Parashat Bamidbar- The Enduring Impact of Shabbat
Parashat Bamidbar describes Bene Yisrael's formation as they traveled through the wilderness. They did not travel arbitrarily or haphazardly, with everybody situating himself wherever he saw fit. God presented to Moshe very detailed instructions concerning the proper formation, emphasizing that this formation had to remain consistent during travel and encampment: "Just as they encamp – so shall they travel" (2:17). The arrangement Bene Yisrael followed when they encamped was required also during travel.
Some Rabbis suggested that underlying this verse is a profound concept relevant to the observance of Shabbat, namely, the impact it can have upon the other six days of the week.
In general society, Saturday is viewed and treated as just another Sunday; these two days together comprise "the weekend," a time to just relax, unwind, and do nothing of great importance. Our Shabbat, however, differs fundamentally, in both form and substance, from Sunday. Shabbat is not a day of recreation and entertainment; it is a time for religious growth and enhancing one's relationship with God. Judaism designates one day a week as a time for studying Torah, reading Torah literature, participating in Torah classes, sharing words of Torah with our children at the Shabbat table, and singing the beautiful "Pizmonim." Halacha certainly requires wearing fine clothing and eating fine foods, but these do not signify the essence of the day, which relates to the internal process of developing oneself spiritually and drawing closer to his Creator.
The reason for this observance of Shabbat can be found in a deeper reading of the aforementioned verse: "Just as they encamp – so shall they travel." The nature and quality of one's "encampment," his day of rest when he pauses from the frantic pursuit of a livelihood that occupies him throughout the week, will determine the way he "travels" during the next six days. If a person spends Shabbat simply indulging in food and sitting around idly, then it cannot possibly have any kind of spiritual impact upon the coming week. The next six days will be just like his Shabbat – mundane and bereft of religious meaning. If, however, one spends Shabbat as a day of spiritual growth, then this is how he will "travel" during the coming week. The rest of the week, too, will assume a meaningful spiritual quality. The nature of one's Shabbat observance has the capacity to provide a person with enough religious vitality to last throughout the entire week.
There is a story told of a woman who approached a Rabbi and asked how she could protect her son, who would soon be attending college, from the liberal, anti-Torah influences of the college campus. The Rabbi replied that the son should be urged to observe Shabbat as a day of unbridled Kedusha (holiness). He should spend the day engrossed only in Torah, and avoid all newspapers and secular books. This weekly experience of spiritual rejuvenation will last him throughout the week and protect him from the ills that plague the campus.
There is perhaps no one that needs this spiritual protection more desperately than our generation. We are bombarded throughout the week with the depravity of the surrounding culture, which inundates virtually every facet of modern life. If we wish to shield ourselves and our children from this pervasive influence, we must observe Shabbat each and every week in the manner it was intended to be observed, as a day of sanctity and religious devotion. "Just as they encamped – so shall they travel." If we can harness the unique power of Shabbat by using it as an opportunity for Torah and Misvot, we will be able to infuse the otherwise mundane workweek with this special quality, and avoid the dangerous influences exerted all around us.
