Now pay attention, there are positive actions set against this. Until now we spoke about turning away from evil. Now we are speaking about doing good. "And you draw out your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall rise in darkness and your gloom shall be as the noonday." Everything we mentioned until now, says the Malbim, is by merit of turning away from evil, opening the bonds of wickedness. You might say, but did we not also mention charity, breaking your bread for the hungry, bringing the poor who are cast out to your house? He answers: no, that is charity, what is called the essential minimum. That is to say, whoever does not do that is cruel. What we spoke about earlier is only not being cruel. What we are speaking about now is not merely to refrain from evil but to add good as well. Out of love of Hashem, he does far more than he is obligated to do. Beyond giving him what you are obligated, you also draw out your soul to the hungry. A hungry person may come and I throw him a slice. Can it be said that I did not feed him? I fed him. But did I draw out my soul to him? Certainly not. I perhaps showed him the door. That is to say, it may be that he is no longer hungry, but you did not draw out your soul to him. You did not do it with your whole heart, with a willing spirit. He says: do you know what a virtue there is if you draw out your soul to the hungry? Not only that you give him the bread, for it already said break your bread for the hungry. I broke off a slice for him. No, no, no. Draw out your soul to the hungry. Draw out your very soul to him as well. And not only that, but "satisfy the afflicted soul." To satisfy him bodily is very simple. He gives him a slice of bread, I satisfied him. But to satisfy his soul, a downtrodden person who has emotional troubles, who suffers from all sorts of matters, how can you now encourage him? Of this it speaks: an afflicted soul, a soul that is oppressed, satisfy it with words of comfort. And this is what Chazal say: "Red of eyes from wine and white of teeth from milk." Chazal say, greater is one who shows the whiteness of his teeth to his fellow, gives him a smile, than one who gives him milk to drink. So here they already speak of a much higher level. You also satisfy the afflicted soul, not only his body but also his soul.
And if you do so, know that your reward is far greater than what I said earlier. For earlier, what did I say if you do it? "Then shall your light break forth as the dawn." Here he says, this is not "break forth as the dawn," it is "then your light shall rise in darkness." What is the difference? How does the dawn break forth? Slowly, slowly, slowly. But in contrast, "then your light shall rise in darkness," all at once, he says, an immediate shining. Darkness, and suddenly your light rose. That is to say, if you do so, this is a far higher level, and also the reward is far higher. Through this the shining comes all at once. He says, and even then, it will not be at the end of the night, but in the darkness the light will shine for you. What does this mean? The end of the night, as it were, when a person is already near the end of his life, then he will have success. That is the end of the night. Then your light breaks forth as the dawn. The dawn arrived, and then slowly the light begins to shine. He says: no, if you act on the level of which I now speak, then it rises in darkness. First, we said all at once. Second, it will be in the darkness. When a person is still in the midst of his life, not yet near the end, then suddenly he has everything. Rather immediately, still in the middle of his life, in the darkness, suddenly there will be a great light. And not only that, but also "your gloom shall be as the noonday." Gloom is more than darkness. "Let gloom take hold of it." This is not gloom, this is gloom. Gloom, darkness, this is stronger than mere darkness. So he says, this gloom, your gloom, will suddenly shine like a great light. What is the great light? Not that of the break of dawn, but the light of noonday. The shining will not be natural but miraculous. This is what he wants to tell you: know that if you do above and beyond, you will see salvations above and beyond, in a miraculous way and not in a natural way.
The Radak explains that what is written, "you draw out your soul to the hungry," the Radak explains means fulfill his desire. As it is written, the meaning is to draw out your will toward him. As it is written, "if it is your soul." What does "if it is your soul" mean? Your will. Soul always carries the meaning of will. So the meaning is, give it to him with a generous spirit, with a pleasant countenance, so that he recognizes that you do it willingly. Not like one trying to get rid of him. That is "you draw out your soul to the hungry," meaning willingly and joyfully. So the virtue is as great as we said.
"And Hashem shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make strong your bones, and you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." "And Hashem shall guide you," says the Radak, as it is written, "Hashem has led me in Your righteousness." The meaning is, Hashem will watch over you, will guide you in all your deeds. You have coaching, the Master of the Universe is your guide, He is your close companion. "And Hashem shall guide you continually." "And satisfy your soul in tzachtzachot." What is "in tzachtzachot"? We explained tzachtzachot according to the Radak, and so too Rashi, from the language of thirst. But the Malbim explains it differently. Tzachtzachot, he says, is from the language of the pure and burnished light. These are Kabbalistic expressions that appear often in the holy books. The meaning is the supernal light, the clean, the pure, the clear, the bright, the burnished, in the highest levels that can be described. And why is it described at all as light? Because all matters of Kabbalah are described as light, for it is the highest physical level that we can grasp. We have no concepts in spiritual matters. If they were to tell us that a certain flow descends and influences from this attribute to that, from this sefirah to that, we cannot understand what this is. So they tell us that it "shines" upon it. It shines upon it means a flow is given from this to that. But there is already a warning written in the holy books, that Heaven forbid one should not depict light. For they are not speaking there about lights, since light too is a physical thing. Light is something that can be measured. There are instruments today that can measure the intensity of light precisely. Based on this they fit lighting to all sorts of places. For I believe they measure it in photons, if I am not mistaken. There is a possibility to measure light. Light is a physical thing. And if so, when we speak about spirituality, it is forbidden to physicalize. Therefore when they say "light" it is only a metaphor. So he says tzachtzachot, meaning the highest spiritual level of the pure and burnished light. And why? Because you too did above and beyond, drew out your soul to the hungry, satisfied the afflicted soul.
