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Tikkun 21 – 141

Shabbat is not like the other days of the week. God rested from his work on Shabbat, meaning the light is now in a different state. When we go to sleep we enter in a state that ‘charges’ our soul with energy for the next day.

The body can be ready for a physical effort after muscles rest but without sleep, the mental capacity to move the body into action is lost. Lack of sleep can bring a person into mental instability and when the soul can not have its rest; it leaves the body to death.

Shabbat has similar effect and is needed to elevate our soul and ‘charge’ it with light for the spiritual work on the coming week. We need this light for our tikkun process. The night sleep connects us to the life force and sustains the soul level of Nefesh in the body. Shabbat connects us to the levels of Ruach and Neshama.

Exodus 16:25 “וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אִכְלֻהוּ הַיּוֹם, כִּי-שַׁבָּת הַיּוֹם לַיהוָה: הַיּוֹם, לֹא תִמְצָאֻהוּ בַּשָּׂדֶה”
“And Moses said: ‘Eat that today; for today is Shabbat unto YHVH; today you shall not find it in the field”

Moses instructed the Israelites to eat on Shabbat the Manna that they collected before Shabbat. The reason is “it won’t be found in the field”. The field is a code for the level of Malchut.

Shabbat is on the level of Binah and it is all spiritual. The Manna came from heavens and God rested on the seventh day. This represents the aspect of six days to build the vessel and receive the light on Shabbat. That is why we should have three meals that the Zohar says are coded in the three occurrence of the word הַיּוֹם, today, in the verse above. First meal is on Friday night (left column, Nefesh), Second on Saturday before noon or immediately after the morning prayers, Right Column, Ruach. Third meal is on Shabbat afternoon, preferably an hour before the Shabbat ends. This is the most important meal, as it represents the central column and the soul level of Neshamah.

All meals should be prepared before Shabbat as they represent the vessel we created during the week. The bigger the vessel the greater the light we receive on Shabbat. All our actions on Shabbat should be different from what we do during weekdays. Meals should be with all the blessings and food to connect it to the higher level.
Working on Shabbat has no blessings because it disconnects from the level of Binah that is all spiritual. We can not create vessels on Shabbat, no vessel can be created on Shabbat but if we share or act for the benefits of others then we receive the light of the action immediately.

Sleeping on Shabbat afternoon (central column, Zeir Anpin) connects our soul to the level of Binah and it is the highest pleasure for the soul.

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