Page 64 - Shemot-e-book-RF4-FP_Neat-221215-V24102-NPW
P. 64
Audio: Track 18 64
The Book of Exodus – חומש שמות
Torah Portion Ki Tisa
One of the commandments mentioned in the Torah portion of Ki Tisa is the
commandment to keep the Shabbat.
"And you, speak to the People of Israel saying: But My Sabbaths you
shall keep because it is a sign between Me and you for generations to
know that I am God Who sanctifies you." (31:13)
Shabbat is a day of rest for the soul and for the body. It is customary on Shabbat
to learn a lot of Torah and so to give spiritual sustenance to a person's soul.
People also have the practice to sleep a little during the day, because the word
"Shabbat" is an acronym for "Sleep on Shabbat is a delight."
A story is told about Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, that he once entered the yeshiva
on Shabbat and saw a group of students who were not learning Torah and were
instead involved in chit-chat.
R' Chaim said to them: it is preferable that you go to sleep and thus you will
fulfill "Sleep on Shabbat is a delight."
One of the students answered him:
we are fulfilling "Conversation on Shabbat is a delight."
Rabbi Chaim said to him: King Solomon already said in the Book of Kohelet
(Ecclesiastes) about someone like you:
"The heart of a wise man is to his right and the heart of a fool is to his
left." (10:2)
He meant that the word "sleep" ׁ ֵׁש ָּנהis written with the letter "SHIN" ׁש,
which has the dot on the right side, and the word "conversation" ִשי ָּחהis
written with the letter "SIN" שwhich has the dot on the left side.
All rights reserved to Yoel & Orly Ganor
