A. At the end of the middle blessing of the Shabbos prayer is the paragraph that begins "Ritzei b'menuchaseinu" (Be pleased with our rest) and ends "V'hanchileinu b'ratzon Shabbos kodshecha" (And grant us willingly Your holy Shabbos). It seems to us as if one request has been repeated twice in the same paragraph, because "V'hanchileinu b'ratzon" is merely a repetition of the request of "Ritzei b'menuchaseinu," except that there is an external difference between the two requests. While the second request refers to the generality of the Shabbos ("V'hanchileinu b'ratzon Shabbos kodshecha"), the first request refers specifically to the rest of the Shabbos ("Ritzei b'menuchaseinu"). However, this is not yet a complete understanding, because what is the significance of singling out the desire for the rest of the Shabbos more than for the generality of Shabbos' essence? 

B. In the book "Pachad Yitzchak," [Gate of the Month of Aviv, Essay 54], the words of the Ramban (Nachmanides) in Yisro are brought, that the root of the positive commandments is love and the root of the negative commandments is fear. In connection with the interpretation of these words of the Ramban, it is said there: "And here is the root of the matter that 'Zachor' (Remember) and 'Shamor' (Observe) of the Shabbos were said in one utterance, because 'Zachor' includes all the positive commandments of the Shabbos, and 'Shamor' includes all the prohibitions of the Shabbos, and both were said in one utterance." Because the greatness of Shabbos is that all its activity is doubled, meaning that it merges into one unit the power of expansion of the attribute of love and the power of contraction of the attribute of awe, so that all the positive commandments of Shabbos are rooted in the attribute of love, and all the negative commandments of Shabbos whose root is the attribute of awe, were said in one utterance. Moreover, "Remember" and "Observe" were equated to each other, and whoever is subject to one is subject to the other, because in the holiness of Shabbos, the division between the attribute of love and the attribute of awe is nullified, for the holiness of Shabbos is built precisely from the merging of expansion and contraction. See there well in the aforementioned article where the matters are well explained. And in continuation of this, it is said there in the aforementioned article as follows: "And the truth of the matter is that all who serve God in their souls truly feel this in the depths of their minds, for they taste in the prohibitions of Shabbos also the taste of love, etc." See there well in the aforementioned article for the continuation of the matter. And great was the number of people demanding an explanation for the change in taste in the prohibitions of Shabbos, and even though the matters were explained there at their root, nevertheless this was not enough to quiet the aforementioned demand, for the main argument of the claimants was not about the root of the matters but about their actual practice, for how is a taste of expansion of "arise and do" possible in the movement of withdrawal of "cease and do not do"? And we are hereby to quiet the murmur of the hearts of the aforementioned claimants, and we will begin and say. 

C. In some laws of the Torah, we find a condition of action specifically, as we find in the obligation of a sin offering, that if there is no action in his transgression, he does not bring a sin offering. An exception to this is the prohibition of forbidden relations. Regarding the prohibitions of forbidden relations, it is said in the Torah, "And the souls that do them shall be cut off," even though she did not perform an action [B"K 32a]. This is explained in the words of the Sages, who said that the Merciful One calls enjoyment an action. We do not find a similar matter in the entire Torah, that only in forbidden relations did they say that enjoyment is considered an action. The explanation of the uniqueness of this matter to forbidden relations specifically is a deep mehalech [approach]: Today to do them and tomorrow to receive their reward. The "tomorrow" is separated here from the "today," as the "tomorrow" is designated for receiving the reward of pleasure, and the "today" is designated for the toil of effort. We find another distinction between the "tomorrow" and the "today," that the "today" is a passing world, and the "tomorrow" is an existing world, because all the future after the end of today, is included in tomorrow. Therefore, we say that the world of action is a transient world, as its performance only takes place today. In contrast, the world of pleasure is an existing world, as the reward takes place tomorrow. All this is when we speak of an absolute division between the transient world and the existing world. But in truth, there is room for these discussions even in a relative division. In a relative division, we say this: the closer you get to the realm of the existing eternity, the more you approach the domain of pleasure. The general rule is that the world of eternity is the world of pleasure. And behold, of all the multitude of actions and ways of the transient world, the action that comes closest to the realm of the existing eternity is the act of procreation. For only through the act of procreation is the eternity of the species or the individual maintained. Therefore, the act of procreation approaches the realm of eternity to such an extent that it completely enters the domain of the power of pleasure. The general rule is that the power of pleasure reigns in the world of eternity. And since this is an inherent characteristic of the act of procreation, that it is under the authority of the power of pleasure, we perceive pleasure in this authority as the custom of the place, which everyone follows. Therefore, we say that regarding the act of procreation, the Merciful One called pleasure an act. So far, the style of explanation was taken from the future of the world.

