Broadly speaking, we can categorize this world as the space for the investment and accumulation of zchuyot, while Olam Haba is the point of arrival, where we reap the fruits of our labor. The Mishna teaches: ืจึทืึดึผื ืึทืขึฒืงึนื ืืึนืึตืจ, ืึธืขืึนืึธื ืึทืึถึผื ืึผืึนืึถื ืึดืคึฐืจืึนืึฐืืึนืจ ืึดึผืคึฐื ึตื ืึธืขืึนืึธื ืึทืึธึผื. ืึทืชึฐืงึตื ืขึทืฆึฐืึฐืึธ ืึทืคึฐึผืจืึนืึฐืืึนืจ, ืึฐึผืึตื ืฉึถืืชึดึผืึธึผื ึตืก ืึทืึฐึผืจึทืงึฐืึดืื1: – This world is like a corridor to the World to Come. Prepare yourself in the antechamber, so that you may enter the ballroom.ย
Fortunately, we are not meant to grope in the total dark with no inkling of the other side. Hashem has hidden in this world, as well, a minute sliver of ืืื ืขืืื ืืื, life in the next world, so that we can taste it and aim toward that experience. One such sample is found within Shabbat; another is found in womanhood. Letโs try and find the relationship.
The Weekโs Destination
The six days of the week represent the first six male sefirot. They are the stages of progression in building, creating, refining and transporting; they are each a crucial part in the work we do in this world, much as they were the tools of initial creation, until Shabbat came and Hashem rested. ืึทืึฐืึทึคื ืึฑืึนืึดืืึ ืึทึผืึผึฃืึนื ืึทืฉึฐึผืืึดืืขึดึื ืึฐืึทืืึฐืชึผึืึน ืึฒืฉึถืึฃืจ ืขึธืฉึธืึื ืึทืึดึผืฉึฐืืึนึผืชึ ืึทึผืึผึฃืึนื ืึทืฉึฐึผืืึดืืขึดึื ืึดืืึผืึพืึฐืึทืืึฐืชึผึืึน ืึฒืฉึถืึฅืจ ืขึธืฉึธืื – On the seventh day Hashem finished the work that had been undertaken, and He ceased on the seventh day from doing any work.2
This is the source for our own missive to desist from melacha on Shabbat. ืฉึตืึฃืฉึถืืช ืึธืึดืืึฎ ืชึตึผืขึธืฉึถืึฃื ืึฐืึธืืึธืึ ืึผืึทืึผึฃืึนื ืึทืฉึฐึผืืึดืืขึดึื ืึดืึฐืึถึจื ืึธืึถึฅื ืงึนึืึถืฉื ืฉึทืืึทึผึฅืช ืฉึทืืึธึผืชึืึนื ืึทืืึนืึธึืื – On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbat of complete rest, holy to Hashem3. What kind of work do we desist from on Shabbat? The work of the six days: creative work, productive work, work toward a positive goal. Melachah isnโt about exerting energy per se, itโs about preparing, investing in the future. On Shabbat, all you have once it arrives is what you had prepared in advance, because nothing new can be created there: ืึดื ืฉึถืืึธึผืจึทื ืึฐึผืขึถืจึถื ืฉึทืืึธึผืช ืึนืืึทื ืึฐึผืฉึทืืึธึผืช, ืึดื ืฉึถืืึนึผื ืึธืจึทื ืึฐึผืขึถืจึถื ืฉึทืืึธึผืช ืึตืึตืืึธื ืึนืืึทื ืึฐึผืฉึทืืึธึผืช – Whoever prepares before Shabbat, eats on Shabbat โฆ4
Being productive is certainly an important Jewish virtue, but it is not the mode of Shabbat. On the seventh day we experience a taste of the world to come – 5ืืขืื ืขืืื ืืื – where there is no work to be done, no place to go, nothing to invest in anymore. Higher than spacetime, the next world is where all processes end and all we can do is just be.ย
The Blessing of Being
Women harbor the key to this experience in the humdrum of everyday life. The seventh dimension is the feminine empty vessel, with nothing new, nothing its own6; she is only the humble catalyst that gives all others space to harmoniously reach completion. All others are dependent on her, and she is utterly, flawlessly loyal. She is the zone of arrival, of being.ย
Women are the inner energy of the Jewish family, the binding magnetic force that keeps all the production in place. This is a task that can never be given to a moving part, or everything will collapse. The female superpower is our deep soul connection to the next world, the real world, and our signature emunah that springs forth from bond. It takes the presence and macro-perspective of the seventh dimension to never get stuck in the darkness, to always maintain connection with what lies beyond.
Western culture holds an unabashed bias toward the male mode of doing, creating, producing. What is considered far less glamorous than dominance, inventiveness, and boldness, are the softer, more feminine powers of empathy, nurture, and commitment. The female zone is, of course, not a useless empty space; desisting from work for its own sake is certainly not a Jewish value. The emptiness we talk about serves as a clean space, free of ego and agendas, to absorb the efforts and victories incurred and let it fuel the next stage of investment.
Women are the inner energy of the Jewish family, the binding magnetic force that keeps all the production in place. This is a task that can never be given to a moving part, or everything will collapse. The female superpower is our deep soul connection to the next world, the real world, and our signature emunah that springs forth from bond. It takes the presence and macro-perspective of the seventh dimension to never get stuck in the darkness, to always maintain connection with what lies beyond.
The Gemara says: ืืืื ืฉื ืชื ืืงื”ื ืืื ื ืืชืืจื ืืืฉื ืืืชืจ ืืืืืฉ – We learn that Hashem gave women binah, more than men. Binah is commonly translated as intuition or emotional intelligence; it refers to the skill of extrapolating and developing, bringing something from theory to real life. Only once we have stopped gathering, planning, and accumulating, can we take stock of what we have and build something out of it that is meaningful, and justifies the work invested. That is the womanโs role.
Source of Brachah
Shabbat is not only the endpoint of the week, it is also the source of blessing for the next week: ืฉืืชโฆ ืืื ืืงืืจ ืืืจืื7. The weeks are a cycle of six days of investment, meticulous planning and working, followed by Shabbat. This is the day of recouping, regrouping, taking stock and organizing our wins into something unified and sustainable. With this renewed energy and conviction, we begin the week once again.
Much like Shabbat is the source of blessing for the week, women are the source of blessing in the Jewish home: 8ืึตืื ืึฐึผืจึธืึธื ืึฐืฆืึผืึธื ืึฐึผืชืึนืึฐ ืึตึผืืชืึน ืฉึถืื ืึธืึธื ืึถืึธึผื ืึดึผืฉึฐืืึดืื ืึดืฉึฐืืชึผืึน – Blessing is not found within the home of a man, only for the sake of his wife. The woman is the home, the zone of collision where all the parts unify so they can transcend their physical contours into something of meaning and spirit. Women are the pilots to transcendence, bringing all the pieces together and carrying them into the dimension of Shabbat, where, in the ultimate phase of ืืื ืฉืืืื ืฉืืช, we will finally be squarely in the feminine comfort zone: the place to just be.
- Pirkei Avot 4:16 โฉ๏ธ
- Bereishit 2:2 โฉ๏ธ
- Shemot 35:2 โฉ๏ธ
- Avodah Zara 3a โฉ๏ธ
- Mechilta, Ki Tisa โฉ๏ธ
- Eitz Chaim 6:5 โฉ๏ธ
- Aruch Hashulchan, Orach Chaim 242 โฉ๏ธ
- Bava Metzia 59a โฉ๏ธ
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