Veshomru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos – “And Bnei Yisrael shall safeguard the Shabbos” (31:16).
The Ohr HaChaim HaKodosh has a novel interpretation of these words – “And Bnei Yisrael waited, anticipating the arrival of Shabbos”. He translates the pasuk this way based on the meaning of the word shomar in Bereishis 37:11 where it says, ve’oviv shomar es hadovor, which the meforshim explain as mamtin umetzapeh mosai yovo – “waiting to see when it would finally happen”. Our pasuk concludes with the words, la’asos es haShabbos, which the Ohr HaChaim explains (in this new context) as, “in order to observe Shabbos for the sake of the mitzva and not for physical rest and relaxation or enjoyment”.
To Create More Shabbos
Laasos es haShabbos – Another novel interpretation is based on the Maamar Chazal in Yoma 81 that we are obligated to add extra time to Shabbos from our weekday, by accepting Shabbos early, as opposed to stopping melocha only with the onset of Shabbos. Instead, we prepare beforehand and we go out and greet Shabbos as a chosson greets his kalla by going out before she even arrives. This is achieved by advance preparations in honor of Shabbos and taking care of all arrangements before the onset of Shabbos.
This is how we read laasos es haShabbos – we make or create [more] Shabbos, because Hashem agrees that whatever time we add from the weekday to the sanctified time of Shabbos is also properly called Shabbos as well. We thus see that we are actively creating more Shabbos, by adding hours from Friday (by accepting Shabbos early) and Sunday (Saturday night, when Shabbos departs, by lengthening Shabbos into Saturday night/Sunday). These hours were mundane and Bnei Yisrael transform them into Shabbos!
Veshomru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos laasos es haShabbos – “And Bnei Yisrael will safeguard the Shabbos in order to rectify the Shabbos” (31:16).
The Ohr HaChaim offers another peirush to our pasuk based on the Medrash in Bereishis Rabba ch. 11 that Shabbos argued before Hashem that everyone had a mate except for her, to which Hashem answered Shabbos that Bnei Yisrael would be her mate and partner. Based on this Medrash, Shabbos was missing this detail; she lacked a partner and was thus incomplete. Her completion or rectification is fixed by Bnei Yisrael’s observance and safeguarding of Shabbos in order to partner with her as her mate. We can therefore reread our pasuk as, “Bnei Yisrael shall safeguard the Shabbos laasos es haShabbos – in order to rectify her and partner with her.
Keep Shabbos in This World to Earn the Day of Total Shabbos Forever
Another novel way that the Ohr HaChaim translates our pasuk is based on the Gemora in Rosh HaShana 31a that the coming world of Olam HaBa is known as a day that is kulo Shabbos – a total Shabbos day. And Chazal say in Medrash Shemos Rabba ch. 25 that Shabbos observance is a mitzva whose weight is equal to all the other mitzvos. We can thus read the pasuk as Veshomru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos – “And Bnei Yisrael safeguarded Shabbos in order laasos es haShabbos in order to create for themselves Olom HaBa and earn that final day that is completely Shabbos for all generations hence. This is why the pasuk ends with ledorosom – “for all future generations”, as opposed to this world, which does not endure for all generations, as a bris olom, a covenant promised to those who observe Shabbos that they inherit the future supernal world of Olom HaBa.
