When we sing Dayeinu in the Pesach Haggadah, we recount a series of great gifts that Hashem gave us: “He took us out of Mitzrayim, He gave us Shabbos, He gave us the Torah...” And what is the pinnacle of it all? “And He built for us the temple to atone for all our sins,” that is the goal of everything - to be completely free of sin.
But why is that the ultimate goal? The answer is, “For your sins have separated between you and your God.” (Yeshayahu 59:2) There is a partition created by our sins that separate us from Hashem, and we would like to remove it. We all have sins of various kinds, involving our thoughts, speech and actions.
The most beautiful aspect of the Beis HaMikdash was its atonement for sin. It cleansed and purified us. It was the place where the sins of Yisrael are expiated through the offering of korbanos. Anyone who went into the Beis HaMikdash walked out purified of sin. And so it is with Shabbos Kodesh.
Said R’ Chisda, in the name of Mar Ukba: [regarding] anyone who prays on Shabbos evening and says Va’yechulu, the two ministering angels, who escort a person will place their hands on his head, and say to him, “Your inequity has departed, and your sin is purged” (Yeshayahu 6:7).
When a Jew comes home on Shabbos evening, he raises a Kiddush cup and says, “Va’yechulu ha’shamayim v’ha’aretz v’chol tzva’am...” he is declaring Hashem as Creator of everything, and thus he merits atonement for his sins as if he had offered korbonos in the Beis HaMikdash. Thus, one of the first things that happen to a Jew on Shabbos is that his sins are erased.
How can this be? Sins are committed only when a person feels the world belongs to him, and he can do what he pleases. But when a person stands up and declares over a cup of wine that the world has a Creator and Ruler, he understands that it is out of the question to act contrary to God’s will. The fact that Hashem created the world is just as much of a reality to him as the wine he drinks. The moment we realize we are in Hashem’s hands, there’s no more sin. We’re in Hashem’s house, in His embrace.
This coming Shabbos let’s remember that our Kiddush is a declaration that Hashem is the Creator and Ruler of everything!
