On day five, God said creation was good and God blessed it.
On day six, God said creation was very good and God blessed it.
But day seven was even better: God made it holy.
Abraham Joshua Heschel points out that the Hebrew expression which we translate as “made holy” can also be translated as “married.” To make something holy is to get married to it—to set it apart and cherish it and cling to it all at once.
For this reason, the Sabbath is often personified in Jewish literature as "one who is to be received as a bride." She is addressed as Queen Sabbath in the special day’s opening prayers and appropriately mourned in closing prayers. Her spirit thus infuses the other six days of the week, until a reunion can be enjoyed come next week. Sabbath thus represents both the origin and culmination of life. In many ways, she embodies shalom: no peace exists without Sabbath and Sabbath always brings peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment