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From creation until the Jewish people appeared on the scene, Shabbat was lonely, without anyone to reveal its sanctity and blessing. Even though its sacredness was largely hidden, it did bring some blessing to the world, allowing people to rest and giving them the ability to understand the value of work. Nevertheless, this blessing was limited. People were enslaved by their needs, and lacked the divine values which could redeem them. The Egyptian enslavement of the Israelites was an extreme expression of this. The Israelites were forced to do backbreaking labor to meet the needs and desires of their Egyptian masters. That is, until God redeemed them from Egypt and gave them the Torah and Shabbat. Through these gifts, He also freed them from enslavement to the worldview that human purpose is to fulfill vulgar desires and accumulate as many possessions and as much wealth as possible.
The purpose of Shabbat is to inculcate the divine values revealed at the time of the Exodus, and thus make us free people. As we read, “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy. . . Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:11, 14). Shabbat allows the Jews to tap into the divine ideal, infusing the six workdays with meaning. Working should not be motivated by survival and other needs but rather by the elevation and improvement of the world. The former reflects enslavement, the latter freedom. Ultimately, all of humanity will be freed from the burden of work it has had to bear since Adam’s sin, and the world will return to the state of the Garden of Eden. In the meantime, those wealthy enough to have servants are commanded to let them rest on Shabbat, so they too can express their souls’ freedom.
