In Parshat Bereishit we read about Shabbat, the most important day of the week. "G-d blessed the seventh day and declared it holy" (Bereishit 2:3). Shabbat is established by G-d as an essential part of creation, part of the very fabric of the world's existence from its inception.
Yet Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov tells us that it is precisely Shabbat's unique origin that leaves out something crucial, a piece of the puzzle that would later need to be completed.
Rabbi Shem Tov explains that Jewish practice is built on one fundamental idea. We observe the Torah and Mitzvot because of what we saw and experienced as a people.
Judaism is a living and breathing tradition of our shared history, and of the love and kindness G-d has shown us. The Jewish people stood together at Sinai. The Jewish people witnessed the Exodus and the splitting of the Sea. When we celebrate Passover or Shavuot, we are not doing simply because our ancestors told us to, but because of what we saw and experienced together. We are continuing the collective experience and relationship G-d created with us.
Shabbat, however, recalls creation, which the Jewish people did not experience together. Shabbat based on the Bereishit story alone would be missing a fundamental piece of Jewish life.
Therefore, says Rabbi Shem Tov, as soon as the Jewish people became a nation with the Exodus from Egypt, G-d created a Shabbat experience for them through the Manna. The Manna fell from heaven every day of the week to nourish and sustain them in the desert, besides one, Shabbat.
In fact, after describing the Manna, Moshe tells the Jewish people, "See, G-d has given you the Shabbat" (Shemot 16:29). The Manna was given so the Jewish people could literally see and experience Shabbat. Shabbat would become a day that marks not only a story we were told, but a history we experienced, and that we continue to live as we observe, respect and love this special day.
Shabbat Shalom
