Overview:

Every week we get to celebrate the Holy Day Shabbat, which is a day of complete rest in commemoration of Creation, our Exodus from Egyptian Slavery, and the Hope of Eternal Rest.

1. The 7th day of creation, when Hashem rested from all the work He had created to do.

Every week, on the 7th day of the week (Saturday), we celebrate a day of rest in commemoration of the day of rest that Hashem sanctified at the very outset of creation. In Genesis 1 and 2, we can learn that in 6 days, Hashem created the Heavens, the Earth, and everything contained in both realms. Then on the seventh day Hashem rested. 

• Before anything was created, Hashem created all of His wisdom, which includes His Torah and the blueprints of all of creation.

• Then on the first day of creation, Hashem created a spark of His Holiness that He made as Glory light that holds within it the perfect holiness of Hashem. With this light, Hashem separated the light from the darkness. This light was the only light in existance for the first three days (or lights) of creation.

• On the second day, Hashem set an expance in the sky that divided the heavens from the earth below. Then, Hashem divided the waters that are above the expance from the waters below the expance. 

• On the third day, Hashem then gathered all of the waters on earth into bodies of water (the seas and the oceans), which allowed dry ground to appear. From the dry ground, Hashem brought forth all forms of vegetation. 

• On the fourth day, Hashem created the sun and the moon--which are eteral signs set in the sky for days, seasons, and the eternal covenant of the Davidic reign in Jerusalem (Psalm 89). On the fourth day, Hashem also created the stars in the sky to be lights in the darkness--the eternal sign of the covenant He would make with His chosen and beloved Jewish people (Genesis 15).

• On the fifth day, Hashem created all of the birds of the sky and the creeping creatures on the earth.

• On the sixth day, Hashem created all of the beasts of the field and animals of the ground. On the sixth day, Hashem also created Adam from the dust of the earth. Hashem breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life and made Adam a living soul.

• On the seventh day of creation, Hashem then rested from all of the work that He had created to do. This rest does not mean that Hashem stops being G-d--if that were ever the case, all existance would cease to be since everything contains within it a spark of Hashem. On the contrary, this day of rest is the day when Hashem, the Holy One blessed be He, can be entirely G-d and entirely present for His beloved people who rest with Him on the Holy Day of Shabbat. It is a day that He set aside to draw close to those who choose to honor the day and draw close to Him. It is a day that love is cultivated and the bonds of an intimate relationship are formed and grow. 

2. The day when Hashem brought the Jewish people out of Egyptian Slavery, allowing us to rest from harsh labor.

While in Egypt there was no such thing as rest. The work weeks were endless, the labor was always torturous, and the Hebrews were given no rest. The Egyptians saw that Hashem had blessed our Hebrew ancestors in the land of their affliction and were thus convinced that adding more oppression would certainly make us cease to exist as a people. However, the more the Egyptians oppressed us, the more Hashem made us to prosper--inspite of the never ending labor.

Thus, one of the first commands that Hashem gave us when we left Egypt was the command to keep Shabbat. This day of rest was foreign to our ancestors (and to many of us today in this modern world). But, through the day of rest, Hashem was (and is) teaching a great lesson. That not only is He the only Redeemer and Savior, but that He is also the only Provider, Sustainer, and Caretaker. On the day of rest, it is to be a day of complete inactivity so that Hashem can provide for His people without us needing to toil. 

Through this day of rest, Hashem also draws us near and invites us to build an ever-deepening loving and intimate relationship with Him. By shutting out the world and tuning in to His word and wisdom, we can dig our Jewish roots deeper and grow our love for Hashem and His Torah ever more expansively. 

3.This practice "wedding feast" also prepares us for the days of Moshiach when it will be eternally Shabbat.

Toils, strife, and unding struggles are consequces that befell all of creation in Genesis 3:19 in response to sin eterning creation. When moshiach (the promised King from the Davidic line) arrives, all suffering, toil, strife, pain, and sorrow will cease because sin will also cease.

This will be possible because of the promises that Hashem has already made in His wisdom, such as in Ezeikiel 36, where He promises to pour out His ruach (or spirit of wisdom) upon all flesh. This wisdom will allow us to gain understanding of all that will be taught to us by moshiach and Hashem Himself. 

This understanding will be placed into the new heart that will be given to us all by Hashem. Unlike the heart of stone, where the commandmendments can only be chiseled, the new heart of flesh will be able to willing choose to do the mitzvot of Hashem. The doing and keeping of the laws means that the we will be keeping the vows of our marriage covenant with Hashem.

This keeping of vows will coinside with the promises Hashem has made to marry His beloved Jewish people as Negev land (see Hosea 2:20-25)--without bride price, Hashem will take us back with grace, mercy, lovingkindness, and righteousness (which we will gain by performing teshuvah and keeping the mitzvot of our marriage vows). When Hashem becomes our Ishi, the feast of the eternal Shabbat will also begin.

This feast will be of the bountious provisions that Hashem will bring forth from the Land of Zion, as promised blessings for our mitzvot keeping. There will be such an overabundance of produce, wine, grain, oil, milk, honey, and more that everyone will be able to "come, buy, eat, and drink without money." This feast will be unending because all blessing will be unending in the days of mosiach.

Thus, may we see the days of moshiach, Shabbat (and eternal Shalom) speedily in our days!