A Taste Of Shabbos – Parashat Vayetzei

In this week’s parasha, Yacov leaves home and returns years later with four wives and eleven children; quite a road trip! Though Rachel first captured his heart, he loves them all and feels he is fulfilling his divine destiny in birthing the tribes that will become the foundations of the children of Israel.

After Lavan thwarts Yacov’s desire to marry Rachel first, the Torah relates: Genesis 29:20. “Yacov worked for Rachel for seven years and in his love for her they seemed to him like a few days.” It is true that time moves subjectively, but what does love have to do with it? In fact, if you have a clear and powerful desire, it might seem the opposite; as we see especially in children, when they want something, and you tell them later, it seems to them like forever. However, if your goal is G-dly, then the waiting or preparing time can fly by; it is all part of the excitement in the process and the journey to your beloved destination. I tell people that one of my definitions of aging is that the spaces between holidays seem to get shorter and shorter. And now in my eighties, it feels like the weekdays between one Shabbat and the next, are also getting shorter! Actually, according to the mystics, love is what Shabbos is all about. Both the dos and the don’ts of Shabbos are meant to bring us closer to the divine in an open and revealed way. It’s like when you don’t know where you’re going, the travel time seems to take much longer. This I think, is one of the reasons that the most well-known and ‘beloved’ Shabbat prayers is the one which the mystics had us usher in Shabbos- ‘Lecha Dodi’…’Come my beloved to meet the bride, let us receive the face of the Sabbath.’

Like the candles that usher in the Sabbath, the flame of the soul longs to unite with its beloved Shechina, but earthly distractions and temptations prevent that from happening on weekdays. Shabbos too, like the lover in Song of Songs, yearns to be found, appreciated, and celebrated. As the sages explain, each day of the created week had a partner: As Rabbi Twersky z”l expressed it: ‘Dodi, my beloved, is G-d Himself. We invite G-d to join us in greeting Shabbos which is alternately referred to as the ‘bride’ or ‘queen.’ This is based on the Talmud that relates that on Friday eve, Rabbi Chanina would clothe himself in honor of Shabbos and say, ‘Come let us go to greet the Shabbos queen.’ This is the source for the mystics of the Arizal, who would go out to the field to pray before sunset on Friday.

But why the bridal image? Rabbi Twersky continues, ‘The intimate relationship of Israel and Shabbos is depicted in the Midrash, which relates that when G-d created the seventh day, Shabbos complained to him that the six days of the week can be paired, but Shabbos stands alone without a mate. G-d responded, ‘I have one more work of creation and that is the people of Israel, who shall be your mate.’ Just as a bridegroom takes a vow to honor, protect, and cherish his wife, Israel takes this vow toward Shabbos. It is not a far step from a bride to a queen; hence the words, ‘Likrat KALAH.’ Shabbos is our bride, and, in turn, the Jewish people are called the bride of G-d. In whatever way these relational personas resonate with you, it’s so nice to spend part of your weekdays feeling how time can fly by when, like Yacov, you can expect a party coming up on the seventh day. And don’t let a Lavan type personality or situation you may encounter during the week, stop you from the sights, sounds, and smells that can help you anticipate the day whose serenity can be a ‘taste of the World to Come’, even while you are still in this world.