Corresponding to the first completeness, which is completeness of the body, of this he tells us "and make strong your bones." The meaning is, you will have strength like a watered garden. For just as in a watered garden the body of the trees and the roots and the plants, everything grows in it, so your bones will have vigor. The meaning is, they will not be in a state of depression, they will not be in a state of drying up. Rather a person of ninety leaps like a deer. And the spiritual success is like a spring of water from which, a spring of water whose waters do not fail. A spring of water from which they draw with joy, so too the Torah is likened to water. "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water." There is no water but Torah. Just as water goes to a low place, the Torah rests upon one who is humble. Water comes to symbolize Torah. So the spiritual success is like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. You will spread your wisdom to the many, and all will come to receive your wisdom, and its waters will not fail. The meaning is, this spring of yours will not disappoint, but will give and add and pour forth.
"And they that be of you shall build the old waste places, you shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in." "And they that be of you shall build." What does this mean? Says the Radak, just as evil deeds destroy the land, here we are speaking of a person who does good deeds, so on the contrary, he is called one who builds the land. Do not read "your children" (banayich) but "your builders" (bonayich). It is once told that Rav Yankel Galinsky related that he was once abroad, and there was a wedding there of some yeshiva boy, a son of Torah. Truly a diligent, God-fearing boy. And there was one of those present there, an important man, a wealthy man, very distinguished. And he asked, what does the boy do? What is his income? I already told you once that in America they measure you annually. How much does he make a year? How much does he make? And this determines everything, whether you are something or just a zero. From his standpoint, speak to him about 200,000 dollars a year, well, now they start to listen, this person is someone to relate to. Tell him you live on something like 20,000 dollars a year, well, you do not count. Time is money for them in America. Everything for them is measured in money. And...
So the Rav Barbada, he would go out on excursions there and would come back here, because he says he cannot bear American materialism. He cannot bear how everything is measured in money. How much are you worth, who are you, what. I once told a relative of mine about someone who married, some relative, that someone married someone from among our relatives. So she immediately asked me, she immediately said to me, yes, I saw him, truly a fine young avrech and... but it does not seem to me that he knows how to make money. Do you hear? American. That, that is the measure. Yes, you know, in the future he will have to support a family, it does not seem to me, he is a bit of an innocent type, it does not seem to me that he will know how to make money. That is it, that is the measure. A son of Torah, an avrech, God-fearing, whatever... good character traits, all fine and good, but money, will he know how to make it? Do you understand? That, that is the golden calf, America. So in any case, we understand that there is, there is, when you measure in matters of money,
So Rabbi Yankele Galinsky related that at that wedding he is asked, how much, how much does he make a year? What does he do? So he says, I told him this is a great contractor. What are you talking about? What, you do not know? He built, ah, what are you talking about? He says yes, you don't say. He was impressed and... phew, he looked with esteem. Afterward the father of the groom says to me, tell me, what did you tell him, a contractor, what contractor? He says to him, what, your son is a Torah scholar, do not read "your children" but "your builders." He says, who builds the world? Who, does the contractor build the world? He says, it is he, Torah scholars, they build the world. Your son is a great contractor. Yes, for each one what is great is something different, but one must know that these are the builders.
So he says, evil deeds destroy the world, good deeds settle the world. So consequently, the moment you remove the wickedness and begin to establish kindness, then they that be of you shall build the old waste places. Through this what had long been in ruins, because there was wickedness and lack of justice, will begin to be built. "The foundations of many generations," the institutions that had already fallen for generations, through your good deeds you will raise them up, you will lift them up. "And you shall be called the repairer of the breach." Through this they will call you the repairer of the breach, because you through your good deeds, all the breaches that were, the corruptions that were, you fenced them up, with the kindness that you did, with the good deeds that you spread.
They will define you as the restorer of paths to dwell in. This means, when the land is desolate, the paths too are desolate. And not because there is snow, but because there are bandits and because people no longer travel and because the place is dangerous and because there is no one to care for repairing all those places. "The roads of Zion mourn, because none come to the appointed feast." And then, when you do an act of kindness, improve the governance, improve the kingdom, the rule, everything will be a kingdom of kindness, everything will bestow good, through this you are the restorer of paths to dwell in. The paths, you restore them, meaning it will be possible to pass through the paths. These paths will be usable.
