Welcome to Embrace Shabbat.
In his sefer Yafei LaLev, Rav Yitzchak Palagi, son of Rav Chaim Palagi, teaches that when a person is Shomer
Shabbat, he is considered like a son who begs for something from his father and
his father fulfills his will. This terminology- “like child who begs from his
father”- is similarly used to describe the Bitachon connection. The Gemara in
Taanit relates the incident of Choni HaMaagel who drew a circle on the ground
and said, “I am not moving from here until You have mercy on Your children and
answer my prayers for rain.” Rain began to trickle down, followed by powerful,
furious rains. Choni then said, “this is not the rain that I wanted.”
Subsequently, generous, benevolent rains fell.
One of the Rabbis relayed to Choni, “if not
for the fact that you were Choni, I would have excommunicated you. How dare you
nag G-d like that! But, in truth, you are like a son who begs his father.”
A son that is begging from his father can whine, and his father, with love for
his child, will give in. A person that really sees G-d as his father and will
beg and whine for his needs and will see G-d respond to him in kind, even if he
asks in a seemingly improper way. The Sefarim teach that during the weekdays,
we are like servants, and on Shabbat, we raise ourselves to the level of
children.
The Yafei LaLev teaches that this is the power
of Shabbat. He quotes the Midrash on Parshat Beshalach (chapter 25) that
teaches that when a person is Shomer Shabbat, גוזר
גזירה והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיימה, he makes a decree and G-d fulfills it, as it says אם תשיב משבת רגלך … אז תתענג על ה, if you keep Shabbat … then you will delight
on G-d. It says further, והתענג על ה' ויתן לך
משאלות לבך, you
will delight on G-d and He will give you all of your heart’s desires.
This is an unbelievable concept. A tzaddik is always zoche to this level of צדיק גוזר גזירה
והקדוש ברוך הוא מקיימה, the tzaddik decrees and G-d fulfills it. However, the Midrash is
teaching that when a regular person keeps Shabbat, they can attain this lofty
level.
It is for this reason that when Rabbis are
approached by people in need of yeshua, they advise the individual to
strengthen themselves in Shabbat. It is not a random segulah that they pull out of a hat! Rather, they understand that
through Shemirat Shabbat, whose entire essence is Bitachon and reliance on
Hashem, a person can reach the level of a child whose desires will be fulfilled
by their Father, Hashem.
Bezrat Hashem, through the zechut of Shemirat
Shabbat, we will be zoche to Hashem fulfilling all of our desires. Have a
Shabbat Shalom.
