Choosing the Real Side
On Shabbos, It’s Easier to See the Real World
Shabbos is the gift that the Ribbono shel Olam gave to Creation. It is the gift that enables us more easily to look at the world clearly—and not to become impressed by the way things seem to work. On Shabbos, the Ribbono shel Olam removes the concealment, and we’re able to see what’s really happening. When we say וישבות, Hashem rested from all the work of the weekdays, it means that He infused kedushah into the world.
The non-Jew can’t feel this, for a person needs the proper “internal battery” in order to see it. A Yid receives a יתירה נשמה on Shabbos, and thus he has the ability to see the world in a new light. The entire creation has become elevated, and now he can feel: This is what I really want. This is the truth. Everything else is emptiness and meaninglessness.
The moment a Yid has his יתירה נשמה, he connects to the essence of Shabbos (i.e., the true view of the world)... he thinks in a way that’s appropriate for Shabbos, and he sings in a way that’s fitting for Shabbos. He sees the creation in the way that it really is—and this bleeds into the rest of the week. The Zohar HaKadosh teaches us, כל מתברכין מיניה יומין שיתא , the six days of the week are blessed by Shabbos. For, if we look at the world properly—that the Source of all chiyus is the Ribbono shel Olam—our entire week will be different, and we will receive entirely different results. Why? Because we aren’t so impressed by or afraid of the order of nature.
The Expressions of the Four Elements
In his introduction, the Toldos Yaakov Yosef writes at length about the concept that every attribute in a person stems from a source, which can express itself in a good way, or, chas v’shalom, the opposite way. He quotes Rabbi Chaim Vital as follows:
All negative traits are divided into four categories:
- The element of fire can be expressed as גאוה: since this element is lighter and jumps higher than all others. Included in this is anger and the lust for dominance over others, as well as hatred of others.
- The element of air is expressed in the power of speech: idle speech, flattery, lies, gossip, and bragging.
- The element of water gives forth the traits of desire for pleasure: including desire, lust, and jealousy.
- The element of earth may be expressed in the qualities of depression in all its aspects: including laziness preventing a person from fulfilling Torah and mitzvos due to his sadness over his ability to acquire material matters of this world (or due to the lack thereof).
All these attributes stem from the side of the yetzer hara, which distorts these elements.
The Positive Side
The positive side is the opposite end of the spectrum of these qualities—all of which are contained within a person, ready to be expressed:
- Fire: Humility is when one distances himself from any sort of anger or hubris.
- Air: Silence is when one chooses not to speak. He feels as though he’s losing life, his very self, when he speaks. Just as a person can derive pleasure from speaking, he can also learn to enjoy silence. If he must communicate, he will write down what he wants to say—not because he has accepted upon himself a ...דיבור תענית he simply doesn’t want to squander his life. There’s an actual desire within a person to want to be with himself, not to speak with anyone.
- Water: Abstinence is when a person chooses to refrain from indulging in material pleasures. He doesn’t want to become מגושם, and he wants no part of גשמיות other than for the purpose of sustaining his body. He doesn’t want to squander his sense of pleasure on material things—only to channel them for spiritual enjoyment.
- Earth: Joy in serving Hashem is the opposite of melancholy. This person is joyful with his lot and with his privilege to serve the Ribbono shel Olam. רב שלל כמוצא אמרתיך על אנכי שש, I rejoice over Your word like one who finds abundant spoils (Tehillim 119:162).
Your Choice
Thus, we say to a person: Just as you have negative qualities that emanate from the four elements, you also have four positive attributes that stem from the same root and source! They’re the very same nature. These attributes, when expressed in negative ways, disturb your avodas Hashem greatly, and they destroy your life.
But when you channel them in the right direction, and you daven to the Ribbono shel Olam, that they shouldn’t be expressed in improper ways, the positive side will be revealed. We tell this person, “If you have found within yourself the improper expressions of these attributes, it must also be that you have the proper and positive expressions. For there’s no such entity as כעס—it is only an expression of the element of fire within us. If you have anger in your system, you must also have the proclivity to express fire and fervor in avodas Hashem. The same applies to pleasure; you can channel your pleasure to spiritual pursuits.
This is why Chazal taught us, הימנו גדול יצרו מחבירו הגדול כל, one who is greater than his peer, his yetzer hara is also greater than his. What is peshat?
Simple: If a person struggles with a strong yetzer hara, it is telling us something... if he has deep desire for negative pursuits, this means that he can also have deep desires for holy and good things, and these can assist him in overcoming all his spiritual challenges. Until now, it may have been expressed in the wrong way, but the person has the ability to channel those proclivities and inclinations to the good side—in all areas of his nature.
Crying Out for the Oppressed Attributes
The Toldos adds that the “four who must give thanks” featured in kappitel of לה' הודו correspond to the four elements we have just mentioned. And they cry out to Hashem out of a feeling of being oppressed... channeled in the wrong direction. ...להם בצר ה' אל ויצעקו a person cries out to Hashem, asking that his kochos be expressed in good ways.
Through emunah in Hashem with his whole heart—knowing that He is the Master of all and the Orchestrator and the Root of everything, and he places his trust in Him—און פועלי כל יתפרדו, the forces of wickedness are dispersed.
