Shabbat - On The Way Out

The Maariv prayer following Shabbat is recited somewhat later than usual,
so that the holiness of Shabbat embraces the weekdays.
(Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 293:1)

During the weekdays, the Hashkiveinu passage of the Maariv prayer concludes with the words:
“May He watch over His people Israel forever.”
(Tur, Orach Chaim 236)

Our efforts to build spiritual lives often fall prey to the everyday aspects and activities of life, particularly to that most everyday activity of earning a livelihood. We’d like to inject some spiritual sense or meaning into our job or profession, but the allures of career and fortune get in the way, clouding our spiritual vision; we set our sights on maintaining a high moral standard in all our business dealings but find ourselves repeatedly sacrificing our principles on the altar of self-indulgence and monetary gain. The pressures that sidetrack our noble goals again and again create countless potholes in the road that heads toward spiritual successes in day-to-day endeavors.

These obstacles assault us throughout the week, when we need an extra measure of protection to shield us from the enticements that would bait us away from spiritual living. This is why we conclude the Hashkiveinu passage of the weekday Maariv prayer with the request, “May [God] watch over His people Israel forever.”

On Shabbat, however, our spiritual quest stands a far better chance of proceeding according to plan. Our Shabbat devotions and prayers, and the greater awareness they bring, weaken the allures of the marketplace, diminishing their influence over us. We make our way through Shabbat without the need for extra protection; indeed, there is no more effective shield to ward off the impediments to leading a spiritual life than the encompassing holiness of the day. This is why on Shabbat, instead of concluding the Hashkiveinu passage with a request that God watch over His people, we close it with the declaration, “Blessed are You, God, Who spreads the sukkah (tent) of peace over us.”

The sukkah, the Sages tell us, symbolizes the Clouds of Glory, which surrounded the Jewish people on all sides when they journeyed through the wilderness. These Clouds straightened the rough spots along the way, smoothing the people’s path and protecting them from harm. When we declare that God spreads His “sukkah of peace,” we are affirming the superior protection from the impediments to spirituality that Shabbat brings – the security and tranquility that come only when we are enveloped in the all-encompassing shelter of God.

But when the holy day departs, the workaday mentality and the accompanying attraction and obstacles of the marketplace reappear. At night, therefore, as soon as Shabbat ends, we return to the weekday Maariv liturgy, again praying for God’s protection in the Hashkiveinu passage. This prayer, which concludes with the request that God watch over us, also includes a request that God “spread the sukkah of peace over us.” Thus in the weekday Maariv we petition God for the special, superior shelter of Shabbat. We recognize that even during the week God’s protection, which bolsters our spiritual quest, is drawn from Shabbat – from its holiness and from the awareness we gain on the seventh day.

Extending the awareness of the seventh day into our everyday lives entails giving Shabbat a prominent place in our activities as we engage in the pursuit of our livelihood, bearing in mind that the money we earn during the week will enable us to purchase sumptuous foods, fine clothing and other things to enhance the honor of the Shabbat. In this way we infuse the weekdays with a higher awareness of the seventh day – with the protection of God’s “sukkah of peace.” This Shabbat awareness throughout the week protects us from the enticements of the workaday mentality and the tendency to forfeit our principles for the sake of material gain.

On another level, our weekday awareness of Shabbat rouses us to the higher values in life: to giving charity with the money we earn, and to making Torah study and spiritual pursuits a high priority in the routines of our lives; and it instills in us trust in God – with the recognition that we gain our livelihood by means of the intelligence, the faculties and the means that He alone provides.

Breslov Research Institute is pleased to present this weekly excerpt from our publication, "7th Heaven -- Shabbat with Rebbe Nachman," to help you experience that taste of Shabbos during the week. Have a "good Shabbos"!