D. And behold, of all the multitude of actions and ways of the passing world, the action that most closely approaches the realm of the existing eternity is the act of procreation, for only through the act of procreation is the eternity of the species or the individual maintained. Therefore, the act of procreation approaches the realm of eternity to such an extent that it enters entirely into the realm of the dominion of pleasure, for the dominion of the power of pleasure is a general rule in the world of eternity. And since it is an inherent characteristic of the act of procreation that it is found under the authority of the dominion of the power of pleasure, we grasp pleasure in this authority as is the custom of the place, which everyone follows. Therefore, we say that with regard to the act of procreation, the Merciful One called pleasure an act. So far, the style of explanation was taken from the future of world.  

E. And now we will explain the matter in a style taken from the past of the world. Two things happened to man in his beginning: death was decreed upon him, and he was banished from the Garden of Eden. Thus, the absence of destruction and the life of Eden are one and the same. Therefore, since the main essence of the act of procreation is salvation from the decree of destruction, we naturally say that in this salvation, refinement and pleasure are inherent, for this is the rule: in the place of cessation of the dominion of destruction, there is the opening of the gates of pleasure. Therefore, regarding matters of procreation, the Sages said that the Merciful One considered pleasure an act. And the same is true and the same measure applies to the holiness of the Shabbos. The main significance of the Shabbos is that it is מעין - a simile, of "tomorrow" in real time "today". And from what has been explained to us, we understand the depth of the meaning of the words, that "delight" עונג, is the commandment of the day of the Shabbos, for the delight of the Shabbos is endless. There is in this day an existence of delight, but the ultimate meaning of the Shabbos is that there is nothing on the Shabbos but delight, to such an extent that this day is exempt from the division between pleasure and action, for in the nature of the holiness of the day, the Merciful One considered pleasure an act. (Pay close attention to the language of the Scripture, "to do the Shabbos," even though the Shabbos is rest, which is "sit and do not do," nevertheless, the Merciful One called it "to do," and this is similar to "and the souls that do shall be cut off," the Merciful One called pleasure an act). 

F. And in this point is hidden the quieting of the murmur of the hearts of the aforementioned claimants: how can a taste of the expansion of "arise and do" be possible in the movement of withdrawal of "sit and do not do"? For indeed, this is what we have been saying, that the truth of the matter is that even the prohibitions of the Shabbos are examined in the test of love, and this is unique only to the prohibitions of the Shabbos, for since the nature of the holiness of the day of the Shabbos creates an existence of pleasure, it is considered an act. Surely we say well that in the duties of the heart of the Shabbos, the partition between "arise and do" and "sit and do not do" is removed, for the definition of an act on the Shabbos day is fundamentally different from the definition of an act on the six days of the week. And since the partition between "arise and do" and "sit and do not do" has been removed, the law dictates that even the prohibitions of the Shabbos are examined in the test of love. The removal of the partition between "arise and do" and "sit and do not do" on the Shabbos is included in their saying, "Remember and observe were said in one utterance." And understand well!

G. The explanation of the above phenomenon is that the holiness of the Shabbos day creates a reality that "pleasure is considered action" - הנאה חשיבא מעשה, will be divided into two halves. In the first half, we will explain the matter of the three Shabbos meals, which we learn from the three times "today" is mentioned in the portion of the Mon. What is the connection between the Shabbos meal and the mention of the word "today"?

