On the Seventh Day, He ceased and rested (Shemos 31:17)

In this week’s parsha, we have a short paragraph about Shabbos which we say every Friday night. It contains the word “Vayenafesh” in relation to Shabbos. Vayenafesh is normally translated as “rest”, but there is also another translation of this word. The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva, of blessed memory, points out that Rashi on the verse in Bereshis 23:8 says this word comes from the same root as “desire”. The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva also pointed out that the root of this word is “nefesh” which is soul. If a person wants to feel the spiritual rest on Shabbos, he needs to have the desire to feel it. Having a proper desire to enjoy Shabbos will make one enjoy it on a spiritual level.

So, what does a person do if he does not have the desire, but still wants to feel the enjoyment of Shabbos? He should artificially have the desire. He should “fake it until he makes it.” He should pretend that he has the desire and this will make him eventually truly have the desire for the right reason and then he will have the true enjoyment of Shabbos.

But there is one very important thing to be successful with the “artificial desire”. A person needs to have the proper goal in mind. If a person “fakes it” because he feels he’s not on the proper level yet but his ultimate goal is to reach it, then he will “make it”. But if he pretends he has the desire but does not have this as his goal, he will never have the desire. If he fakes the desire for honor or just because he sees everyone else doing it, he will not be successful.

This is true with everything in life. If a person wants to be successful, he needs to have the ultimate goal in mind for the right reasons. He might not be there yet, but if his true desire is to reach a goal for proper reasons, then he will “make it”.

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
please send any comments or questions to: [email protected]
to see previous Divrei Simcha on the Parsha, please go to www.divreisimcha.com OR www.chesedclub.com > Torah Study