Shabbat: Gateway to Delight
Translated by Simcha H. Benyosef
The fine distinction between enjoying ourselves
through the physical pleasures of Shabbat versus delighting in the spiritual joy
we may attain this day calls for a redefinition of the terms "joy" and
"delight".
As specific situations in man's life give rise to joy,
the happiness that takes hold of him makes him momentarily forget everything
that may be oppressing him. For instance, a person who discovers new levels of
meaning in the Torah after hours of analytical study feels great joy stemming
from the illumination of wisdom he has received. Although the other parts of his
body are not experiencing his joy directly, they share in his joy despite the
fact that their individual burden is not lighter.  | | " The vibrant pleasure known as delight infuses each and every part of our body in equal measure..." | | |
In contrast with "joy" that is felt in the mind,
"delight" (in Hebrew, "oneg") is also expressed as a joy in which all the
parts of the body share in it equally, as if one were rejoicing for many
different reasons simultaneously. The vibrant pleasure known as delight infuses
each and every part of our body in equal measure, reaching beyond the body to
our soul.
Reaching the delight of Shabbat allows man to devote
all his being to the service of his Creator. This, in turn, serves to enhance
the inner function of the additional soul, the sharpening of the mind of those
who thirst for closeness to G-d, allowing them to grasp the inner message of the
Torah.
The additional soul also gives us an expanded
consciousness to eat and drink with a joyful heart. We no longer have to fear
the power of the animating soul to pull us down as it does throughout the week.
The Ruach is now free to attach itself to our Neshama. | | " The pleasure of the food becomes a conduit to achieve the spiritual joy of passionate attachment to the Almighty... " | | |
This
increased power of our intellectual soul, coupled with the awareness of the
altered state within our reach, gives us an added measure of self-control to
avoid the "down" of overeating.
Aware of the way in which one's spiritual
consciousness is lowered while eating, Torah sages usually interrupt their meals
at frequent intervals in order to break the strength of their desire. The time
of these interruptions is usually spent discussing the Torah. The goal is to
raise the consciousness so that the taste of the food is not an end in itself.
The interruptions make it easier to enjoy the savory taste while consciously
aware that the pleasure one is deriving is a reflection of the Divine in the
food. When a meal is conducted in this manner, the pleasure of the food becomes
a conduit to achieve the spiritual joy of passionate attachment to the Almighty. | | " Aware that ... music induces a high state of consciousness...the Ari wrote poems for each of the three Shabbat meals..." | | |
Another traditional way of interrupting the Shabbat
meal is with song. Music is one of the seven wisdoms given to us to find G-d
through His concealment within nature, and consequently, it has been used as a
means of arousal to enter a prophetic trance since the beginning of times. Aware
that the sound of music induces a high state of consciousness sensitizing man to
feel his additional soul, the Ari wrote poems for each of the three Shabbat
meals.
The sharpening of our sensory perceptions, the product
of our additional soul, allows us to use all our physical senses as a means to
lift the veil of concealment separating us from the Beloved.
By anticipating and preparing for Shabbat throughout
the week, we transform our body and our possessions into vessels that can hold
the divine Shabbat light. Clothes that are purchased specifically for use on
Shabbat acquire a level of holiness similar to that of the priestly garments
used in the Temple. This holiness subsequently influences and uplifts the
wearer.
With the arrival of Shabbat, we move farther inward.
It is on Shabbat itself that we experience the delight. Maimonides explains that
if one prepares a meal with the intention of honoring Shabbat, this meal
acquires an intrinsic holiness which helps to refine our inner spiritual vessels
to the point where they are flooded by the intense pleasure of the Divine.
This, then, is the meaning and implication of the
delight of Shabbat, Jacob's legacy to us: the ability to use the Shabbat food
and drink as a means of arousal from which one can attain the spiritual fire of
the Shabbat delight. | | " Delighting in Shabbat by savoring the delicacies prepared raises our consciousness..." | | |
Delighting in Shabbat by savoring the delicacies
prepared raises our consciousness to the spiritual level of the Holy Temple. In
the Temple, the priests consumed the highest offerings which infused them with
holiness. On Shabbat, this concept of delight is revealed in its full force,
influencing all our character traits. It is from this fountain that blessings
and holiness spring forth. Thus, the Talmud teaches: He who delights in Shabbat
is granted his heart's desires, for it is written, "take delight in G-d and He
will give you the desires of your heart."
What is "the desires of your Heart"? To be able to
feel the attachment to Almighty as the Companion of our soul. This is indeed a
"high" but one whose essence is holy.
As we take leave of the Shabbat Queen, we will direct
the energy filling us toward the Divine service of the six weekdays in the
knowledge that the fruit of our labor will be an unprecedented "high" on the
following Shabbat. Hence, every Shabbat experience builds upon the previous one,
to the extent that our Divine awareness of the preceding Shabbat is almost like
a weekday consciousness compared to that of Shabbat that follows. [From "Living the Kabbalah: A
Guide to the Sabbath and Festivals in the Teachings of Rabbi Rafael Moshe Luria".]
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