What Is Shamor?
“שָׁמוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ ד’ אֱלֹקיךָ”
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Hashem your God commanded you.
Devarim 5:11
Shamor means protecting the holiness of Shabbat.
We do this by refraining from the 39 types of melachah, which are forms of creative work. We pause from these 39 action so we can stop and recognize that Hashem (God) is the Creator of the world.
Tap Into Torah
Shabbat is also a prime time and an opportunity to learn Torah. During the week, people are too busy to learn the amount of Torah they would ideally like to, but Shabbat offers ample opportunity! Torah learned on Shabbat is also higher quality than Torah learned during the week.1
There are three aspects to the mitzvot of Shabbat: 1) Not doing work 2) Honoring Shabbat, and 3) Enjoying Shabbat. This is hinted to in the word שבת, the letters of which make up the words ‘ש = Shvisa (resting from work) ‘ב = Begadim (clothing) and ‘ת = Ta`anug (enjoyment). Let’s discover what the first aspect of keeping Shabbos, not doing work, is all about.2
What’s Included In Shamor?
On Shabbat, the word “work” does not mean lifting something heavy or getting sweaty from exertion. The Torah defines work based on the 39 melachot (creative tasks) Bnei Yisroel (the Jewish Nation) did when they were building the Mishkan (tabernacle). These include writing, cooking, planting, building, and lighting a fire.
These activities are not physical strain, rather it’s our minds and talents at work to change or create something in the world. Shabbat demands we pause from that kind of creative control. By stepping away from these actions for one day, we remind ourselves that Hashem is the One who truly runs the world, not us with our efforts.
Press Pause!
People may view Shabbat as a day of endless restrictions, but it’s actually the complete opposite! Think of Shabbat as hitting the pause button on life’s ongoing treadmill. Every day of the week we’re so focused on work and worried about so many things. On Shabbat, we slow down, relax, and connect with Hashem, ourself, and our family and friends. When you understand this purpose, all the Shabbat laws suddenly feel wonderfuly freeing! The 39 melachot (forbidden work) free us from our daily responsibilities so we can truly rest our body and mind and enjoy Shabbat. How lucky are we that Hashem gave us this gift every week?!
Melacha
Being a Shomer Shabbat means refraining from doing all the 39 melachot on Shabbat. The Torah goes into great depth to explain the details of each one. Each significant step in the Mishkan’s construction became a category of melachah that we refrain from on Shabbat. The word melachah comes from the same root as melech, meaning king. It refers to purposeful, creative actions that show control or mastery over the world. These are the kinds of work used to build the Mishkan, which represent human creativity at its highest. On Shabbat, we stop this kind of work to show that even though we can shape the world through our actions, we pause and recognize Hashem as the true King and Creator.
We refrain from melachah on Shabbat because Shabbat is ‘kodesh,’ holy. The word Kodesh means holy or sanctified and separated. Just as Hekdesh (items promised for the Beit Hamikdash) is forbidden to be used for one’s own personal needs or pleasure because it was dedicated for Hashem, so too Shabbat is “kodesh” and set aside for holiness and not our own mundane pursuits.3
Muktzah
We have another concept called muktza. These are object that we must not touch or use on Shabbat. An item can be muktzah if it’s 1) Used for a forbidden activity, like a pen, if it’s 2) Something valuable that you’re careful with, like a passport, or if it 3) Has no use on Shabbat at all, like a rock. The laws of muktzah keep us far away from accidentally doing melachah (forbidden work), so it’s important to be extra careful not to touch muktza items!
Some people wonder why it’s okay to walk a long distance on Shabbat but not to drive. Isn’t walking exertion while driving is easy? Although this example may sound contradictory, these prohibitions are all in place so we can rest properly on Shabbat. Walking may take more energy, but it’s not considered melachah so we may walk long distance. Shabbat is about guarding our laws like a precious gem. Sometimes that means stepping back from creating things with our own efforts and remembering that Hashem is the one who runs the world. Keeping the laws of Shabbat is just a means to do exactly that!
The Extraordinary Reward
Keeping Shabbat brings powerful rewards that stand unique among all mitzvot, providing extraordinary benefits that come not only from what we actively do, but from what we refrain from doing as well.
The Torah instructs us to “watch” Shabbat. This choice of words is telling us something. While most mitzvot require action to earn reward, Shabbat has an added dimension. With every act of restraint from melachah, we fulfill the command to “watch” Shabbat, earning divine reward without even lifting a finger!4
Forever And Ever
The Torah describes Shabbat as an “everlasting covenant.” Amazingly, every single Shabbat we observe is equivalent to keeping all Shabbotot (plural for Shabbat) from the beginning of creation until the end of time. Think of the magnitude of this reward; by properly keeping just one Shabbat, it is as though we have observed thousands of Shabbotot throughout all of history! This is an unimaginable spiritual achievement available to us each week.5
The first human, Adam, experienced the protective power of Shabbat on the very first Shabbat in all of time.6 After sinning by eating from the forbidden tree, Adam was going to be killed. However, when the first Shabboat arrived, the day itself intervened, saying: “For all six days of creation, no one was killed. Would you begin on my day? Is this my blessing? Is this what makes me holy?” Through Shabbat’s intervention, Adam was spared. In gratitude, Adam composed “Mizmor Shir L’Yom HaShabbat” (A Song for the Shabbat Day). Shabbat, however, said that all praise belongs to Hashem, which is why the psalm continues, “It is good to praise Hashem”.7
Mat we merit to keep all the laws of Shabbat, and may we be showered with all the blessings that Shabbat brings!
Excerpted from Oorah’s Torah Nuggets
Guard The Day Of Shabbat: – Sources:
1 Remah 290:2
2 Maharal on Yeshaya 58:13
3 Netziv in He’emek She’elah Berieshes #1
4 Kidushin 39b and Ohr Hachaim Shemos 31:16
5 Mechilta Ki Sisa and Yalkut Shimoni Ki Sisa #391
6 Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer ch. 20
7 Yalkut Shimoni Tehilim #843, Medrash Tehilim ch. 92
