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The
Or Hachayim on Vaetchanan
Hagaon
Rav Chayim
ben Atar zt”l on Parshat Vaetchanan
(from
Or
Hachayim on Devarim 4:39)
Today is Shabbat
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The Torah says, "You
should know today (veyadata hayom) and take to heart
that Hashem is the G-d in the Heavens above and
on the earth below; there is no other." Why, asks
the Or Hachayim, does the Torah refer to "today"?
Doesn't the taking to heart the verse speaks of
apply every day?
The Or Hachayim offers ten (!) answers, each one
reading the verse not as, "Today you should know,"
but as, "You should know about "today" and take
it to heart . . ." The tenth answer follows.
10. Man's evil inclination tries to convince him
that he will never be able to perfect himself. The
challenge of keeping all of the mitzvot is too overwhelming.
Furthermore, he tells a person, "You have already
sinned, and will never be able to repair the damage
you have caused yourself."
As a response, the Torah says, "Know 'today'" --
know the Shabbat that is referred to as "today"
in the verse, "It is G-d's Shabbat today" (Shemot
16:25). The Shabbat is, according to the Talmud
Yerushalmi (Berakhot 1:1), as weighty as all of
the mitzvot combined. By keeping the Shabbat one
can reach the perfection that keeping all 613 mitzvot
brings, even if has already sinned. Know Shabbat
(Hayom) and take it to heart; it will help you reach
perfection and repair what you have damaged.
[prepared
by Eliezer Kwass]
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