Increasing the “Weight” of Shabbat
The Rambam, in the third chapter of Hilchot Teshuvah, writes that our mitzvot are always being weighed against our sins, and we must always ensure that the weight of our mitzvot exceeds that of our misdeeds. However, the Rambam adds, not all mitzvot have the same weight; some are “heavier” than others.
Various factors determine the relative “weight” of a mitzvah. First, some mitzvot are inherently “heavier” than others. For example, the Gemara comments that the mitzvah of Shabbat observance is equivalent to all other mitzvot combined. Due to its unique importance, Shabbat observance is especially valuable, and worth the same as the total value of all other mitzvot. Additionally, the degree to which one needs to struggle and exert effort to perform a mitzvah adds to its value and its “weight” on the scale. The greater the challenge that one needed to overcome in order to perform the mitzvah, the greater its value and its rewards are.
But there is also another factor, one which Rabbi Ades explained by way of a story.
A man once came to his Rebbe asking for help. He needed to marry off his daughter, but he did not have enough money. The Rebbe gave him a $100 bill and told him to go to the marketplace.
“Seize the first investment that you chance upon,” the Rebbe instructed, “and you will make the money that you need.”
The man had no business or entrepreneurial experience, but he faithfully followed his Rebbe’s instructions. He took the $100 bill and went to the market. He looked around, wondering when and how he would find something to invest in, when a certain wealthy and arrogant person whom he knew came along and asked, “What are you doing here? You don’t know anything about business!”
The man told him about the Rebbe’s instructions, and he showed him the $100 bill.
“Ok,” the other fellow said. “I have something to sell you. I am willing to sell you my share in the next world for your $100.”
The man recalled what his Rebbe said – he should seize the first investment opportunity that comes his way, and this will bring him the money he needs. He obviously did not understand how buying another person’s share in the world to come could bring him money for his daughter’s wedding, but he trusted his Rebbe instructions, and so he made the purchase.
He returned home, and his wife asked him what he purchased with the $100. When he told her that he bought another person’s share in the next world, she mocked him. “He’s never going to succeed,” she thought to herself. “How on earth does he expect to make any money by buying somebody’s portion in the next world? What a fool!”
Meanwhile, the seller returned home and told his wife that he made an easy $100, by “selling” his share in the next world.
“What?!” the wife bellowed. “I refuse to be married to a man who does not have a share in the world to come. You go buy it back right now!”
And so the man had no choice but to track down the buyer and offer to buy back his share in the afterlife. But the man refused, as his Rebbe told him to buy the first merchandise that came his way. The seller told him to go speak to his Rebbe and ask for a solution.
The man returned to his Rebbe and told him what happened. The Rebbe asked him how much money he needed for his daughter to get married, and he said $20,000.
“If so,” the Rebbe said, “then tell the man you are demanding $20,000 in exchange for returning his share in the next world.”
The seller was alarmed when he heard the demand, but he had no choice, so he paid the $20,000. The Rebbe’s words were fulfilled – the first investment the man came across ended up bringing him the money he needed.
When the seller returned home after buying back his share in the next world, he told his wife that he needed to pay $20,000 for it. She was enraged. He explained that this is what the other man’s Rebbe said, and so he had no choice. The wife furiously ran to the Rebbe to ask for an explanation. How, she asked, could it be that her husband would have to pay $20,000 to buy back something he had sold two days earlier for just $100?
The Rebbe explained, “When he first sold his share in the next world, he did not value it, and so it was worth very little. But then he realized just how precious the afterlife is, and so its price rose exponentially.”
Rabbi Ades said that the same is true of our mitzvot. The more we value mitzvot, the more they are worth. If we treat them with respect and eagerly rush to perform them, demonstrating just how important we think they are, then they are extremely valuable and carry a great deal of “weight” on the Heavenly Scale.
This is one of the reasons why it is so important to accept Shabbat early. Beyond the value of the extra ten minutes, we demonstrate how valuable Shabbat is in our eyes, thereby increasing its “weight” manifold.
This concept can be found in numerous different sources. The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat tells that after Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai and his son left the cave where they spent twelve years learning Torah, they saw people working the land, and could not believe that people would engage in worldly activities instead of Torah. As a result, they caused harm and destruction wherever they looked. Hashem told them to return to the cave, and one year later, they emerged and saw a man running right before Shabbat carrying two hadasim in honor of Shabbat. Rabbi Shimon turned to his son and said, “Look how beloved the mitzvot are to the Jews!” The man’s enthusiasm for Shabbat demonstrated his love and respect for the mitzvah, and this made his mitzvah especially powerful.
Similarly, the Gemara in Masechet Sukkah tells that one year, before Sukkot, etrogim were very difficult to obtain, and Rabban Gamliel spent a large fortune for an etrog. The Gemara adds that this shows us the extent to which our Sages valued mitzvot.
Another expression of this concept is the common custom to kiss one’s tzitzit strings at various points during the recitation of Shema, which, as the Shulhan Aruch explains, is intended to show our love for the mitzvot. By the same token, the Shelah Ha’kadosh writes that he has seen people kiss the matzah and marror before eating them at the seder, and there are people who kiss the sukkah each time they walk in and out during Sukkot, and who kiss the arba minim (four species) after using them on Sukkot – to show their love and affection for mitzvot.
The Gemara in Masechet Rosh Hashanah teaches that we blow an additional set of shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah כדי לערבב את השטן – in order to “confuse” the Satan. Rashi explains that by sounding a second series of blasts, we show that we are not merely getting the job done, but going beyond the strict call of duty to ensure to perform the mitzvah the best way and on the highest standard. And when we do this, Rashi writes, נסתתמו טענותיו – the Satan no longer has any claims against us. Rav Yerucham Levovitz suggested an analogy to a prosecuting attorney who sees during the court proceedings that the judge is smiling affectionately at the defendant. Once the prosecutor sees this, he can no longer make his case with any sort of confidence, realizing that the judge looks so favorably upon the defendant. Similarly, when we show how precious the mitzvot are in our eyes, Hashem looks upon us with an affectionate smile, as it were, and thus the Satan is silenced.
By accepting Shabbat early, we show our great love for the mitzvah, that we can’t wait for Shabbat to begin and we can’t get enough of it. The great mitzvah of Shabbat is exceedingly valuable in its own right, but by rushing to welcome Shabbat early, we make it even more valuable and give it extra weight on the Heavenly Scale.