H. Let us return to the principle that we have explained, that the meaning of "and He rested" and "and were finished" regarding the Shabbos day is not that no action whatsoever was done on it, and that no creation was created on it, but that through the "and He sanctified it," a new creation was created, an additional soul, which is the power to receive reward and to delight in the essence of the reward of a mitzvah. This was not created, formed, or made during the six days of creation, and did not come into being until the seventh day of creation. And even though the generality of the existence of the soul was formed and revealed on the sixth day, as explicitly stated in Scripture, nevertheless, the ability to absorb the delight of the reward of a mitzvah was not revealed until the seventh day. [See Pachad Yitzchak, Shabbos, article 3]. The additional soul is the actualization of what was created in the statement "Let us make man" on the sixth day. And as we have learned, that while on Shabbos day the 10 utterences [that created reality] cease, "and He rested," the statement "Let us make man" then acts with greater intensity and greater strength. [See Pachad Yitzchak, Shabbat, article 1.]

I. The world was created with ten utterances, and in whatever order does it come out to us, there are seven utterances in the creation of the world, and three utterances in the creation of man. 1] "Let us make man". 2] God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb," etc., the food of man. And 3] "in the beginning", is also an utterance, as this utterance relates to the generality of the world, as it is written, את השמים "The heavens," etc., including their derivatives. And certainly, there is the place of man, who is himself the totality of the world, every day and its utterance. And it turns out that on the Shabbos day, three utterances are active, all of which belong to the creation of man, while the other utterances of creation cease. And every time it says "day" obligates a Sabbath meal, as every "day" indicates the action of one utterance in the creation of man, and it is what obligates the delight of the Shabbos meal, from which the perfection of man comes to light and acts with greater intensity and greater strength.

J. From now on, we turn to the second half of our discussion, which is about the role of action and its severity in Jewish law: The gemara says that sinful thoughts are worse than sin[ning with action]. And the commentators explained about the severity of sin in thought that it is similar to erecting an idol in the temple. Certainly there is no comparison between erecting an idol outside and erecting it in the inner sanctum or in the Temple, and the more it enters inward, the greater its injustice grows, and certainly the mind of man is more inward than his actions that are judged outwardly, therefore the "flaw" in sinful thought is worse than the sin itself, even though the transgressor in action has committed a more serious sin. How is this explained? 

K. "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" - there is a novelty here. "Be fruitful and multiply" - indicates the multiplication of the form of man - ריבוי צורת אדם, as opposed to murder, which is the reduction of man. But what is the meaning of "fill the earth"? And we must know that its meaning is not in multiplication, which is included in "multiply", but its subject is a special command that the form of man - צורת אדם - should spread over the entire universe. From the echo and sound of "fill the earth", we hear the pasuk מלוא כל הארץ כבודו "the wholeness of earth is filled with God's glory", that is, the glory of heaven is only through man, and to the extent that man is lacking, the glory of heaven is lacking, since the glory of heaven is only achieved in man. And just as blasphemy and cursing and casting off the yoke are considered a desecration of the glory of heaven in the world, so in a deep way, it is considered even more a desecration of the glory of heaven in preventing the spread of the form of man over all the emptiness of the world, desecration חילול from the word "space" חלל. To the extent that there is a space in the world where even in a small and tiny corner the form of man does not penetrate, to that extent the glory of heaven is desecrated in the world, and thus we are commanded to "fill the earth" - the spread of the form of man צורת האדם.

