Shabbat... a palace in Time

[simchat_torah]

If you read Abraham Heschel's book The Sabbath you will find that he alludes to a beautiful idea...
We are beings that are confined to space and time. We have built HaShema palaceon Earth, or 'in space'... the temple. However, he longs to find a place to reside in time as well, thus he set aside the Sabbath.

I wanted to expand on this idea a bit.
Ever since I was young I wondered "Why did G-d need to rest?" Was he not all powerful? Why would he need a rest?

Sure, I heard all the excuses/explanations the teachers had to offer, but I was never satisfied. It never made senst to me.

Until...

One day I was reading through Isaiah. I cam across a passage...
Isaiah 66

1 This is what the L-RD says:
"Heaven is my throne,
and the Earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?

This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my Torah.

BINGO!

HaShem asks, "Where will my resting place be?"
In "one who's spirit is contrite"!!!!

He longs to make/find his rest in US! He will find rest... or find his shabbat... in those who are contrite in spirit and humble.

Later I found this passage over in Isaia 57:15

For this is what the high and lofty One says-
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
"I live in a high and lofty place
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit."

His love for us is so powerful that he longs to make us his dwelling place. When we honor Shabbat, we are honoring his desire to find rest/sabbath within us!

Shalom,
Yafet.