The Targum Yonatan says, "and they shall call you the place where a proper way is restored, one who turns the wicked to the Torah." The Targum Yonatan speaks of the wicked, restorer of paths, like the wayward daughter, for there in the prophet the metaphor is "return, wayward children." The metaphor is to children who went and strayed from the straight path. And you restore those wicked ones to the straight path. According to this, here they speak in metaphor, and restorer of paths to dwell in, how? Through the kindnesses you do, through your being helpful and giving to others, through this you are called one who returns the wicked, who returns the wicked to the straight path. The Malbim speaks of the man of kindness. The man of kindness and one who mends his ways, as we saw before, that there is the aspect of turning away from evil, that is the first thing, and that is loosing the bands of the yoke, letting the oppressed go free, breaking every yoke, opening the bonds of wickedness. The second stage we saw, that turning away from evil in the aspect of not being cruel, rather breaking your bread for the hungry, bringing the poor who are cast out to your house, seeing the naked and covering him. And afterward the higher level is doing good, that you also draw out your soul to the hungry, that you give from a willing soul, and give it to him with joy. If you do so, through this you will also return the wicked to the straight path. And through this you will mend the ruins.
The Malbim explains, what is written here, "and they that be of you shall build the old waste places," the Malbim explains, this does not refer to physical ruins, ruin in the physical sense, but rather ruin, the destruction of ideas. There were corrupt ideas, there were mistaken ideas, ideas of idolatry, ideas of heresy. And you will mend the ruins that were from of old, the destroyed, corrupted ideas that were from of old. And also "you shall raise up the foundations of many generations," the Malbim explains, this too returns to the matter of worldview, that from you will be founded fixed foundations in every generation, in faith, in governance, in worldview, you shall raise up the foundations of many generations.
One who could perhaps be the clearest example of this in the last generation is the Chazon Ish. Whoever knows, the chareidi community was at the lowest ebb, before the Chazon Ish began to gather its ruins and create a truly organized and orderly group, ones where it was clear in terms of worldview, where there was clear faith, complete faith, pure faith, where the foundations of the religion were clear. Ask people from sixty years ago and seventy years ago, they will tell you, listen, no, it was not like today where it is so clear what is far from mitzvot, what is a Jew who keeps mitzvot. The matter of "my strength and the might of my hand" was not so clear, how corrupt this thing is. It was not so clear that the path and the course a person must tread is the way of Torah. The worldview was rather confused. And you can see those who were chareidi seventy years ago, sixty years ago, for whom it was also not so clear that heresy is a disqualified thing. Today it is on the fringes of the camp, but in their time you see pictures of ones who were not so, let us say, corrupt. You see the dress, it drives you crazy, how did they walk like that? But rather, the worldview was not at all clear. And the one who succeeded in consolidating the community in terms of keeping shemitah, in terms of standing on the foundations of Judaism, the one who at that time said to give one's life on the matter of drafting girls was the Chazon Ish. When Ben Gurion understood that whatever he did would not help him if the Chazon Ish said otherwise, then he wanted a meeting with the Chazon Ish. For he understood that a word of his, the whole chareidi community would do as he said. So that in effect, you see that there can be one person who mends ruins that were from of old, corrupt and evil beliefs and ideas and deeds, and also raises up the foundations of many generations, that from you will be founded fixed foundations in every generation, in religion, in faith and in governance. He founded the governance fitting for the community of those who fear Hashem. And then, through your conducting yourself in this way, "and you shall be called the repairer of the breach." Through this they will call you the repairer of the breach, corresponding to what you mended, the old waste places, which are corrupt beliefs and ideas, they will call you the repairer of the breach, that you fence the breaches. And corresponding to "you shall raise up the foundations of many generations," which speaks of the future, that you build fixed foundations in religion, in faith, in worldview, you are called the restorer of paths to dwell in. Through the paths that you straightened, through this there will be a fitting, proper and correct settlement, according to the way of Hashem in a pure and holy worldview.
"If you turn away your foot from the Shabbat, from doing your affairs." By the way, many mistakenly read "chafatzecha." And this is incorrect, it is "chafatzecha." "On My holy day, and you call the Shabbat a delight, the holy day of Hashem honorable, and you honor it, not doing your ways, nor finding your affairs, nor speaking a word." "If you turn away your foot from the Shabbat." The Radak explains, the meaning is that you should not go beyond the boundary. Turn back your feet. Why is this called "turning back"? To turn back means something that already went and I bring it back. Here you are actually speaking with me about not going at all. That is not called turning back. The Radak says, because he wanted to say, even if you were already going on the way, and in the middle of the way you remembered, today is Shabbat, turn back. Turn your feet back to your home. Therefore he uses the language of turning back. For the honor of the Shabbat. "And you call..." Why? "If you turn away your foot from the Shabbat, from doing your affairs on My holy day, and you call the Shabbat a delight." Before this he says, from doing your affairs, if even the walking that you began I told you to turn back, all the more so your affairs, these are the labors for which one is liable to death, all the more so that you refrain from them. And not only that, he says on My holy day, which I sanctified, as it is written "and He sanctified it," it is called My holy day, whose holiness is from Me. I set it apart from the other days.
"The holy day of Hashem honorable, and you honor it, not doing your ways, nor finding your affairs, nor speaking a word." "Not doing your ways," says the Radak, means from doing the things to which you are accustomed. "Nor finding your affairs" or "doing your affairs," the meaning is the things that are your affairs, your private matters, from them you shall refrain. Let us note, says the Radak, it is written "your affair" (chefzecha), that is one. Ah... "if you turn away your foot from the Shabbat," that is...
