Our Super Shabbat Soul
Adapted from Torah Or, parashat Vayakel, pg. 87 by Aaron Schmidt
We are taught in the Talmud that on Shabbat Eve G-d gives a
person an "Additional Soul," and at the conclusion of Shabbat it is taken from
him. (Beitza, page 16; Taanit, page 27)
But what exactly is this Additional Soul? Does a person feel
additional physical energy? Can he run faster and jump higher? Can he suddenly
accomplish physical feats that would have been impossible during the week?  | | " The Additional Soul...is a revelation from the deepest part of a person's essence...." | | |
Actually, the Additional Soul is not something that comes from
outside of a person, but is a revelation from the deepest part of a person's
essence.
Unity Soul
We are taught in the Midrash ( Bereishit Rabba) that the
soul is called by five names: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama,
Chaya, and Yechida. These names refer to five different levels and
types of revelation within the soul of a person, with the highest level being
the Yechida. This level of the soul is totally united with G-d. It is not
a unity of two separate objects that were later united together. Rather, it is a
unity that stems from the fact that the soul always was, and always will be,
completely united with G-d.
With the coming of Shabbat, this deepest level of a person's
soul, the Yechida, is revealed within the person. This is the Additional
Soul we are given on Shabbat. It is not felt as an increase in physical life,
but rather, an increase in the spiritual life force of a person.
Two Types of Love
But what is the actual experience of the Additional Soul? | | " There are two types of love for G-d...." | | |
We are taught that there are two types of love for G-d. One type
of love is born out of contemplation of the greatness and oneness of G-d. This
is a love that stems from our thoughts and, as a result, is limited in nature.
For example, the more a person understands the goodness of something, the more
his love for that thing increases. The love is therefore in direct relation to
the quality of his intellect.
The other type of love is a love that is not born out of
contemplation and intellect. Rather, it is a love for G-d that transcends
intellect. It is not based on logic but is an expression stemming from a deep
will and desire for G-d that is beyond reason. Just as a person's will to live
is not based on reason but is rooted in his inner depths, so too this unbounded
love for G-d is an expression of the deepest part of a person, the essence of
his soul. This deep and unbounded love for G-d is the experience of our
Additional Soul on Shabbat.
During the Week
Arousing the type of love born from intellectual contemplation
is our work during the week. The Torah tells us, "Six days shall you work...,"
which, as is explained in Chassidut, is referring to our work of serving
G-d. And, as the Zohar explains, there is no labor like the labor of love. | | " The Additional Soul is unable to be revealed ... unless a person is a fitting receptacle for this revelation...." | | |
However, to create a love born out of intellect requires one to
exert considerable effort in binding his or her thoughts to the oneness and
greatness of G-d. Thus, for six days we labor, through deep contemplation, in
arousing our love for G-d.
Yet, even though the Additional Soul is given as a gift from
G-d, nevertheless, the Additional Soul is unable to be revealed within a person
as an arousal of unbounded love for G-d unless a person is a fitting receptacle
for this revelation. Our "work" of arousing an intellectually generated love for
G-d during the six days of the week creates the vessel, the environment, which
enables the Additional Soul to reveal itself within us on Shabbat.
Shabbat During the Week | | " Prayer is like a ladder...." | | |
In addition, the revelation of the Additional Soul on Shabbat
will also affect the week to come. When we pray on Shabbat with a deep longing
and desire for G-d, truly feeling the revelation of our Additional Soul, we are
given the power to draw a glow of the Additional Soul into the coming week.
This revelation is felt in our weekday prayers. Through
heartfelt and sincere prayer, we are able to experience this glow of the
Additional Soul even during the week. Prayer is like a ladder, connecting the
holiness of Shabbat with the six days of the week.
As a result, not only will the holiness of Shabbat be felt in
our weekday prayers, but all our weekday actions will also be infused with the
holiness of Shabbat. [Based on the commentary of Chassidut Mevueret.]
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