The Power of Shabbat: A Divine Gift That Preserves Jewish Identity

Our Sages teach in the Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat): "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I have a precious gift in My treasury, and its name is Shabbat. I wish to give it to Israel—go and inform them."

In this statement, our Sages reveal that the Jewish people were granted a special gift that no other nation received. In fact, it is forbidden for a non-Jew to keep Shabbat in accordance with Jewish law.

The Torah states regarding Shabbat (Exodus 31:13): "For it is a sign between Me and you for all your generations."
And further (Exodus 31:16): "The children of Israel shall keep the Shabbat, to observe the Shabbat throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant."

Only two other mitzvot in the Torah are described as “signs” (אותות) between G-d and Israel:

• Circumcision, as it says (Genesis 17:11): "You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you."

• Tefillin, as it says (Deuteronomy 6:8): "And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes."

Amazingly, the initials of these three signs—Shabbat, Brit (circumcision), and Tefillin—spell the Hebrew word שבת (Shabbat). These mitzvot are not only commandments to be fulfilled but are also divine signs that distinguish the Jewish people from the other nations of the world.

Beyond preserving Jewish identity, Shabbat also holds deep spiritual power to protect from harm. Even in recent generations, when the Haskalah (Enlightenment) movement spread and many Jews strayed from Torah observance, they still recognized the truth deep in their hearts. A telling example is a quote from one of the Haskalah’s most famous thinkers, Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg, known as “Ahad Ha’am”, who wrote: "More than the Jews have kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jews."

Many mistakenly attribute this saying to the Talmud, but its source underscores an important point: Even those who strayed from observance felt the enduring truth of Shabbat in their Jewish soul.

Indeed, the delight of Shabbat is sweeter than honey and its spiritual pleasure is beyond description. Only those who “taste it” truly understand it, as the Sages say, “Only those who taste it merit to live.” Shabbat is also the source of blessing.

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, author of the Chafetz Chaim, compared a Jewish store owner to a shop with a sign above it. Even when the store is closed, the sign still indicates it’s in business. But if the sign is removed, everyone knows the shop has closed down. So too, Shabbat is the "sign" of the Jewish soul.

A student of the Chafetz Chaim once asked for a blessing before emigrating to America. Surprisingly, the Chafetz Chaim agreed—only if the student would pledge, with a handshake, to continue observing Shabbat in America. Only after that promise did he give him his blessing. The student moved to America with his bride and struggled to find work that allowed him to keep Shabbat. Eventually, he found a job cleaning windows in a school, whose principal agreed to the condition.

After some time, he became financially stable, but then his boss demanded that he start working on Shabbat. The student refused and was immediately fired. For the next six months, he lived in poverty. One week, just before Shabbat, he spent his last savings on food for his family. Feeling it was almost a matter of life and death, he decided that on Saturday night he would walk to the principal’s home and offer to work on Shabbat after all.

On the way, he remembered his handshake promise to the Chafetz Chaim, and he turned around and went home, choosing to start over with faith in the power of Shabbat.

That Saturday night, not long after returning home, there was a knock on the door. To his surprise, the school principal stood there, with a guest. The principal asked to come in and explained:

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here. Let me tell you. Six months ago, my friend here asked me why I employed a Jew. I told him that I’ve never met anyone more committed than you—faithful to your religion, unwilling to violate Shabbat even for great wealth. He replied, ‘Every Jew has a price.’ So we made a bet: He claimed that if I fired you for six months, you’d eventually work on Shabbat. I bet $5,000 you wouldn’t. Well, the six months are up, and I won!”

The Jew smiled and replied politely, “At least I had the merit to sanctify G-d’s name.”

Then the principal added, “I believe you deserve a share of the winnings.” He handed him an envelope with $2,500. Then he asked, “Do you remember the condition under which you were hired?” When the Jew said yes, the principal said, “Since I was the one who violated the agreement by firing you, I believe I owe you your full salary for the past six months.” He gave him a second envelope—another $2,500. And with that, the principal concluded: “One last request—please come back to work tomorrow.”

The lesson is clear: You never lose from keeping Shabbat.