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God created heaven and earth and all within them in six days. On the sixth day, He also created the first human and entrusted the world to him, instructing him to take care of it and develop it. As we read, “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and tend it” (Genesis 2:15). Once the six days of creation were over, seemingly there was nothing more to create. Nevertheless, God continued creation with a seventh day, designating it for rest and the cessation of labor. As we read, “The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done” (Genesis 2:1-3; these verses are recited in the Friday night Kiddush).
This means that on Shabbat, God created the possibility of relaxation, quiet, and tranquility. Imagine if Shabbat didn’t exist. A person would work nonstop, out of a tremendous desire for perfection and a futile attempt to meet an unfillable void. Whatever achieved would always fall short of perfection. Feeling that frantic quest and that all efforts were fruitless, would lead to self-destruction and worldwide catastrophe.
For people to rest, it is not enough for them to stop working. They also need to understand the value of what they do. This allows them to recharge their batteries and continue working. Those who does not see the value of what they do will not have peace of mind even when they stop working. When the seventh day was created for pause and relaxation, the ability to appreciate the holiness inherent in the world was created. This appreciation allows people to truly rest.
It is true that people could take off from work on a day other than Shabbat, and refraining from all labor might not be necessary (as long as they relax and recognize the importance of their work). Nevertheless, this would not be sufficient to absorb the profound and lofty divine values which can advance a person’s efforts (and the world itself) to a higher level. For this purpose, people must rest specifically on Shabbat, and this rest must include refraining from all melakha (creative labor). This is the great gift that God gave to the Jewish people, through which they can appreciate the holiness inherent in the world. From the sanctity of Shabbat, they draw blessing and inspiration to repair the world.
