We know that Shabbos has a very specific start and end time: it starts Friday night with nightfall, and ends on Motzoei Shabbos at nightfall as well. As soon as nightfall begins, that is when all the obligations and prohibitions of Shabbos begin; and when nightfall on Motzoei Shabbos arrives, that is when the obligations and prohibitions are lifted. However, there is also a mitzvah from the Torah called “Tosefes Shabbos”—which is to accept Shabbos a little before nightfall on Friday night, and to extend Shabbos by a few minutes on Motzoei Shabbos as well, so that Shabbos does not begin directly from the week, or end immediately upon the start of the new week. This time of Tosefes Shabbos is not considered Shabbos for all practical purposes (for example, one would not be punished for violating Shabbos during this time), but it is not the six days of the week either—it’s a “buffer” zone.
When we think about it, this seems to be a rather interesting mitzvah. We know that Shabbos is designated as “holy” and “blessed”—as the pasuk tells us, “And Elokim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it”—and our avodah on Shabbos is to feel and experience that blessing and holiness of the day. One would think, then, that the optimal way of revealing that blessing and holiness is when it stands in stark contrast to the weekday, which doesn’t have that blessing or holiness. Just as a beautiful painting is only fully appreciated when placed next to a subpar painting, so too the beauty of Shabbos can only be fully realized and experienced when it is placed next to the mundane week. Why then “diminish” that uniqueness by creating this buffer zone and removing the stark contrast? Wouldn’t it have been better to go directly from the week into Shabbos, and from Shabbos into the week?
We see from here that the very essence and holiness of Shabbos is not comparing one thing to the next. We often think to ourselves, “Well, I must be doing pretty good…compared to that guy.” Or, “This girl is no good…compared to that other girl.” This entire mentality—of valuing something relative to something else—is a weekday mentality. It is a type of living where nothing is truly comfortable in its own skin, as its entire identity is in comparison to something else.
In truth, however, the very blessing of Shabbos is that we do not need to compare things to another in order to have value—things can be what they are. The holiness of Shabbos is for a Jew to be able to look in the mirror and say: “Ribono Shel Olam, I am who I am; I have some good things about me, and other things that I need to work on—but this is not in comparison to other people. I have my own personal avodah, my own potential greatness to be realized. My success and failure is something that is completely contained within myself, and is entirely between me and You—but it is not dependent on any other person.”
When a person has this mindset, it breeds menuchah and tranquility. It does not, chas v’shalom, breed laziness, as we recognize that there is a lot for us to accomplish—but this comes from within ourselves, so it is without lachatz (pressure) or anxiety.
This is the essence of Shabbos; it blesses the Jewish soul to identify its own strengths and weaknesses, without the need to look elsewhere or at other people. It is only fitting, then, that the kedushah of Shabbos also need not be compared to the weekday in order to recognize its holiness; it is holy all on its own.
Hashem should bless us to be able to absorb this strength and menuchas hanefesh that comes with Shabbos, and to be able to see ourselves, and the whole world, in this way, b’bias goel tzedek b’meheirah b’yameinu, Amen!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 3.
