In the beginning of the parasha, we read: "On six days shall work be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you." The passive form suggests that the work will be done by itself. The commentators explain that when Israel fulfills the will of the Almighty, their work will be done for them by others. A Jew's profession, as the prophet Yonah said to the sailors, is "Ivri anochi", I am a Jew.
A Jew is occupied, but not preoccupied, by his worldly activities. "If you will eat the labor of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you." ( Psalms 128:2) A Chassidic interpretation stresses that man's labor should be of his "hands", an external activity that does not require inner involvement. True, the Jew works, but his thoughts remain bound up with the Torah and its commandments. He performs practical tasks with the intent of creating a "vessel" into which God can pour His blessings.
Regarding Chanokh (of whom it is related in Bereshit 5:22 that he "went with God"), the Sefer Midrash Talpiot says that he was a cobbler, and that "he achieved mystical unions with his Creator with every stitch." The "mystical unions" were nothing more than the concentration he lavished on each and every stitch to ensure that it would be good and strong so that the shoes would give maximum pleasure to the wearer. Hanoch thus achieved union with the attribute of his Creator, who lavishes His goodness and beneficence to all.
In Israel, the tiniest bit of work is a contribution to the Land and its People. The seed of faith blossoms dramatically here. The impossible becomes possible, the difficult, easy. Just as the Land itself is compared to a deer's skin, which stretches, one's money stretches in miraculous ways.
Believe it and take the leap. Now! Leave the "how" to God.
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Aviva Nissim of Jerusalem teaches classes in emunah and bitachon.
A Jew is occupied, but not preoccupied, by his worldly activities. "If you will eat the labor of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you." ( Psalms 128:2) A Chassidic interpretation stresses that man's labor should be of his "hands", an external activity that does not require inner involvement. True, the Jew works, but his thoughts remain bound up with the Torah and its commandments. He performs practical tasks with the intent of creating a "vessel" into which God can pour His blessings.
Regarding Chanokh (of whom it is related in Bereshit 5:22 that he "went with God"), the Sefer Midrash Talpiot says that he was a cobbler, and that "he achieved mystical unions with his Creator with every stitch." The "mystical unions" were nothing more than the concentration he lavished on each and every stitch to ensure that it would be good and strong so that the shoes would give maximum pleasure to the wearer. Hanoch thus achieved union with the attribute of his Creator, who lavishes His goodness and beneficence to all.
In Israel, the tiniest bit of work is a contribution to the Land and its People. The seed of faith blossoms dramatically here. The impossible becomes possible, the difficult, easy. Just as the Land itself is compared to a deer's skin, which stretches, one's money stretches in miraculous ways.
Believe it and take the leap. Now! Leave the "how" to God.
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Aviva Nissim of Jerusalem teaches classes in emunah and bitachon.