Rabbi Heller's Blog

This weeks' Torah portion, Va'etchanan, includes Moses' retelling of the ten commandments. There are some differences between the version found in this week's portion and the version found in Exodus. For example, in Exodus, the Torah quotes God as saying "Zachor"- remember the Sabbath day, because Shabbat is a reminder of the seven days of creation.  In Deuteronomy, the Moses quotes God as saying "Shamor"- "observe” or “guard”, because Shabbat is an outgrowth of the Exodus.

There is special significance to the use of these two words, Zachor and Shamor, to describe the Shabbat. Zachor, remember, refers to the specific actions we take in order to we recognize and honor Shabbat. Shamor, observe, refers to the ways in which we recognize Shabbat by refraining from activity. Why have two different versions of the same verse? Which one is correct? Zachor describes the ways in which we make Shabbat special by active behavior- lighting candles, saying the Kiddush over wine, wearing special clothing, and reciting the liturgy of Shabbat. Many of those in our community make Shabbat special through Zachor, by making family time, coming to services. The Jews coming out of Egypt did not need to be reminded of the Exodus. For them, Shabbat was a remembrance of the creation of the world.

However, Shamor is no less important. It refers to the ways in which we recognize Shabbat by refraining from activity- building, burning, painting, planting, cooking, driving, paying, typing. In theory, Shamor is easy. After all, all you have to do to "Shamor" is just sit there- you can literally observe "shamor" in your sleep. In practice, in the busy world in which we live, Shamor presents a much greater challenge that zachor. It is easy to grab 5 minutes to say a few prayers, and eat some challah and wine. More than that becomes a challenge. Some of us have trouble unplugging for even an hour or two. How can we ever afford to take a whole day off? Perhaps that's exactly why Shabbat is so needed in today's world, because it reminds us that even the most important tasks must sometimes be set aside. The Exodus taught us the lesson that everyone is entitled to a day off.

Which of these is the “real” purpose of Shabbat? Which is the true language? Some sages suggest that first version appeared on the first tablets which Moses broke after the golden calf incident, and then God made some editorial updates to the second tablets. Others suggest that Moses himself made changes based on what his audience needed to hear. Yet a third answer is that in fact, one of the miracles of God's speaking to human beings at Mt. Sinai is that two words were spoken together, in the same utterance. (Of course, today we don't regard those who can say two things at the same time as miraculous- we call them politicians!)

In that sense, Shabbat is a unification of two competing human tendencies- to do, and to simply be. It brings together Zachor- the world of sacred action, and Shamor- the world of sacred inaction. We cannot truly hear two words at once, so Shabbat gives us the silence we need to hear. On Shabbat, we set aside tasks, purposes and motivations which drive us the rest of the week, giving us the space to reach for the holy.  Our souls are refined by grasping where we must hold back and where we can lean in.