Chazal instituted for us on Shabbat three meals, because their way on weekdays was to eat morning and evening. It is not like today where a person washes his hands in the morning and recites Grace after the meal at night, before HaMapil. All day he did not withhold his hand from swallowing. Yes, all day he nibbles and... he has no meals. Once there was breakfast, dinner. That is it. By the way, this corresponds to the daily morning offering and the daily afternoon offering. And in contrast, on Shabbat, the Torah wanted a person to have three meals. And then his difference from the weekday will be noticeable. Chazal say that a person who anyway eats several meals a day, also on a weekday, where will it be noticeable? That he improves the quality of his food. And if anyway even on a weekday he eats fattened fowl, what shall he do? Chazal say that he should add special food for Shabbat. That there be a difference on Shabbat. And through this difference we will remember, on this day Hashem rested from His work in the creation of the world, the world He innovated something from nothing, and on this day He rested, on this day Hashem rested. The purpose then is, through my making changes on this day, I will remember, I will delight my soul and remember that Hashem rested and reposed.
"And you call the Shabbat a delight," this is like a holy convocation. A day that is holy, a day that I call, dedicate to matters of delight and matters of holiness. "The holy day of Hashem honorable." Chazal expound that this was said about Yom Kippur. For you already said "turn away your foot from the Shabbat, call the Shabbat a delight," what was added here with "the holy day of Hashem honorable"? You already said that I must honor it, "and you honor it." So what is "the holy day of Hashem honorable"? Chazal say, there is a day on which one cannot call it a delight through eating and drinking. Which day is that? Yom Kippur. A Shabbat of solemn rest. So there one cannot say "and you call the Shabbat a delight." What then shall I do? They tell me, on this day "the holy day of Hashem honorable." This day, which is Yom Kippur, honor it with what? Clean clothing. Therefore on Yom Kippur one does not go, seemingly it is a day of judgment, a day of fasting, of forgiveness and atonement, that they should come in simple clothes and in lowly clothes. They do not say this. They say they should come in honorable clothes. Indeed it is written not lavish, but honorable clothes. For the idea is one, as we said, the idea is to honor this day, and Chazal learn that this day is honored with clean clothing and not with food and drink. By the way, it is also written that he should set his table. So he cannot set his table with food. It is written that he should place a clean cloth and place books. That is to say, that it be noticeable that this day is not just another day. You walk, you see your table like on a weekday, the holiness of Shabbat is not noticeable to you in it. When you place upon it a clean cloth, then the holiness of Yom Kippur is noticeable.
"And you honor it, not doing your ways." What is the additional honor mentioned here? That you do not do labors. On a weekday I do labors, and now on Shabbat I stop. So that is the honor. And what is it meant for? Says the Rambam, because there are people who, as I defined earlier, all their days are like holidays. He eats even on a weekday like on a holiday. And he also dresses on a weekday in "society" style. Not just fancy, society. Or something special, in style. "I preserved the ways of Paris." He does not walk in an ordinary manner. Such a person, what, where do you see Shabbat with him? Where do you see Shabbat with him? Everything with him looks like a weekday. Says the Rambam, prevent this person from moving muktzeh and from labors and from all sorts of things through which the person will remember, today is Shabbat. Today is Shabbat. So you said, the food is special, remember that... I eat this also on a weekday. The clothes, I dress like this on a weekday. Be careful with muktzeh. Do not move it. A pen, you may not move it. Ah... something that is an electrical device, you may not move it. A hammer, you may not move it. It is Shabbat. Through this a person will remember the holiness of Shabbat. "And you honor it, not doing your ways." "Your ways" means things to which you are accustomed on a weekday. Chazal say, your ways - your custom. That your custom of Shabbat should not be like your custom of a weekday. As Chazal say "and you honor it," that your Shabbat clothing should not be like weekday clothing. If he is a poor person who has only one garment, the Gemara says that on weekdays they would fold their garment, like Rav Amnon's kind of robe, they would fold it up, so that he could walk and it would not tear. So this robe, they would let it down. They open its folds for him, and then it looks like Shabbat. Even though the form of dress essentially remained like on a weekday, but the very fact that he opened the garment, through this there will be something noticeable and a difference from the weekdays. Chazal also expound, that your walking on Shabbat should not be like your walking on a weekday. On a weekday it is permitted to run, on Shabbat it is forbidden to run. That the eating and drinking of Shabbat should not be like that of a weekday. And there can even be a difference of earlier or later. It is not at the same hours you are accustomed to eat on a weekday. You eat it earlier, later. That too is considered a change.
