Shabbat Observance and of Supporting Shabbat Observance
The more we recognize and appreciate the inestimable value
of Shabbat observance, the greater our devotion to, and enthusiasm for, Shabbat
will be.
A story is told (in Ha’Shabbat Be’mehitzat Ha’Hafetz Haim,
p. 57) of a man who suffered from a stomach ailment that led his doctors to
warn him to avoid certain foods, including hamin (“cholent”) – the
traditional Shabbat food that cooks on the fire through Friday night and is
then eaten for Shabbat lunch. Our
tradition affords great importance to eating such foods on Shabbat in order to
publicly renounce the heretical view of the Karaites, who erroneously
maintained that the Torah forbids leaving a fire burning on Shabbat. This man wanted to know whether he should
forego on this custom in light of the doctor’s warnings that this food would
cause him pain and discomfort in his stomach.
He brought his question to the Hafetz Haim.
The Hafetz Haim answered that if one eats לכבוד שבת, with the
intention of giving honor to Shabbat, then שבת היא מלזעוק ורפואה קרובה לבוא. This expression means
that Shabbat is not a time for praying on behalf of sick patients (unless
somebody is seriously ill), and the Hafetz Haim was telling this patient that
if he is genuinely committed to the honor of Shabbat, then Shabbat will not be
a cause of cries of pain. To the
contrary, ורפואה קרובה לבוא – the merit of honoring Shabbat will bring good health and will
cure him of his ailments.
“Are you sure?” the man asked. “Can I be certain that I won’t get sick from
eating this food?”
“If you are very concerned,” the Hafetz Haim said, “then
listen to your doctors and don’t eat it.”
Later Rabbis explained the Rabbi’s response to mean that if
one has full, unquestioning faith in our Sages’ guarantees, then he will earn
protection. But if a person entertains
doubts, and is skeptical, then he will not earn full protection. (A similar point is made about the privilege
of serving as sandak at a berit, which is said to be a segulah
that brings wealth. Of course, not
everybody who serves as sandak becomes wealthy, and the explanation
given is that most people do not fully trust the power of this merit, and so
they do not earn its special benefits.)
Therefore, it behooves us to regularly reinforce our belief
in the special powers and benefits of Shabbat observance, as this belief will
ensure that we reap those benefits.
On an earlier occasion, we told another story of the Hafetz
Haim, who once advised Rav Avraham Kalmanovitch that he could “sell” his merit
of Shabbat observance to a seriously ill patient, so he would be healed. For the Hafetz Haim, the merit of Shabbat was
something real and tangible, no less than a material object. Just as one has property, such as a home,
which he could sell, the merit of Shabbat observance is likewise an asset of
immense value.
It is told (in Rabbi Paysach Krohn’s Illuminations of the
Maggid, p. 285) that the family of Rav Shayela Kerestirer
(1851-1925) was once preparing for Shabbat on Friday, expecting a large group
of guests, and they suddenly realized that they did not have enough money for the
food they needed. Just then, a man from
a wealthy family knocked on the door, and requested a blessing from the Rabbi
on behalf of his father, who had taken seriously ill. The Rabbi told the young man that if his
father would pay for all the Rabbi’s Shabbat needs, he would be healed. The man went home to tell his father what the
Rabbi said, and the father agreed. He
brought the Rabbi the money to cover all his Shabbat costs, and sure enough,
the next week, the father was cured.
Rav Shayela was later asked to identify the source of this
concept, that one earns good health by supporting another person’s Shabbat. He replied by pointing to the compensation
requirements that the Torah establishes in a case where one caused his fellow
physical harm. These requirements
include shevet – compensating for the income the victim lost as a result
of his injury – as well as covering his medical costs (in addition to other
payments). The Torah (Shemot 21:19)
commands, רק שבתו יתן ורפא ירפא (“only he must pay his lost income, and
for his cure”). This phrase may be
understood to mean, “Even if one only gives money for another person’s Shabbat,
then he will be healed.” This is the
source of the notion that giving financial assistance to allow somebody to
properly honor Shabbat brings merit that is capable of curing one’s illnesses.
More generally, this story demonstrates that when we enable
other people to perform a mitzvah, we share the merit of that mitzvah. For example, by supporting a yeshivah one
earns a share in the merit of the Torah studied in the yeshivah. By supporting hesed projects, one
earns the merit of the acts of kindness that he helped to facilitate. Likewise, by helping people to properly
observe Shabbat, one earns the immense benefits of their Shabbat observance.
A striking example of this concept appears in the Kaf
Ha’haim (223), which rules, citing the Hid”a, that when a scholar publishes
a new Torah book, this occasion warrants the recitation of the berachah of שהחיינו. The Kaf Ha’haim adds that this applies
even to the sponsor of a Torah book.
Since he facilitated the book’s publication, he is an equal partner in
the merits of Torah being spread, and so he, too, may recite שהחיינו.
Observing Shabbat, and helping others to properly observe
Shabbat, is exceedingly valuable and offers great benefits. Let us appreciate these benefits and look for
opportunities to both enhance our own Shabbat observance and help other people
to enhance their Shabbat observance, so we can earn all the special blessings
that Shabbat –the מקור הברכה (source of blessing) – has to offer.
