Va'era
-וידבר אלקים אל משה ויאמר אליו אני ה'. וארא אל אברהם אל יצחק ואל יעקב בא ל ש - די ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם (ו, ב-ג)
G-d spoke to Moshe and He said to him, “I am Hashem. I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov with ‘El Shaddai,’ yet with My Name of Havayah I was not known to them.”
One approach to this verse is that it describes the process by which a person grows in his service of Hashem. At first, there is Avraham, symbol of lovingkindness, through which Hashem reaches out to Man magnanimously. Then comes Yitzchak, symbol of justice, when Man earns his keep through his own efforts. Finally, there is Yaakov, the “dweller of the tents,”* the symbol of fixedness in Divine service.
Another possible approach is as follows: The Talmud** teaches that if one delights in the experience of Shabbos, he will merit limitless heritage, as the verse says, And I shall feed you the heritage of Yaakov.*** What does this mean? The Olelos Ephrayim**** explains that joy is a critical element of Divine worship; however, which part of a person experiences that joy varies. Sometimes it is the body, such as when one enjoys good food; the soul, however, takes no satisfaction in that. Sometimes it is the soul, such as when enjoys prayer or study; the body, though, does not participate. On some occasions, however, both elements take pleasure in the experience. For example, the consumption of an offering is both a spiritual and gastronomic delight.
The upshot of the Olelos Ephrayim’s thesis is that the physical and spiritual sides of Man experience pleasure in a mutually exclusive fashion; it is only in the experience of a physically oriented mitzvah that they both participate. This, then, is why the Sages say that one who engages in Oneg Shabbos – which falls into the above category – will merit a limitless heritage, for his experience is not limited by the contours of the soul or body alone.
Now, the joy of the soul is associated with Avraham, as the Zohar teaches. That of the body is identified with Yitzchak – as we find him requesting the delicacies from Eisav. Yaakov is the conjoining of both – the “dweller of tents,” in the plural. These are the three steps of אברהם אל וארא
יעקב ואל יצחק אל. It is thus reasonable that the “limitless heritage” described above is that of Yaakov .נחלת יעקב אביך –
This division into different levels only exists within the realm of our natural world, that indicated by the Name ש די . Beyond that – in the realm of ה"הוי – all three blur into a singularity. It is called - דעת, and only those who operated on that level, such as Moshe, were able to experience the full synergy of physical and spiritual pleasure. Hence, the conclusion of our verse.*****
Another explanation of our verse stems from another thought of the Olelos Ephrayim.****** There are multiple motivations for observing the Torah: some seek the physical rewards – wealth and longevity and the like – which are assured for it; and some seek the spiritual rewards, primarily a good portion in the afterlife. The ideal motivation is simply to fulfill the will of G-d. As the verse states: שמאל או ימין מהמצוה סור לבלתי, to not stray from the commandment to the right or to the left.******* This can be taken as to not veer from the ideal fulfillment of the commandments for the sake of the right, i.e., the eternal longevity associated with that side – as per בימינה ימים ארך, length of days is at its right, nor for the left, i.e., the וכבוד עשר בשמאלה, wealth and honor are at its left.********
These ulterior motives are indicated in the Talmud’s instruction that ידרים להחכים הרוצה, one who wishes to grow wise should tilt to the south [while praying], and that יצפין להעשיר הרוצה, one who wishes to grow wealthy should tilt to the north.********* It seems reasonable that Hashem inclines to the same direction that a person does while praying to Him. Thus, יעקב ואל יצחק אל אברהם אל וארא refers to Hashem’s reciprocal appearance to the three types of petitioners: the “southerner,” corresponding to Avraham;********** the “northerner,” corresponding to Yitzchak; and the dead center, corresponding to Yaakov. His bestowal of these requests falls under the rubric of His Name א -ש ל י , which, as the Sages take it, refers to that which He is בברכותיו די, sufficiently capable in ד apportioning blessings for all. In contrast, 'ה ושמי, the unique reward for those who worship Hashem for His sake alone, להם נדעתי לא, is available to only to those who achieve דעת. As mentioned, it is דעת which allows for a healthy balance of physical and spiritual experiences, as per the verse ו"דעה דרכיך בכל, know him in all of your ways.***********
With all of this in mind, we can turn to explaining parts of the popular Shabbos zemer ידידות מה.
נחלה מצרים בלי ירש יעקב נחלת, He will inherit the heritage of Yaakov, a heritage without limits. The meaning is precisely as we explained the verses in Yeshayah which inspired this stitch.
ורש עשיר ויכבדוהו, and the wealthy and indigent shall honor it. The עשיר and עני here are symbolic of the משפיע, the benefactor, and the מקבל, the recipient. The ultimate example of this relationship is the soul and the body, whose entire purpose is that the former, through bestowing of its excellence, should refine and elevate the latter. As explained, oneg Shabbos is unusual in its capacity to delight both the soul and the body – hence they are both involved. The result is ותזכו
לגאולה, and you shall merit redemption. The Zohar*********** associates the Attribute of Yesod, through which the Divine bounty is funneled into our world, with redemption. As such, the reference is better understood.
The zemer continues: סגולה לי והייתם תשמורו אם שבת יום, If you shall safeguard the day of Shabbos, you shall be a treasure unto Me. Shabbos can be taken as a reference to the Torah scholar.************ Thus: if you safeguard the scholar, heeding the Torah and reproof which he leads you with, you shall be a treasure unto Hashem.
נגילה ובשביעי תעבודו ימים ששת, Six days shall you labor and on the seventh we shall rejoice. The Alshich************* had questioned the language of “laboring for six days” as it is found in the Torah: there is no imperative to labor during the six days of the week; it is, rather, permitted. Why, then, this expression?
I suggest that it refers to spiritual labor. As the Arizal described at length,*************** during the six days of the week one must engage in acquiring the lower rungs of his soul through introspection, Torah study, and mitzvah performance in order to facilitate the access to the higher soul that Shabbos provides. If one labors in this area properly during the “workweek,” he will merit to “rejoice” in the soul unique to the Seventh Day.
interests Your ,חפציך בו אסורים וגם לחשוב חשבונות, הרהורים מותרים ולשדך הבנות :states zemer the ,Finally are forbidden on it and also to make calculations; thoughts are permitted, and to make matches for the girls. Let us take this apart. אסורים בו חפציך, one’s spiritual efforts on Shabbos should not be for the sake of one’s personal betterment, rather for that of the Shechinah. חשבונות לחשוב וגם, the complex permutations of Divine Names that the kabbalist invests in his service should not be mere numerology. Rather, it should serve as a means of connecting with the mitzvah with one’s every fiber, allowing its spirituality to course within him. Once, however, one is primarily focused on the Shechinah, it is permissible to also consider oneself. Thus, מותרים הרהורים. All of this, of course, is to arouse the conjoining of the Shechinah with the bestowal of the Shefa from above. As such, .ולשדך הבנות
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* Bereishis 25:27. ** Shabbos 118a. *** Yeshayah 58:14. **** 164.***** See Ramban. ****** 177. ******* Devarim 17:20. ******** Mishlei 3:16. ********* Baba Basra 25b. ********** The south and the north are associated, respectively, with the right and the let (as the default position is to stand eastward). Avraham is often associated with the right, as it denotes his attribute of Chessed, lovingkindness, while Yitzchak is with the let, the side of his attribute of Din, justice. *********** Mishlei 3:6. ************ Pinchas, 242b.************* See Zohar, Tzav, 29a.************** Shemos 20:8.*************** Pri Eitz Chayim, Sha’ar HaShabbos, ch. 1.