"Nor finding your affairs," Chazal expound, in matters of speech. For you already told me "and you honor it, not doing your ways." What is the difference between your ways and your affairs? Do not do your ways of the weekday, do not do like your affairs of the weekday. Rather Chazal say, "nor finding your affairs," that one should not speak on Shabbat about weekday affairs. It is forbidden for a person on Shabbat to say, I, ah, I have some leftover here, I will bring a handyman to fix it here, to close this up and... I, on Sunday, you see now it is raining, on Sunday I will bring someone to seal this here. You may not say such things. What was permitted? I brought a handyman, he closed this up here for me, it is even permitted to say how much it cost me. If there is no practical relevance to someone else. If I already finished the accounting and there is no practical relevance to someone else who wants to order it too, he may say, I renovated here, it cost me 20,000 shekels. It cost me 200,000 shekels. Permitted. But if I am still in the middle of the accounting, or I finished with them, or someone wants to do similar work, and then he asks me how much it cost you, and then he wants to know, it has practical relevance for him for the future, then this is already forbidden. In any case, Chazal say, "nor finding your affairs." Your affairs are forbidden. What do Chazal expound? Your affairs, but not the affairs of Heaven. Affairs of Heaven are permitted. Correct? What is that? These are not affairs of Heaven, these are not the affairs of man, this is affairs of Heaven. Therefore Chazal say, one may allocate for charity on Shabbat. Yes? And one may make matches for a girl to betroth. Yes? And to match the daughters. And also, a child to teach him a book and to teach him a craft. All these things are permitted. That is to say, if I now see the carpenter in the synagogue, I can say to him, will you be ready to take my son with you as a carpentry apprentice on Sunday? What are you talking about such things on Shabbat? The Gemara says, there is a mitzvah to teach him a craft. Yes. This was in their time, that they taught the children, there was no school, there was no yeshiva, there was no... they would send him to learn a craft. So this was considered a mitzvah. Today it is permitted for you to speak with that one, you can arrange for me that yeshiva, to speak with the rosh yeshiva, to speak with this. A child to teach him a book. To speak with an avrech that he should come to you on a weekday, learn with your son. All these are considered permitted actions, since they are actions of a mitzvah. Why, why, ah... a child to teach him a craft, a child means, what we call today an infant, one year old? A child means a boy before bar mitzvah. Why is there a mitzvah to teach him a craft? Chazal say, so that he should not be a thief and rob people. Therefore let them teach him a craft. Today there is a good chance that if you teach him a craft, instead of sending him to yeshiva, he will be a thief and rob people. No, it does not have to be that he is a burglar, a bank robber. In his craft, he will rob people. He will tell you a price, and afterward suddenly takes from you double. No, this, the baseboards were not calculated. Tiling yes, baseboards no. And so on, schemes, we all know the schemes. Without learning mussar, without Torah, without fear of Heaven, in the craft he learns he will rob people. And he does it all in white, yes, robbing people legally. "Nor speaking a word," what is said here? What do Chazal expound of this? That your speech of Shabbat should not be like your speech of a weekday. That he should speak on Shabbat with calm and lessen his words.
So first of all, his speech should be with calm. Second, the Gemara brings regarding Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, that he had an elderly mother, and sometimes she would speak much on Shabbat. He would say to her, mother, today is Shabbat. Hinting to her not to speak much. Especially Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is greater for us than he? Rashbi is of the aspect of Shabbat, as it is written in the Zohar. Yes? So he was very strict about these matters. It is written of the holy Arizal that on Shabbat he would not speak in a foreign tongue, but only in the holy tongue. For he grew up in Egypt. And like abroad, people in Iraq, what did they speak? Arabic. In Yemen they spoke Arabic. In the lands of Ashkenaz they spoke Yiddish. That is to say, their language, in no place did they speak the holy tongue as a spoken language. Only when they came here, then from the revival of the Hebrew language, it began to introduce this subject, and they began to speak in a language that is close to the holy tongue. I say close because there are many corruptions, but close to the holy tongue. But abroad they did not conduct themselves this way. The Arizal, on the holy Shabbat, spoke only the holy tongue. They say there is a virtue to this matter of the holy tongue, there is a point that on Shabbat he changes his speech from his speech of a weekday. "Nor speaking a word," Chazal expound from here, spoken words are forbidden, thoughts are permitted, and to match the daughters, correct? Thoughts are permitted. Chazal say, to think is permitted. What does this mean? If it is not noticeable, it is permitted. You sit at home, look at the leak. You say, well, I will break here, I will move it from there, I will seal it like this, and I will do this. Now, all this to yourself. Permitted. Why is this permitted? Because it is not noticeable. But if I am now in the middle of a renovation, outside let us say, let us give an example that it is a noticeable thing. And now they did some work there, and I go and stand like this looking at it. Everyone sees that it is in the middle of work and you are looking, planning what to do. You went several times, a thing in which many err, there are people building a house. So when does he have time to meet his wife? Shabbat. He walks with her on Shabbat, they take a tour. They take a tour, where the villa he is building rises, here will be the kitchen, here will be this, today this week they finished this, they did this. This is an absolute prohibition. Why is this an absolute prohibition? Because here it is noticeable that all you speak about is the matters of the labor. In the same measure Chazal say, it is forbidden for a person on a weekday to go and inspect his field. To inspect his property. He walks, looks at the field. What are you looking at? Here it needs more watering, here it needs pruning, here... why, if not, why are you going and observing there? Therefore all the permission is only in the house. When I look inside the house, they see me sitting at the Shabbat table, no one knows that I am planning how to demolish the wall here, build another and so forth. And therefore this is permitted. With all this, from the measure of piety, to refrain even from this. The moment he sees such a thing, he should divert his mind. No, today is Shabbat, I do not want to think about it. The Gemara brings regarding one pious man who passed by his field and saw the fence broken. He said to himself, in thought, I will fix this on the day, on Sunday. I will bring here, I will demolish, I will close, I... afterward he caught himself and said, are you thinking on Shabbat about weekday matters? Well, it is not noticeable, what is the problem? Nevertheless, he did not fence the fence, but rather fenced himself. He fined himself and did not fix it. Chazal say, that the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared for him a caper bush. A caper bush grew for him in that place, and this caper bush sealed the hole or the breach that was there. And the caper is a special and rare thing, a plant, a special growth that has three kinds of fruit. So in effect he merited a good livelihood and great profit, by merit of not carrying out his action on Shabbat. Who, by the way, was this person? Tzelofchad. Fine, a reincarnation of Tzelofchad. A sharp caper (tzelaf chad) grew for him. One caper grew for him, since he desecrated the Shabbat, gathering wood on the Shabbat day, so now he fenced himself, was careful. Following this he merited a sharp caper. One caper that grew for him in his field, as a reward for what he mended, his corruption.
