It is well known that G-d stopped working on the seventh day and rested. That is why we have Shabbat. We, too, rest on this day. However, we should be asking ourselves, what exactly did He stop doing? Did He stop working? Did He stop talking or even thinking about creating? After all, it says in the Torah that G-d said “Let there be light,” “Let this come to be,” and “Let that happen,” and so on and so forth, so G-d didn’t really do any work with his hands, per se. It was more of a thought, a speaking vs. doing. Yet, we are told that we can’t do any labor.
Why the discrepancy?
It is clear that G-d created the world in six days. How He did it is less important than the fact that the world was created. That is why, in the Ten Commandments—which we read in this week’s Torah portion—G-d says we should rest. However, when it comes to speech, we are not G-d. Yes, He can just speak, and His words turn into action, but what about us? What happens when we speak? What happens to our words? Do our words have any meaning? Are they effective?
If they have no meaning and are not effective at all, then why do people use social media? What do we mean when we say “hate speech” or in the positive, a “motivational speaker?” Clearly then, speech carries a lot of weight but since speech is not action, the Torah—biblically speaking—doesn’t prohibit it. However, our sages encouraged us to be careful on Shabbat and not talk about business matters on Shabbat. Why? To teach us the power of our words.
We might think that our words have no meaning. “I am not making a business deal,” we can tell ourselves, but the sages would say, “Who are you fooling?” If, when you give a compliment to a friend you are making them feel good, so too, when it is the reverse, so why might you think that words have no meaning? Of course, they do!
How about thought? G-d didn’t even think about creation on Shabbat. Can we? Well, you tell me. Is it OK to think ill about someone else? What do those thoughts do to us—let alone to the other person? Even the sages didn’t want to weigh in when it came to this subject. This is something that each individual has to work on in themselves to achieve perfection. It is a personal journey. To become more “G-d-like” is to clear our heads of worldly affairs—or to put it in other words: to stay clear of other’s affairs is a G-d like behavior. True, it’s not an easy task, but a Shabbat-like life to live.
One lesson we can take from Shabbat observance, every day of the week, is to put all our energy in making our actions count. Our words should be meaningful and our thoughts, positive.