As we enter the final Shabbat of the year, I would like to focus on both that special aspect, and our Avodah of Rosh Hashanah. The final Shabbat of 5784, and the start of a new year, is hinted to in the opening words of Parshat Nitzavim.
You stand this day all of you before Hashem your G-d; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Yisrael, your little ones, your wives, and the stranger that is in your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water.
Even though the Zohar says it is the words וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם that signify Rosh Hashanah – as found in the stories of Iyov being confronted in judgement and Elisha reaching the house of the Shunamit – many among Chazal expand on this idea and say the word הַיּוֹם at the start of our Parsha also points to the day of Rosh Hashanah, just as הַיּוֹם in the story of Akeidat Yitzchak does: יֵרָאֶה ה' בְּהַר הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יֵאָמֵר. In our Parsha, the word הַיּוֹם appears thirteen times, corresponding to Rosh Hashanah and the twelve months of the Year it kicks off and influences. Every is dependent on the start.
Before we dive into the topic of Rosh Hashanah, I’d like to focus on one other powerful idea pertaining to the final Shabbat of the year. A few weeks ago, we discussed how the Zohar says Shabbat is the source of blessing for all the days of the week that follow. We also brought an idea from the Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh who says the world was initially created to last just six days followed by one day of Shabbat, and it is Shabbat that gives it the power to create itself anew for an additional six days. Had Hakadosh Baruch Hu not created Shabbat, the Tohu Vavohu that preceded those six days would have returned and He would have had to start the process of Creation again. According to the Ohr HaChaim, It is for this reason the Gemara (Shabbat 199b) says one who recites וַיְכֻלוּ on Friday night becomes a partner with Hakadosh Baruch Hu in Creation. Does one who eats Bamba become a partner in Osem? Does one who drinks a cup of coffee become partners in Elite? Can someone retroactively become partners in something that took place 5784 years prior? Of course, not. But every six days the world ends and needs to be re-powered, or re-created, for another six days. Observing Shabbat, symbolized by the recitation of וַיְכֻלוּ, is that process, and thus, we become full and real-time partners in Creation.
A nice, and related idea is presented by the Sefat Emet (Vayakhel 5651) in his discussion surrounding the connection between Shabbat and the Mishkan. The Menorah in the Mishkan had a middle shaft and three branches on each side; all six branches pointed inward to the middle stem. Shabbat, he says in a manner similar to Rabbeinu Bachya, is that middle stem; Shabbat is not the final day of the week, or a weekend, but rather the middle of the week, with three days before it and three days after it. It is for this reason one may recite Havdalah until Yom Shlishi if unable to do so prior, why in Yom Revii’s Shir Shel Yom we recite 'לְכוּ נְרַנְּנָה לה – the debut of our praise leading to Shabbat, and why one does not embark on a ship from Yom Revii onward. The Shem Mishmuel adds, the influence of Shabbat is commensurate with the preparations put into it. If one begins preparing on Yom Revii, three days in advance, the influence of Shabbat will be on the three days that follow it. He then says the same model can also be applied to the Yamim Noraim and our preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If we begin preparing on Rosh Chodesh Elul, and do so for fifty-one days until Hoshana Rabba, the influence of these days will last for fifty-one days following Simchat Torah – right up to Chanukah.
For us, there is one point to focus in on. Yalkut Reuveni (Beshalach) breaks down the three meals of Shabbat and discusses what each meal powers in the six days of Creation. The first meal powers days one and two, the second meal powers days three and four, and Seudah Shleesheet gives power to the fifth and sixth days. The Sefat Emet differs slightly in terms of which days each meal influences but then brings a very nice proof of the general concept from a repetitive Pasuk used to describe the Menorah: וְכַפְתֹּר תַּחַת שְׁנֵי הַקָנִים מִמֶּנָּה וְכַפְתֹּר תַּחַת שְׁנֵי הַקָנִים מִמֶּנָּה וְכַפְתֹּר תַּחַת שְׁנֵי הַקָנִים הַיֹּצְאִים מִן־הַמְּנֹרָה׃ Associating כַפְתֹּר with a meal and שְׁנֵי הַקָנִים with two days, each of the three meals gives power to days. He adds that the numerical value of כַפְתֹּר is 700, and that of שַׁבָּת is 702, which equals the כַפְתֹּר plus its 2 influenced branches or days.
Let’s now apply this concept to our current week and mission. This coming Shabbat is a day which will influence the week that follows it, which include the two days of Rosh Hashanah on Yom Chamishi and Yom Shishi. Therefore, if you want to influence the days of Rosh Hashanah, put extra emphasis on observing this final Shabbat, and when reaching Seudah Shleesheet, don’t settle for a small fruit or bag of potato chips, as that is the Shabbat meal with direct influence on the fifth and sixth days of the week, the days on which Rosh Hashanah falls. Take great advantage of this unique and special Shabbat, bringing it in early, maximizing your learning of Torah during the day, minimizing your time wasted, and not going for an extended nap in the afternoon – I was told by a very qualified rav that a twenty-minute nap is sufficient to fulfill the commandment of menucha! If our entire year hinges on the two days of Rosh Hashanah, our Rosh Hashanah can be given incredible power through our observance of this final Shabbat! We cannot waste the opportunity!
