ישא ברכה – 34:9 “וסלחת לעוננו ולחטאתנו ונחלתנו”
“And You shall forgive our iniquity and our error, and make us a portion.” The Shemos Rabbah 43:3 says that Moshe Rabbeinu said after the Chet Ha’eigel that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave Klal Yisroel a gift. What was the gift that the Midrash is referring to? The Gemara in Shabbos 10b says, “מתנה טובה יש לי בבית גדזי ושבת שמה, לך והודיעם ” – there is a good present in My storage house, and Shabbos is its name, go and let them know about it”. Hakodosh Boruch Hu told Moshe to go let Klal Yisroel know about Shabbos; why wasn’t he told, “To give Shabbos to Klal Yisroel”?
Additionally, why do we recite Havdalah, to separate between Shabbos and the weekday on Motzai Shabbos in the Brocha of חונן הדעת, of requesting intellect from Hakodosh Boruch Hu? The Gemara in Yerushalmi Brochos 5:2 says that Havdalah is in the Brocha of חונך הדעת because if there is no intellect, then there wouldn’t be Havdalah. If there wouldn’t be intellect, then we would have nothing, we would be like animals – thus, why is Havdalah specifically in the Brocha of חונן הדעת? The Gemara in Chagigah 4a says that who is a שוטה, a fool? One who loses everything he is given. Thus, in order to safeguard a gift that one not lose it, he must have דעת, intellect. This is what Hakodosh Boruch Hu was telling Moshe Rabbeinu, that being that Hakodosh Boruch Hu was giving them a good gift, go הודיעם, place in them דעת, so that they know that it is a precious gift that they are being given, and that they must safeguard it and keep the sparks of Shabbos aglow throughout the entire week – that one should not lose it when Shabbos leaves, as the Gemara in Beitzah 16a says, “וי אבדה נפש”. One who has דעת will make sure not to lose his Nefesh, the Nefesh that he achieves on Shabbos. Thus, we recite Havdalah in the Brocha of חונן הדעת, for we need to have the דעת to keep the sparks of Kedusha of Shabbos with us throughout the week, and we recite Havdalah as part of the first weekday Brocha – to show that we can bring the Kedusha of Shabbos into the weekday. This is what the Midrash is telling us, that Klal Yisroel should achieve a Kapparah, and that they should have during the weekday what they receive on Shabbos Kodesh. Klal Yisroel should have the דעת to take the Kedusha of Shabbos and keep it with them throughout the week.