For this Yid recognizes the truth, and he says: When my riaרוח/ attribute expressed itself through idle chatter and schmoozing about politics, that’s not my actual nature. I don’t have a quality like that. Yes, people approach this person for his take on the news... and they lick their fingers afterward because he knows how to deliver it with such brilliance. But this is not him! It’s a lie. This is not the actual you. It’s only one way your attribute has expressed itself. Now, learn how to express it in the proper way.
Believe, and You Can Change
When a person believes in this, the Ribbono shel Olam will help him change the habits and proclivities of his “animal soul” and reveal their true essence. Then, not only will they not disturb him, but to the contrary, they will assist him in his avodas Hashem. This person will regret his past transgressions, for he knows that they give strength to the other side... he is aware that his bad habits give power to the הטומאה כוחות that encourage the negative side to express itself. But he knows that this isn’t his true self.
Now, when a person davens עשרה שמונה, this is essentially what he’s doing. He davens to Hashem: דעת לאדם חונן אתה, You bequeath wisdom to a person. This person acknowledges that all wisdom is from the Ribbono shel Olam. “I don’t have my own sechel... I don’t have my own way of thinking.” He recognizes that every aspect of his life is really Hashem, and he understands that all his thoughts really emanate from an exalted place. That they sometimes later express themselves in distorted ways has been added later... but they can always come back to their pure root.
During אשרי, when a person says עולמים כל מלכות מלכותך, Your Kingdom is a Kingdom of all worlds, he’s essentially returning everything to its pure root. He remembers where everything originated. In this way, he does teshuvah for the improper expressions of the past. And in this way, he receives the kedushah of Shabbos (which is essentially the idea of understanding the real and true root of things).
Knowing the Source of All Things Gets Us to the Truth
Knowing Where You Come From
To illustrate this point, let us take the mitzvah of ואם אב כיבוד, one of the fundamental tenets of the Torah and one of the Aseres HaDibros. One of the explanations of the importance of this mitzvah is that when a person knows where he comes from, he tends to live more closely with the truth. Conversely, when a person forgets the root and the source—he lives only with a distorted version of the truth.
When a person remembers the journey that he traveled until he attained what he attained... he remembers all the people who helped him get there... he will be humbler and kinder. The Dubno Maggid tells us regarding our recounting of the story of במצרים לפרעה היינו עבדים that it’s like the rich man who takes out the clothes he wore when he was a pauper—for when we remember our roots, we live better and truer.
But if we forget everything that we went through, we adopt an attitude of being on top of the world: “I have this and I have that... this person won’t tell me what to do... I won’t call this person back; let him run after me....”
When a person has ואם אב כיבוד, it means that he remembers where he came from. Go back to your roots and behave like that. Of course, you’re no longer a little child, and of course, you must use the wisdom you have attained in the ensuing years. But now, using your acquired sechel, remember where you came from. This is especially true as it relates to remembering the Ribbono shel Olam, and the great kindness that He has done for us since the day we were born.
He Gives You Strength
When we speak in the language of ניצוצות העלאת, elevating the lost sparks, it is likewise important to know their exalted Source. We tell a person: Remember the root and the source of things.
When a person makes decisions in life, he would do well to ask himself: What does the One Who gave me this wisdom to make decisions have to say about this? A person lives much better, much healthier, and much purer—spiritually and materially—when he remembers where everything has originated. This is the essence of Shabbos Kodesh: but in order to make the transition from weekday to Shabbos, one must adjust his outlook.
Let’s take as an example the consumption of food. Were a person to imagine that he’s a poor person who doesn’t have anything to eat, and the Ribbono shel Olam gave him food... he would be embarrassed to treat food in a materialistic and indulgent way. Because he knows that it’s not even due to his efforts—and the One Who gave him the food doesn’t want us to approach food in such a way. He wants us to use as a means to recognize His greatness and to recognize that it is He Who sustains us. This is an example of recognizing the true source of things in the world.
Remembering the Root
Some people forget the source. They build mansions... that’s one thing. But on top of this, it’s very important for them to show the whole world how much money they have, and how much they can invest in their temporary dwelling because of this money. With this, the rich man untethers himself from the Source—because he doesn’t remember the One Who gave him the money. This mindset stands in diametric opposition to the essence of Shabbos. It’s impossible to feel a taste in Shabbos if we forget where everything is truly rooted.
Shabbos comes to us only when we minimize nature and recognize that everything is the Ribbono shel Olam. Anyone who thinks that things are his own is lying to himself. Everything belongs to the Aibishter.
Sometimes, a person witnesses a story firsthand; he’s the primary source of the story. With time, the story spreads, and one day, he hears someone telling the story with all kinds of exaggerations. He walks over and asks, “Where did you hear this story? This isn’t a well-known story... I am the source of this story! It comes from me!”
Correct Colors
So long as a person lives under an erroneous impression of the world, there’s no chance that he will know the truth. But the pleasure of Shabbos, the chiyus that he receives on Shabbos, comes from the ability to see the world in the correct colors.
This transformation and this clarity take place during Minchah of Erev Shabbos...as we recite הודו, and נפש ידיד, and אשרי, and קרבנות and ...קטורת they all assist in this process of transition to Shabbos—for their purpose is to bring a person to teshuvah and to the recognition that everything is from the Ribbono shel Olam. He does everything, He orchestrates everything, and nothing is as it seems on the surface.
And then, a person can sing לה' נרננה לכו. The waters and the fields won’t sing to Hashem if you think that they belong to you. They will sing only after you have removed your ownership from over them.
