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Shabbat demonstrates that grueling labor is not the goal of humanity. If not for the sin of Adam, we would be living in the Garden of Eden. All of our work would be joyful and relaxed, involving neither worry nor effort. Shabbat would just give us an extra inspirational boost. As a result of the sin, we were condemned to work hard in order to survive. This labor is meant to rectify the sin, and therefore it is beneficial to us, but it also puts us at risk of becoming enslaved to our material needs. Ceasing work on Shabbat allows us to alleviate the stress intrinsic to the effort to change and repair the world, and allows us to rise above the mundane pressures of the here and now. Shabbat is a world of freedom and rest, faith and song. It is the world of the soul, a preview of the World to Come.
On Shabbat, even if we didn’t quite get to finish something (because we ran out of time to deal with it before Shabbat), and even if something upsetting happens, we accept it with faith and equanimity. We simply enjoy being with God and appreciate the inherent goodness in being alive. As a result, blessing and sanctity suffuse everything we do during the rest of the week. This is why the prophets and sages said that redemption – of the Jews and of the world – depends upon Shabbat observance.
