Welcome to Embrace Shabbat.
There is a curious difference noted in the
different amidah prayers on Shabbat.
On Friday night, we recite וינוחו בה, we will rest on it (feminine form). On Shabbat morning, we
say וינוחו בו, we will rest on it (masculine form), and at mincha
time we say וינוחו בם, we will rest on them. Why is there a change in the tenses?
On Shabbat, there is a marriage between
Shabbat and the Jewish people. During the engagement period, a kallah remains
alone in her home. Later on, during Sheva Brachot, she comes into her chatan’s house. (In previous
generations, the sheva brachot were
held in the chatan’s house. Even
today, in the sefardi world, the
Shabbat Chatan is held in the boy’s parent’s house.) After the week of sheva brachot, the chatan and kallah set up
a house together.
Shabbat parallels the three stages of the chatan and kallah’s journey, where Shabbat is referred to as the kallah. On Friday night we say וינוחו בה- the kallah is in her house. On Shabbat day, we continue to וינוחו בו, the kallah goes into his house. Finally at mincha, we become a
full-fledged couple, which is represented by the words וינוחו בם.
Rabbi Dessler in Michtav MiEliyahu (Volume 5,
page 429) gives another explanation:
In Torah literature, the male is referred to
as the משפיע, the
giver. He works and gives his money over to his wife, the receiver. She then
develops it further in the household. This is true biologically, as well, with
the development of a child.
On Friday night, we transfer the kedusha from our week-long mitzvot to Shabbat. וינוחו בה- Shabbat is the female
because it “receives” our holiness. By the next day, Shabbat becomes stronger. וינוחו בו- it becomes a male and
starts giving kedusha to Klal
Yisrael. Finally, during mincha, a connection is forged between the giver and
the receiver; Klal Yisrael unites with Shabbat and we feed off of each other to
create “children”- the kedusha of Shabbat that will be infused into the coming
week.
According to Rav Dessler, these are the three
levels of Shabbat: Shabbat as a recipient, Shabbat as a giver, and a level of
mutual giving where Shabbat gives to us and we give to Shabbat to produce the
“children” of the upcoming week.
He expounds upon this idea with an explanation,
al pi kabbalah, of a common custom
described by his son. On Leil Shabbat, we cut the bottom challah, whereas on
Shabbat day we cut the top challah. The upper challah symbolizes the male, and
the lower one symbolizes the female.
We are responsible for creating the kedusha of Shabbat; we cannot just sit
back and rely on the fact that Shabbat is already kadosh. On Friday night, help out with preparations. Then during
the daytime, we will be able to benefit from the kedusha that Shabbat gives back to us. Eventually, we will be able
to partner together to create “children” that will carry the kedusha into the upcoming week.
Have a Shabbat Shalom.
