The famed student of the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye, shares a teaching he heard from his master that, more than ever, resonates today. Distraction of the mind (hesekh hadaat) is well known as an obstacle to the performance of everyday mitzvot. So, too, on Shabbat, distraction constitutes a violation of the essence of the Holy Day. For the Jewish People, Shabbat is a sanctuary in time. It is a moment to detach from the turbulence of everyday life. The Jewish People have had more than their fair share of turbulence since Simchat Torah 5784. Shabbat is a weekly salve for a wound that will never heal.
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef expands on this insight and notes how Shabbat, the day of rest, is linked to character of Noah (whose name means rest and comfort), and it invites every Jew to see themselves in the context of Ultimacy. True to the Chasidic form, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef insists that this is performed by each person in their own way: whether in everyday acts of goodness and kindness, in the words of Torah learning, or in the lofty mystical contemplations and meditations. For everyone, the comfort of Shabbat is realised by pausing from the distractions fragmenting our lives. Shabbat is a moment to see the world as it truly is.
Yet, this clarity is fleeting. Shabbat is but one-seventh of the week, and it is all too easy to allow this gift to pass us by. The tranquillity of Shabbat is a gift to cherish. One we must, in any little way, prepare in the days leading up to it. For Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, the ideal Shabbat involves three days of preparation. And once Shabbat has concluded, the three days that follow are filled with the effects of the Holy Day. And in this way, Shabbat gives birth to the experience of Ultimacy throughout the week.
(יא) וז"ש את האלדים התהלך נח, שעכ"פ בשבת הנקרא נח ידבק מחשבתו את האלדים, או במחשבה, או בדיבור, או במעשה עכ"פ, לכל אחד לפי בחינתו, לאיש המוני במעשה, ולת"ח בדיבור, ולצדיק וחסיד גם במחשבה, כמו ששמעתי כי היסח הדעת אסור בשבת מקל וחומר מתפילין וכו', ודפח"ח.
(יב) וז"ש ויולד נח, שהנייחא ושביתה של שבת יש ג' בחינות, א' לקנות בשבת נר"נ, וצריך הכנה לזה בששת ימי חול, ג' לאחר שבת וג' לפניו...
(11) And this is what it says: "Noah walked with God"—that at the very least, on Shabbat, which is called "Noah" [a time of rest], one should attach one’s thought to God, whether in thought, or in speech, or in action—at least each person according to their level: for a common person, in action; for a Torah scholar, in speech; and for a righteous and pious person, also in thought. As I have heard [from my master, the Baal Shem Tov], distraction of the mind [from holiness] is forbidden on Shabbat, from an a fortiori argument regarding tefillin, etc., And the words of a wise person's mouth are gracious.
(12) And this is what it says, "And Noah begot"—that the restfulness and settledness of Shabbat involves three levels: one, to acquire [an expression of the three levels of the soul:] nefesh-ruach-neshama on Shabbat. And one must prepare for this during the six weekdays—three [days] after Shabbat and three [days] before it...