Shabbos: Difference between revisions

Shabbos - The seventh day of the week contains both positive and negative mitzvos - the positive mitzvah to rest and the negative mitzvah not to do work.

It is explained that on Shabbos there is an elevation of the worlds. During the weekdays, there is the work of birurim (refinement) where malchus d'atzilus descends into the worlds of Briah, Yetzirah and Asiyah to refine the nitzotzos (sparks). On Shabbos, these refined sparks that were elevated during the week are included in Atzilus.

== In Chassidic Teachings ==

The mitzvah of Shabbos is essentially resting from work, primarily the 39 melachos forbidden on Shabbos. Certain chassidim are mehader in many things like tasting the Shabbos foods on erev Shabbos and many other hiddurim that were mostly practiced by the Chabad Rebbeim. "It is the minhag Yisroel in many places to beautify the home with flowers in honor of Shabbos and Yom Tov."

====== The Nature of the 39 Melachos ======

The reason for this mitzvah is rooted in these melachos during the week, which are internally the work of birur in this world. For example: The melachos of plowing and planting etc. are aspects of tikkun and birur to elevate from the growing power in the earth, to grow foods that give strength and vitality for man to live. Their elevation and tikkun occurs when a person makes brachos before and after eating and draws down kedusha, and afterwards when receiving vitality from this food, the food's vitality is included in the person's vitality and strengthens their koach and sechel, and with this koach and sechel they daven and learn and fulfill mitzvos, thereby elevating the food's vitality with them and including it in their avodah.

Similarly, baking and cooking are actions done to rectify food to make it fit for human consumption, and weaving two threads is an action done to create human clothing. Building and similar melachos are tikkun to make a dwelling fit for human habitation. Generally all melachos involve food, clothing and dwellings. Through performing these melachos l'shem shamayim, one elevates the vitality within them.

A chossid who goes beyond the letter of the law is also careful about thinking about melacha on Shabbos - since in actuality Hashem rested even from thought, and due to cleaving to the ways and middos of Hashem, he also rests from his thoughts.