The Chida teaches us that Shabbos and Teshuva go hand-in-hand. Each one relies on the other and is embellished by the other. He points out that the word “vishavta” as it written in the Torah are the same letters as Shabbos. However, the Chida himself does not explain what the connection is. In previous years we have given different explanations to explain the connection. This year we will look at the explanation from the Ben Ish Chai, who gives the following parable:

There was a widower who had a son. He married a widow who had a daughter. Each one of the couple were concerned that maybe their spouse would misuse monies which came into the marriage for their own child. They therefore made a strict agreement between them that no mutual monies would be used for the two children. As one would imagine, after they got married, each one accused the other of pilfering money and using it for their own child! As the bickering continued, it escalated to the point that they had to go to the Rav. The Rav heard them out and said as follows, “I have a great idea. Why don’t you have this wonderful boy and girl get married?” and then you will no longer have what to fight about. A shidduch was arranged and it worked out splendidly. The result was, as we can imagine, that not only was there a new happy young couple, but the marriage of the children made the parents’ marriage that much more meaningful, and their union that much greater.

A Jew is composed of spirituality and physicality. The spiritual aspect would like to make the physical aspect subordinate, and only be used for spiritual endeavors. The physical aspect of the person, in its desire for physicality, would love to incorporate the spiritual aspect into the sin, so that the person falls spiritually while he sins. In essence these two parts of us are at war. Rav Tzadok Hakohen teaches us that a person should always be careful whatever he does with his body. Indulging in pleasures, even when permissible, will be detrimental to our spiritual growth. However, if this indulgence is done on Shabbos, on which there is a mitzvah of oneg Shabbos, the physical pleasure can bring about spiritual growth rather than spiritual decay. Hence, the Ben Ish Chai through the parable above explains that if you have a drive that you need to work on, use it on Shabbos and positive spiritual energy will be brought into that sphere and give you a head start on your teshuva in that area. A similar idea can be seen by when the Chofetz Chayim realized that his daughter had a great desire to accumulate money. He turned her into a Gabbai Tzeddaka!

There is a Chassidic thought which states: There are no bad middos – you just have to know when to use each and every middah. (This is why the word we use for a character trait is “middah”, which means measure.) Therefore, even the most physical thing can actually bring us to spiritual heights. Of course, something spiritual on Shabbos will bring us to greater spiritual heights. I believe that it will also give us a wholesome feeling in our physical bodies as there will not be the inner turmoil which exists during the week.

May this Shabbos not only be a Shabbos of teshuva, but a “Shabbat Shalom” – bringing peace, not through compromise, but through a partnership with our inner self.