The Malbim says, "if you turn away your foot from the Shabbat." Says the Malbim, we have two commandments on Shabbat. One commandment, resting from labor. The second commandment, to delight in the Shabbat. Says the Malbim, if you do both of these things, not for benefit. Not for the pleasure of the body. For truly the rest and the delight, what is it, what is it not to rest from labor? To rest. Who does not want to rest? Who wants to work? Do you know the one they took to the cemetery to weed the grass? So he began weeding, and he sees on the gravestones written, "here lies Weizman," "here lies Shikotzibski," "here lies Altovski." So he says, what is this? Here rests Weizman, here rests Shikotzibski, here rests... all the Ashkenazim are resting, only I am working? He threw down the hoe, went home. A person naturally wants rest, does not want them to give him work. He wants to rest. So he says, if so, it may very well be that I am resting on Shabbat, because it is fun to rest. Because it is fun not to work. Now the Torah does not object that you should have fun. The only issue is for what purpose you did it. And he says, know that the virtue of the matter is for the sake of the service of Hashem. For if you observe you will see, the gentiles too rest. By Hashem's kindness, not on Shabbat. The Holy One, blessed be He, placed in them the thought to do it on Sunday, to do it on Friday. The main thing is not, that it should not interfere with our Shabbat. What do you see in any case? That even by a gentile there is an understanding, you worked six days, give one day to rest. What is he, religious? Regardless of religion. Today even social organizations demand that people not be made to work on Shabbat. And there, to our sorrow, they demand that if you employ someone, you give him a salary many times over. And on the contrary, this is even worse. Since then you also encourage people to work on Shabbat, he has a premium salary. It is not a regular salary. But in any case, we understand that a person needs rest. Who understood this? Who was the first to understand this? Pharaoh. Pharaoh. It is written that Moshe went to Pharaoh and said to him, what, you want the people to work? Understand, give them one day that they should have quiet, rest, gather strength, they will work much better. That is indeed the reality, that a person returns with renewed strength and works better. No, not with everyone. With the gentiles it is the opposite. With the gentiles they say, that if a person received some faulty device, a problematic device, a problematic vehicle, they say it is a Monday vehicle. Why? The gentile on their Shabbat, on Sunday, gets drunk, goes to sleep late, he... instead of resting, what, what does he do? He wears out the body. Sunday comes, half spaced out like that, does not know, with every screw where he stuck it, did not sleep at night, went out partying, clubs and... so with him, on the contrary, not only does he not charge the batteries, he empties them. With the people of Israel, the Shabbat is rest. A person charges the batteries, on Sunday he comes with vitality. He has enthusiasm, the start of a new week. Indeed on Motzaei Shabbat, the person is down. In reality. Fatigue falls upon him, heaviness, ah... a lack, sort of a lack of enthusiasm to do something. Why? Because the additional soul left him. So they operated on him now. They performed on him an operation of removing the additional soul. So that in effect, in this the reality of the person is harder, heavier. You see one must take spices to restore the soul over what left us on the Shabbat day. I need something to restore the soul, sort of to give the body some ease from the disconnection of the additional soul. So says the Malbim, the rest, the delight, the body wants them. Even gentiles have this. The Torah demands, you shall do this for the honor of the Shabbat. "If you turn away your foot from the Shabbat." You, your habits, your deeds, not for yourself, but because of and for the sake of the Shabbat you shall turn away your feet. This is the idea of refraining from labor for the honor of the holy Shabbat. Says the Malbim, the resting has two aspects. First, to rest, it is a mitzvah. Second, to remember that today Hashem sanctified this day. And therefore Hashem rested on it from all labor, for on this day one does not do labor. So the very fact that there is a mitzvah, second, to free oneself on it from all the vanities of the world. Not to occupy oneself with all the matters of vanity that occupy you on all the weekdays. On the first he says, the very resting, "if you turn away your foot from the Shabbat." That I do not do labor, because today is the Shabbat day. On the second thing, the holiness of Shabbat, Hashem wants you to free yourself from all the vanities of the world, he says, "from doing your affairs on My holy day." On this day it is My holy day, a day special for holiness. So on this day the prayer is longer, on this day we also have the Musaf prayer, on this day we have a Torah scroll also at Minchah. On this day one does not do weekday affairs. It is desired that you add holiness in it. And therefore, "from doing your affairs," do not do your ordinary affairs, but only on My holy day, do things of holiness. This is a time for Torah lessons, this is a time for a person to fulfill mitzvot. Not like people who come on Shabbat, you see him arrive with such a bundle, what is it? Newspapers. That is apart from the snacks. That is another separate bundle. He comes with newspapers. He says, what do you... there is a Musaf, I also have a Musaf (a supplement). May Hashem have mercy, what a supplement he has. Yes? Ma'ariv, evenings, without