Moshe was told to instruct the Children of Israel (literally) “only to keep Shabbos” [1]. The sages of blessed memory expound this verse in various manners [2], but what is the simple understanding: we must equally observe all of the commandments, and if so, why “only” Shabbos?
In the 1920’s, one of the students in a yeshiva in Radin was caught smoking on Shabbos (which the Torah prohibits). The head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, the ‘Chafetz Chaim’ was informed, who summoned the youth to his home. The youth visited the Rabbis home for no longer than a few minutes and then became a changed person, learning with great passion for many years to follow. Needless to say he stopped smoking on Shabbos.
Many years later, a Rabbi was visiting Miami, Florida, where he was invited to speak about the Chafetz Chaim. His lecture included the above story in order to demonstrate the greatness of the Chafetz Chayim of blessed memory: in just a few moments he had transformed this youth’s life. He concluded that although many people watched the youth enter and exit the home of the Rabbi, until this day, the lecturer was unaware of what had occurred during those few moments.
After the lecture, a fine young gentleman in the audience approached the lecturer and revealed to him that he was the youth in the story! The lecturer eagerly asked him to share what the Rabbi had told him in those few moments. The young man replied that the Rabbi did not tell him very much but rather took his hands into his own holy hands, began to cry and with deep sorrow whispered, “Shabbos… the holy Shabbos!” One tear of the Rabbi had fallen onto the young man’s hand. The young man concluded to the lecturer, “That tear – which agonises my hand to this very day – imploring me only to keep Shabbos is what eventually led me to return to the right path.”
Indeed the verse continues: “Only keep Shabbos because it is a sign between Me (G-d) and you (the Children of Israel) for your generations, in order that you know I have sanctified you.” We have been taught that Shabbos is on par with all the other commandments [3]. Perhaps this is because even if a person keeps nothing other than Shabbos, more than a person keeping Shabbos, Shabbos ‘keeps’ them. Keeping Shabbos has a special power to ultimately lead a person to “know” G-d keeping him and his future generations on the right path.
In fact we have been taught explicitly that if we keep just a single Shabbos, we will be redeemed! [4]
Perhaps the “sign”, or literally ‘letter’ of Shabbos refers to the letters “between Me and between you” i.e. the different letters between the words “beini – between Me” and “(u)beineichem – (and) between you” – namely the letters ‘kaf’ and ‘mem’ (and ‘vav’). As the verse indicates, Shabbos observance leads us “to know” G-d. By adding the letters ‘kaf’ and ‘mem’ (and ‘vav’) to the word “daas” meaning ‘to know’ and indicating a connection or relationship [5], results in the word ‘k’demaos’, meaning ‘like tears’.
Like the tears of the Chafetz Chaim, “only to keep Shabbos” is a tearful plea for us “only to keep Shabbos” and thereby stay connected!
Have a sign-ificant Shabbos,
Dan.
Additional sources:
[1] Shemos 31:13 [2] See Rashi and Torah Temima [3] Medrash Rabba, Shemos 25 [4] Yerushalmi, Taanis 1:1 (3b) [5] E.g. Bereishis 4:1
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