The Prophetic Experience of Shabbat
Rav Chaim ben Betzalel, who was the brother of the Maharal of Prague, writes in his Sefer Ha’haim about the remarkable impact of the Shabbat experience. He writes that people are naturally prone to doubt the divine origin of the Torah, since, after all, we did not actually stand at Sinai, and we know of the event only through tradition. Without having personally witnessed G-d giving us the Torah, we can easily be plagued by doubt as to whether it actually occurred. Therefore, Rav Chaim writes, Hashem, in His great love for the Jewish People, sought to eliminate all lingering doubts about Ma’amad Har Sinai from their hearts, and He did so by giving us the mitzvah of Shabbat. He explains:
שירגיש כל איש ישראל בעצמו שפע אלקי ואור פניו...ושמחה יתירה שנופל עליו בלי מתכוין, מיד בהכנסת השבת וליל של שבת כולה אור ועוז וחדוה במקומנו. בלתי ספק, שאין זה רק ניצוץ האור והשמחה המבהיק ממקום שהנבואה יוצאת משם. שאף על פי שאין לנו לא נביא ולא חוזה ואנחנו על אדמה טמאה, עם כל זאת לא עזב ממנו חסדו ואמתו, להשפיע עלינו אור אלקי, מידי שבת בשבתו.
[Hashem gave us Shabbat] so that every Jewish person will feel within himself G-d’s bounty and the countenance of His face…and the special joy that descends upon him without even paying attention immediately when Shabbat begins; and throughout the entire night of Shabbat, there is light, rigor and exuberance in our places. Without doubt, this is only a spark of the pristine light and joy from the place where prophecy emerges. For although we have neither a prophet nor a seer, and we are on an impure land, nevertheless, His did not withhold from us His kindness and grace, [and He continues] to bestow divine light upon us, each and every Shabbat.
The experience of Shabbat, he writes, is a “spark” of prophecy. We feel something unique and special within us, and this feeling is a small “spark” of actual prophecy, through which we know without any doubt or uncertainty that Hashem gave us the Torah at Sinai. The weekly Shabbat experience is an experience that qualifies as a kind of prophecy, which enables us to eliminate any lingering doubts we might have about the divine origin of the Torah.
For this reason, perhaps, the Gemara teaches that Matan Torah occurred on Shabbat. Although there is some disagreement among the Sages as to the date of Matan Torah, there is no question that it was given on Shabbat. Since Shabbat reinforces our belief in the event of Matan Torah by elevating us to a certain level of prophetic insight, it was fitting that this event should take place on Shabbat.
This passage in the Sefer Ha’haim brings to mind the comments of the Hayeh Adam in his Torat Moshe, describing a “test” that a person can conduct to determine if he is sufficiently G-d-fearing and religiously committed. The Hayeh Adam writes that if a person is sufficiently G-d-fearing and committed, then after he immerses in the mikveh before Shabbat and accepts Shabbat in his mind, he will feel the נשמה יתירה (extra soul) enter him. He will experience a sudden rush of fear of G-d and passionate love for the Almighty. The Hayeh Adam writes that this is בדוק ומנוסה – “tried and tested.” If a person does not experience this special feeling when Shabbat arrives, then this indicates that the purity of one’s soul is deficient. It is clear that even in the Hayeh Adam’s time (he died less than 200 years ago), there were many Jews who tangibly sensed and felt the special kedushah of Shabbat each week.
Even more recently, Rav Eliyahu Lopian wrote that the Alter of Kelm, in the final years of his life, had a pale complexion, but on Shabbat, some color returned to his face as a result of the sanctity of Shabbat.
Similarly, Rav Shlomo Wolbe wrote that a number of smokers described to him how they feel no desire to smoke on Shabbat. The special sanctity and “prophetic quality” of Shabbat had such a powerful impact that they did not even feel any urge whatsoever to smoke, despite experiencing this urge throughout the week.
The notion of Shabbat as a prophetic experience enhances our appreciation of the connection between Shabbat and the fundamentals of Jewish faith. Rav Yosef Albo, in his Sefer Ha’ikarim, writes that the basic tenets of Jewish belief can be reduced to three basic principles: belief in a Creator, belief in a system of reward and punishment, and belief in the divine origin of the Torah. Shabbat commemorates the creation of the world – thus reinforcing our belief in a Creator. It also commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, when G-d punished the Egyptians for enslaving Beneh Yisrael, and thus reinforces our belief in reward and punishment. In light of the Sefer Ha’haim’s comments about the prophetic nature of Shabbat, we understand how Shabbat also reinforces the third fundamental tenet – the belief in a G-d-given Torah. If we prepare ourselves properly, we can experience a form of prophecy whereby we attain complete, unwavering faith in the event of Matan Torah.
Shabbat is laden with extraordinary power. Is it up to us to put in the work to prepare ourselves so we can experience its profound effects and reach the exalted level of prophecy.