wisdom, Yediot of impurity, two that are four, and more, in short, the source of evil, and the rest of the transgressions. And in short, this is not the Shabbat. The Shabbat is to free him from matters of the weekday. I am not even speaking that there it is muktzeh because of repugnance even on weekdays. It is written all Israel have a share in the World to Come, except... what does he read? External books. External books of old were clean next to the press of today. That is to say that a person reads a secular newspaper, only because they gave it to him at a gas station for free, no, he does not go to buy it, Heaven forbid. So it is said, he has no share in the World to Come. For the secular newspaper today is sevenfold worse. There is everything there, idolatry, forbidden relations, bloodshed, everything. And a person who reads it, this is worse than that. So a person says, all Israel have a share in the World to Come. You read newspapers, how, how did you include yourself with all Israel who have a share in the World to Come? That is on a weekday. On Shabbat, muktzeh is added for him. It is forbidden to touch the newspaper. It is muktzeh. Even if your father says to you, pass me the newspaper, ask his forgiveness, tell him, father, I ask forgiveness, honoring father and mother is a Torah law, but nevertheless, if he tells you to do a transgression, it is forbidden for you. Do not tell him this in that manner, only tell him, father, I ask forgiveness, I, I am careful not to carry newspapers on Shabbat and... but it is forbidden for you to pass it to him. Why? It is a prohibition, an absolute prohibition, you are touching muktzeh on Shabbat. So how are you now fulfilling a mitzvah that comes through a transgression? Chareidi newspapers, there is a problem with them. The problem is mainly the advertisements. And therefore in the self-respecting chareidi newspapers, they make an issue without advertisements. And this they call the Shabbat Kodesh supplement. And there usually it is words of Torah. Whoever reads that, fine. Whoever reads the rest of the newspaper, I cannot say clearly that it is forbidden. What I can say is that he should try very hard not to look at the advertisements. For looking at advertisements is called "documents of commoners," it is forbidden to occupy oneself with this on Shabbat. Sale, buy one get one, ah, where is it? Ah, they sell there, here, here there is a sale, one must go, one must. The people of Israel are lovers of operations. They started with Operation Entebbe and so forth. The people of Israel love operations. However it may be, these things are forbidden on Shabbat. All the more so, all the sections, the classifieds section, the sales section, that it is an absolute prohibition to look at. All the more so if there are also prices. And therefore all these things are forbidden on Shabbat. So if a person says to me, I only read the articles, then I will tell him, listen, there is here only a matter of wasting Torah time. In this time, Shabbat, an hour of Shabbat is like a thousand hours on weekdays. In this time you could have taken a halachah book, to learn. You took a Chumash with Rashi, to learn. A person will say, I do not understand it so well. There is today an elucidated Rashi. Even a simpleton understands. They explain Rashi to you, you can understand it even if you do not read Rashi script. It is all in Hebrew script, in a way you understand it on the line immediately. So why does a person waste his time? Friday night, such a long night, a person sits, exhausting himself to know. What a waste of time. You finished the Shabbat meal, go sit and learn. How did Rav Yitzchak Yosef relate here? That his father would stand up, finish the meal, they sing Shabbat songs, words of Torah, Grace after the meal, he goes to learn. He says, we would learn, we would suddenly see our father at two in the morning, learning. Two in the morning, suddenly he stands up. He asks him, father, why are you standing up? He says, I am beginning to fall asleep. So he stands up, so as not to fall asleep. He grasps the book in his hand, stands up. Two in the morning. Do you hear? There are more righteous people, already at eight at night he connects to the upper worlds, he does not wait until two. Already then he ascends to learn directly in the yeshiva above. But I am not saying, a person according to his abilities, his strengths, but however it may be, to waste the Shabbat, you see a person on Friday, passing an hour, two, three, four. Is that not a waste of time? Time so precious. What is more wonderful than to sit on Shabbat and learn Torah. You see, there is a child, there is this, sit with him, learn with him a little. Not by force, with children one must know not to force. But to sit and learn with him a little, to sit with the other children, children came back from school, with the grandchildren. Someone showed me a picture of Rav Ovadia Yosef, learning with his grandson. Reading with him in the verses, reading with him in this. He sits and learns with him. He was the leader of the generation, indeed in the last twenty years he was in the home of Rav Yosef, of Rav Moshe Yosef. So there he was with the grandchildren, he would learn with them. So you can use this time. Is it not a waste for another article and another newspaper, what will it give you? What remains for you from last week's newspaper? From a month ago? From a year ago? Nothing. So this time can be used for Torah. Here we have on Friday, on the winter Shabbatot, at eight thirty there is a lesson here. They come, they hear an hour of a lesson in Ein Yaakov, how wonderful. So a person should use this time.