L. For man is a microcosm encompassing within him the powers of the entire world. Therefore, even within man himself, "fill the earth" must be fulfilled. And what is the "earth" within man himself? The answer is the actions of man. For we find action and deed even in the inanimate, like the actions of water and fire. It follows that "fill the earth" within man himself is fulfilled by the intellect, which is the man within the man, spreading and dominating even the realm of man's actions. And sometimes the spreading of his human form - התפשטות צורת האדם שלו - affects others more than it affects him himself. For the Torah that a rabbi teaches his students affects them more than the Torah he learns for himself, "and from his students [he learned] more than anyone else" ומתלמידי יותר מכולם. And so it is with children, where we see that parents are willing to give everything they have for their children. And this is the essence of the extra stringency that exists in actions more than in thought and contemplation, for actions mean earth. And when a man comes to the point of action, there is an entry into the realm of his earth through the spreading of the intellect there, which is the human form itself.

M. We said above that on Shabbos, only the three utterances pertaining to the creation of man are active, meaning man without וועלט (world/earth), the צורת אדם itself without the possibility of filling the earth, for the earth - וועלט - rests. Therefore, on Shabbos, זיינען מעשים אויס יחסנים, the actions are no longer significant. Moreover, that is why even the transgressions of Shabbos in action have the condition of מלאכת מחשבת (deliberate work), which is not found in the entire Torah. And the preference and severity given to actions generally, from the aspect of filling the earth and from the aspect of spreading one's צורת אדם to others, are completely nullified on Shabbos, the day of the dominance of the צורת אדם for itself. 

N. Here we have reached the source of the novelty that we established at the beginning of our words, that on Shabbos, enjoyment is judged as an action. That is, on all weekdays, the main thing is the action, and it demands severity for itself. But on Shabbos, its significance is gone, and even mere enjoyment is considered a real action. And this is the secret reason for the love felt while avoiding the prohibitions of "do not do" - "לא תעשה" - on this day, and it is the answer to the aforementioned claimants, to explain the process of the principle that was explained in Pachad Yitzchak, Passover, article 54. Namely, that one Shabbos one tastes love in the לא תעשה's and fear in the fulfillment of the עשה's. 

O. See Berachot 34a: Rav Yehuda said: A person should never ask for his needs neither in the first three [blessings] nor in the last three [blessings], but in the middle ones. For Rabbi Chanina said: The first ones are like a servant who arranges praise before his master; the middle ones are like a servant who asks for a reward from his master; the last ones are like a servant who received a reward from his master and departs and goes his way. And the Tosfos wrote [d.h. Al Yishal]: R"H and Rabbeinu Hai explained that this applies specifically to an individual, but the needs of the community may be asked. And know that it specifically says "individual," for the main part of the last blessings are the needs of the community [end quote]. And these words are very difficult, for if the last three [blessings] of the prayer are truly a request for needs, except that the permission to say the last three is because they are the needs of the community, then what is this that we say in the Gemara about the last three, that it is like a servant who received a reward from his master and departs and goes his way? Is not requesting needs and receiving a reward two contradictory things?

P. We will now make clear statements here regarding the intention of the "Retzeh" blessing of the Amidah prayer. Anyone who prays the "Retzeh" blessing with mere supplication and entreaty deviates from the order of the prayer's structure and is nothing but a fabricator. The explanation of the blessing is as follows: the last three are nothing but a farewell from the Rav, except that in farewell we find the matter of blessing, the farewell blessing. And a clever student, when he departs from his Rabbi and blesses him with the farewell blessing, he behaves with cunning, "un er ganvit arein far zich a bracha", meaning he steals a blessing for himself. Instead of blessing his Rav with other good things, he blesses his Rav and says, "der Rov zol haben nachas fun mir", meaning that the Rav will derive pleasure from me, and this is a nice farewell blessing to the Rav, and through cunning, a blessing for himself is also included. And in this way is the intention in the "Retzeh" blessing of the Amidah prayer, that the essence of the intention in the "Retzeh" blessing needs to be a farewell blessing to the Rav, except that the farewell blessing is arranged in the style of "der Rov zol fun mir nachas haben", meaning that the Rabbi will derive pleasure from me. And this is the difference between קבל ברצון את תפילתנו "accept with favor our prayer" and רצה בתפילתם "desire their prayer," which seemingly are one and the same, except that the difference is as mentioned above, that "accept with favor our prayer" is supplication for the acceptance of the prayer, but "desire their prayer" means that we are blessing Him, as it were, that He should receive pleasure from our prayer, but certainly and surely a blessing for ourselves is included in this, and this is exactly like the clever student who outsmarts his Rav and says to him, "der Rav zol fun mir nachas haben", meaning that the Rav will derive pleasure from me. And this is what Rav Yehuda said, that in the last three, he is like a servant who received a reward from his master, takes leave, and goes his way. However, this rule that fulfilling the needs of the recipient is pleasure for his master is not absolute except in the case of the community, where fulfilling the needs of the community is definitely pleasure before Him. But in fulfilling the needs of the individual, this is not absolute, and since in requesting the fulfillment of the needs of an individual, there is no certainty of "nachas ruach fun Rebbe'n" (Yiddish: pleasure of the Master), then it is nothing but a mere request, and so it should not be done in the last three.

