Timeless Torah

“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day shall be to you a holy day, a Sabbath of solemn rest.” These words provide the opening line in this week’s portion and the explanation of one of life’s greatest religious paradoxes. If G-d is the source of all blessing, why work in order to succeed? And if we do work, how can we avoid the thought that it is our labor alone that produces results?

The conflict between absolute passivity on one hand and denial of G-d’s involvement in the affairs of man can be resolved in light of the previous passage. The sentence, “Six days shall work be done,” uses the passive form of the verb. Had it been in the active, “Six days you shall work,” it would have suggested an active involvement, and even complete absorption with the work. The passive phrase however, implies that the work will be accomplished, but total immersion is not needed. An example of this is the person who happens to be in the right place at the right time. Man must honestly ask himself, “Did I or G-d plan and bring about this unique set of circumstances? ” As Albert Reichman, the religious CEO of Olympia & York, says concerning the reason for his phenomenal success, “5% brains, 95% mazal.”

This type of passive labor is not only permitted but is actually what the Creator desires. During the six days of the week, man cannot absolve himself from constructive application of his talents and abilities - he must work. Man must be occupied, but not preoccupied with his labor.

This also clarifies the difficulties inherent in the second part of the verse, “the seventh day shall be to you a holy day, a Sabbath of solemn rest.” Firstly, why reiterate the commandment to observe Shabbat, when it has already been prescribed in the 10 Commandments? And what is the significance of the repetitive wording, Shabbat Shabbaton, translated in English as a “Sabbath of solemn rest?”

The six days of work and the seventh day of rest are not two separate, unrelated entities. The weekdays are the necessary preface to the Shabbat. For the Shabbat to be a day of solemn rest, it must be preceded by work, yet the labor itself has to be passive. If, during the six days, he has been preoccupied with the pursuit of success, on the seventh day his anxieties will continue to pervade his mind. Open the door to distractions and Shabbat will be far from a day of rest.

This verse then, does not repeat the commandment to observe Shabbat, but rather, how to achieve the spirit of Shabbat. Only if work is put in its proper perspective as a channel for G-d’s blessing, will be a Shabbat Shabbaton, a double Shabbat. For the spirit of Shabbat will permeate not only the seventh day, but also the entire week.