we establish the meal on lechem mishnah, two loaves of challah. This commemorates the miracle of the double portion of the mann that fell in the desert each Friday to give the Yidden a portion to save for Shabbos. If you think about it though, it seems a little strange. Presumably, the double portion of mann on Friday was a result of Shabbos’ portion falling one day earlier, on Friday, together with Friday’s portion. So every day actually got the same amount, and the novelty on Friday was not the abundance of mann but rather that Shabbos’ portion came early. Why then, does having two challahs on each meal of Shabbos remind us of this point? The miracle was not that there was a double portion, or “extra mann;” rather, the miracle was that the Shabbos mann came on Friday, or “early mann!” Maybe chazal should have instituted that we make ‘early’ Shabbos in honor of the ‘early’ mann, or something like that!?
It must be that this is not the correct way to view the mann that fell on Friday. Rather, on Sunday, Monday, and so on, each day had a portion of mann that fell. On Friday however, the portion that fell was twice the size! The leftover amount from Fridays abundant portion was intended to be used for Shabbos. It is not however, that Shabbos’s mann fell ‘early.’
The question, of course, is that it would seem that this miracle is a miracle of Friday, and doesn’t really relate to Shabbos. Why do we commemorate the miracle of a double portion on Friday by using two challahs for the meals on Shabbos? Wouldn’t it make more sense to commemorate this by eating lechem mishna on Friday?!
This teaches us a fundamental point about Shabbos. Shabbos is abundance.
There are two types of experiences in life. One type is plain, simple, not too exciting. Sometimes life feels very regular, or ‘vanilla’. The second type is more colorful, more robust, a moment that you’d describe with the adjective of “very.” Sometimes life is simple, even boring, and other times there is a lot going on – a lot of “very,” (very good, very awesome, very exciting, etc). Shabbos is a time of “very-ness.” Shabbos is the boost that Hashem injects into life to add color. The abundance of Shabbos is an overflowing energy which is not only contained in the seventh day of the week, but it spills over into the rest of the week. Any time that we experience any level of abundance during the 6 days of the week, is a Shabbos moment.
The reason we commemorate the abundance of Friday’s mann, on Shabbos, is that by doing so, we are acknowledging and declaring that any level of abundance or “very-ness” that takes place during the week, is powered by the source of all blessing: Shabbos. It is a Shabbos moment. That’s what Shabbos is. Shabbos is “very-ness”. Shabbos is life when it vibrates with vitality, excitement, and energy. Shabbos is when life “comes to life”. Shabbos is when life moves from plain vanilla to a dynamic experience. Every “very” moment, whether it is physically, spiritually, emotionally, or mentally, all come from Shabbos. Hashem should bless us that we should merit to always have the vessels to experience the “very-ness” of Shabbos in a healthy and productive way, and take that vitality and that abundance and direct it in a way that bring us closer to Hashem, and closer to Shabbos, the source of all blessing.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 6.