Q. And the same applies to the request for רצה במנוחתנו "desire our rest", in the Shabbos prayer, for here too the intention is as above, for in the realm of delight and will, the rule of "as water reflects face to face" also applies, and therefore included in the request "He should be pleased with our rest" is also the blessing for ourselves, that we too will find satisfaction and tranquility in our rest.

R. And we connect the end of the article to its beginning. At the beginning of the article, this request, רצה במנוחתנו "desire our rest," was difficult for us, as written there, that there is still no satisfaction at all, for what is the meaning of singling out the will for the rest of the Shabbos more than for the general matter of the Shabbos? Moreover, singling out the will for the rest of the Sabbath goes so far that the request for the will is repeated twice in relation to the generality of the Shabbos, והנחילנו ברצון שבת "and grant us willingly the Shabbos," and at first in relation to its rest specifically, "desire our rest." However, from what we have learned in this article, we have understood the nature of the emphasis that highlights the singling out of the will for the rest specifically, that this will includes the delight and will of ourselves, and this delight acts specifically on the rest of the Shabbos, for even though rest is a matter of abstaining from action, nevertheless, through delight and desire, we say that the Merciful One considers it as an act of enjoyment, and thereby the resting of Shabbos is outside of the realm of שב ואל תעשה - abstention from action, for שמור is said in one breath with the זכור, and a wonderful innovation is born to us here, that even the prohibitions of the Shabbos are seen through the lens of love.

S. רצה במנוחתנו - Desire our rest.

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This essay delves into the deeper meaning of Shabbos observance, particularly focusing on the concepts of oneg (delight), menucha (rest), and the unique status of Shabbos prohibitions. It addresses apparent contradictions and offers novel interpretations of familiar prayers and commandments.

Key Arguments:

Reconciling "Retzeh Bimnuchaseinu": The prayer "Retzeh Bimnuchaseinu" (be pleased with our rest) seems repetitive, as it appears to reiterate the request for Shabbos' general acceptance. However, the essay argues that the first request specifically refers to the menucha of Shabbos, while the second, "Vehanchileinu Birtzon Shabbos Kodshecha" (and grant us as a heritage, willingly, Your holy Shabbos), refers to the overall essence of Shabbos. The uniqueness lies in the ratzon (will/desire) being specifically tied to the menucha, encompassing personal delight and satisfaction in the rest.

Love and Fear on Shabbos: Drawing upon the Ramban, the essay explores the idea that the mitzvos aseh (positive commandments) stem from love, and the mitzvos lo ta'aseh (negative commandments) from fear. Shabbos uniquely unifies these seemingly opposing forces. As stated in Sefer Pachad Yitzchak, "in the holiness of Shabbos, the division between the attribute of love and the attribute of fear is nullified. For it is precisely from the merging of expansion and contraction that the holiness of Shabbos is built." This unification is reflected in the simultaneous utterance of "Zachor v'Shamor" (Remember and Observe).

"Hana'ah Karya Ma'aseh" (Pleasure is Considered an Act): The essay addresses the question of how one can experience the "doing" aspect of Shabbos (associated with mitzvos aseh) within the framework of abstention (associated with mitzvos lo ta'aseh). It explains that on Shabbos, hana'ah (pleasure) is considered an act. This concept is derived from the Torah's treatment of forbidden relationships (arayos), where even the enjoyment derived is considered an action.