Therefore he says, we have here, first, you rest from labor, that is a mitzvah. Second, the day is holy, Hashem sanctified it. Free yourself from the vanities of the world, occupy yourself in it with things of holiness. Of this he says, "if you turn away your foot from the Shabbat, from doing your affairs" on that day, why? "From doing your affairs on My holy day," because I sanctified it. So how do you occupy yourself with your mundane matters? It is a day special for holiness, a day special for the service of Hashem. So do not do your affairs, but only matters that are matters of Hashem. So there are here two points. First, I refrain from labor, second, I sanctify this time, I do not occupy myself with mundane matters but with matters of holiness. Now there is an additional thing, the matter of delighting in the Shabbat. Corresponding to this he says, "and you call the Shabbat a delight." What does "and you call the Shabbat a delight" mean? That the delight should be because of the Shabbat. And this, pay attention, this is one of the hard things. A person calls the Shabbat a delight, because at last he has a day on which he can delight himself. But how many people call the Shabbat a delight because there is a mitzvah to delight for the honor of Shabbat? This is a rare and not simple thing. I told you about Rav Shalom Schwadron, that he was seen peeling a potato, and he would say while peeling, for the honor of the holy Shabbat, for the honor of the holy Shabbat. Suddenly he is heard saying, for the honor of the holy Shabbat? This is for the honor of your stomach! So he is heard shouting at himself. He demanded of himself. But a person goes, I am delighting in the Shabbat, the Shabbat you are delighting or yourself you are delighting? So certainly, we are formed of matter, certainly in this too there is, there is a bit of a mitzvah. But the main mitzvah is to delight in the Shabbat because it is the Shabbat day, for the honor of the Shabbat. By the way, where will this be more noticeable? If a person on a weekday does not delight himself. Therefore there is a point in this, that a person on a weekday should not seek ice creams, sweets, chocolates, drinks, and all sorts of such things, that he refrain from this on a weekday. He will say, this I leave for Shabbat. Ah, fortunate is he and fortunate is his portion. Here it is noticeable that "you call the Shabbat a delight." This is for the honor of Shabbat, this I leave for Shabbat. If a person does so, how wonderful. But as I said, we are a generation that has already exhausted everything on the weekday. What is left for him for the Shabbat day? In our community, a child on a weekday does not drink cola or Sprite or... at most if the spirit is calm they will bring him raspberry syrup. But water from the tap, not Mei Eden. That is the ordinary standard. A child feels Shabbat. Shabbat, there is a sweet drink, there is cola, there are other things. But if you give it to him already on a weekday, then he does not feel what Shabbat is. So this is what he says, you call the Shabbat a delight, the Shabbat a delight. The delight should be because of the holiness of the Shabbat. "The holy day of Hashem honorable," there is here an additional thing, that this honor of the Shabbat should be because of the holiness of this day. Hashem sanctified the day and honored it, keep this day, "not doing your ways," from labor, that you also do not plan plans for the weekday, and with delight as we said, that it should be a delight more spiritual than psychic delight, and be careful not to speak in it words of the weekday, that all these actions should be for the honor of Hashem, blessed be He. And whoever does so, then "you shall delight yourself in Hashem, and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage of Yaakov your father, for the mouth of Hashem has spoken." Do not say "al Hashem," Chazal expound, "tit'anag al Hashem," that your delight should be upon Hashem. As we explained, that the delight should be spiritual, for the honor of Hashem, blessed be He. "You shall ride upon the high places of the earth," says the Malbim, you will be elevated from all material matters, but rather ride upon the high places of the earth, this will elevate you. Upon the high place, meaning upon a lofty and elevated place. And then, "and I will feed you with the heritage of Yaakov your father." What is the heritage of Yaakov? Says the Malbim, Hashem promised Yaakov that the land would be subdued beneath his feet and beneath the feet of his descendants. That the land would be easy to conquer before them. Why does he call it "and I will feed you with the heritage of Yaakov"? Says Rashi, why not the heritage of Avraham? So Chazal expound, with Yaakov it is said that he has a heritage without borders. "And you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south." In contrast, with Avraham Avinu what is written? "The land that you see." How much can a person already see? With Yaakov it is a heritage without borders. So too with Yitzchak, the Radak brings that it is said of him "for to you and to your seed I will give all these lands." Again, we see there is a limitation. "These lands," these lands. With Yaakov there is no limitation. "You shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south," every place you go, a heritage without borders. Another explanation, says the Radak, why is it written specifically Yaakov? Because Yaakov, his sons all inherit. If it said Avraham, the heritage of Avraham, Yishmael would step forward here. If it said the heritage of Yitzchak, Esav would step forward here. No, no, no, no, the heritage of Yaakov. No stranger is with them. Only the sons of Yaakov, who all merit the same heritage and there are no gentiles who can come to claim this matter.