Parshat Va’etchanan: The enduring relevance of Shabbat in troubled times

As we transition from the depths of collective mourning on Tisha B’Av to a period of consolation – signified by the haftarah’s opening words ‘Nachamu, nachamu ami’ – the repetition of the Ten Commandments in our parsha serves as a reminder of our covenant with God; a source of comfort and renewal. Yet while the text of the repetition is mostly the same as in Parshat Yitro (Shemot 20), a number of differences stand out, particularly regarding the commandment to observe Shabbat.

In Shemot, God commands us to remember the Sabbath day as a commemoration of the creation of the world. By refraining from labor on the seventh day, we perform an act of imitatio dei, reminding ourselves of God’s beneficence in having made the world of which we are a part.

Yet when Moshe revisits the Ten Commandments in Parshat Va’etchanan, the creation story is totally absent. Instead, we are told that all of us – including the strangers, slaves, and animals living among us – are entitled to a day off each week, in commemoration of our having been redeemed from our enslavement in Egypt.

This paradigm for Shabbat observance reflects not our vertical relationship with the Almighty, but our horizontal relationships with those around us, ensuring that no one in our society is worked down to the bone. It is a reflection of a deep human need to rest our bodies and minds, to be more than our labor.

It’s no accident that Va’etchanan directs our attention to the societal element of Shabbat observance. As Professor Yoni Grossman persuasively argues in his commentary on Sefer Devarim, the final book of the Torah is focused primarily on readying the Jewish people for their entry to the land, where they will shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a position of self-governance in the society they will build. And when building a just society, protecting labor rights for everyone, even the non-Jews among us, is critical. It is tantamount to remembering the very creation of the world.

But it is not just merely the opportunity for physical rest that makes Shabbat critical in a healthy society. Guaranteed time off from work also strengthens our resilience (as well as that of our workers), allowing us the opportunity to see past our work; to think thoughts and dream big.

In Shemot Rabbah (5:18), the midrash imagines how the Jews spent their Shabbatot while they were enslaved in Egypt. Each week, they would gather together, and dream of their ultimate redemption.

While we are blessed to live free in our own country, with our freedom protected by God and His IDF shlichim, we have been reminded that there is a heavy price to be paid for this freedom. Yet entering Shabbat Nachamu, we gather together our thoughts and feelings in the aftermath of this uniquely somber Tisha B’av.

We are once again called upon to join our ancestors in lifting up our heads from the dark cloud of troubles that surrounds us and to think of a better future. To use the healing and rejuvenating power of Shabbat to strengthen us. To use Shabbat to engage with family and friends, reflect on our priorities and reimagine our personal and communal life.

Shabbat creates an “island in time” to re-engage with God and to dream and actively work to usher in the bright redemption that lies just over the horizon. It is only through this resting on Shabbat that we are able to truly embrace the goodness with which God created the world, and remember our role in the world as God’s junior partners, as Shemot commands us.

Our observance of Shabbat and this mandate to guarantee rest and dignity for every member of our society will, please God, hasten the coming of ‘the day that is an eternal Shabbat.’