Shabbos as a "Me'ein Olam Haba" (Foretaste of the World to Come): Shabbos is described as a foretaste of the World to Come (Olam Haba). Just as Olam Haba is a realm of eternal delight, Shabbos, within the confines of the present world, offers a glimpse of this eternal pleasure. This is why the Torah refers to "doing" Shabbos, even though it primarily involves abstention. As the text states, "The essence of Shabbos' greatness is that it is the 'source' of the 'tomorrow' in the midst of the 'today.'"

The Three Meals and the Creation of Man: The obligation to eat three meals on Shabbos is linked to the three instances of the word "Hayom" (today) in the context of the Mon. These "days" correspond to the three ma'amaros (divine utterances) involved in the creation of man: "Na'aseh Adam" (Let us make man), the provision of sustenance, and "Bereishis" (In the beginning). While other creative acts cease on Shabbat, these three related to man continue, emphasizing the enhancement of human perfection on this day.

The Primacy of Ma'aseh (Action) and its Subversion on Shabbos: Generally, actions are considered more significant than thoughts. However, on Shabbos, this hierarchy is inverted. The usual emphasis on "U'milu es ha'aretz" (fill the earth) – the expansion of human influence through action – is suspended. On Shabbos, the focus shifts inward, to the individual soul. This is why violations of Shabbos require melacha machshevet (deliberate action), a higher standard than in other areas of Jewish law.

Reinterpreting the Final Prayers: The essay offers a novel interpretation of the final three prayers of the Amidah. It suggests that these prayers are not merely requests, but rather a form of farewell blessing offered to God. The worshiper is, in essence, wishing God "nachas" (satisfaction) from their prayers. This is particularly true for communal prayers, where the fulfillment of the community's needs brings God satisfaction.

"Retzeh Bimnuchaseinu" Revisited: The essay concludes by revisiting the initial question regarding "Retzeh Bimnuchaseinu." It argues that the emphasis on menucha is deliberate. It includes the worshiper's own oneg and ratzon in their rest. This oneg transforms the menucha from a mere abstention into an act of divine service, elevating it beyond the ordinary realm of "shev v'al ta'aseh" (sit and do not do). This leads to the profound conclusion that even the prohibitions of Shabbat are judged by the standard of love.

"וכאן הוא שרש הענין שזכור ושמור של שבת בדיבור אחד נאמרו?‏ שזכור כולל הוא את כל-המצות עשה של שבת, ושמור כולל הוא את כל האיסורים של שבת. ושניהם בדיבור אחד נאמרו."

"כי דוקא מהתמזגות ההתפשטות והצמצום נבנית היא קדושת שבת"

"עיקר הרבותא של השבת הוא כי הוא ה"מעין" של ה"למחר" בעיצומו של ה"היום""

"ומלאו את הארץ" - התפשטות צורת אדם.

Truly enjoying Shabbos involves understanding that the delight (ענג) is a mitzvah of the day. The essence of Shabbos is that there is a presence of delight on this day, and ultimately, Shabbos is nothing but delight. This delight is so significant that it transcends the division between enjoyment and action (הנאה למעשה). The Torah considers enjoyment as an action on Shabbos, as reflected in the verse " לעשות את השבת" (to do the Shabbos), even though Shabbos is a day of rest, of "שב-ואל-תעשה" (rest and do not do).

Furthermore, the prohibitions of Shabbos are also examined through the lens of love (במבחן האהבה). The unique nature of Shabbos' holiness creates a reality where "הנאה-חשיבא-מעשה" (enjoyment is considered action), and the distinction between "קום-ועשה" (arise and do) and "שב-ואל-תעשה" (rest and do not do) disappears. Therefore, even the prohibitions of Shabbos are evaluated with love.

[עפ"י תורת מרן רה"י זצ"ל]