Thursday November 22nd was a special night. America was celebrating the national holiday of Thanksgiving, and in the classic scenario of Kiddush Hashem, Jews around America were attending the global Torah movement known as the Agudah Convention. The jam packed weekend saw lectures and words of wisdom for our generation, from the mouths of the greatest Torah sages like Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky (Rosh Yeshiva of Philadelphia), Harav Yosef Harari Raful (Rosh Yeshiva Ateret Torah of the Syrian community), Rav Aharon Shechter (Rosh Yeshiva of Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn), Rav Malkiel Kotler and Rav Yerucham Olshin (Roshei Yeshiva of Lakewood) and many more.
Our very own Chief Bukharian Rabbi, Rav Yitzchak Yisraeli, was invited to address the Thursday night panel: ARE WE SUFFERING FROM A CONNECTION TO HASHEM DEFICIT? With brilliant depth and clarity of insight, Harav Yisraeli revealed the role of Shabbat in reconnecting us to our Creator, even in today’s hectic world. Harav Yisraeli focused on raising the importance of studying the laws of Shabbat in depth and recognizing its central role in connecting us to our Creator.
Rabbi Yisraeli explained how the Torah speaks of the first Shabbat as both the time when Hashem “rested from His Work” and also as the time when He “completed his Work”. The Ohr Hachaim commentary on the Torah explains that the Hebrew term for rest, ‘vayinafash’, can be split to reveal the word Nefesh, which means soul. This refers to the fact that Hashem actually created one last thing on the Seventh day of Creation, the concept of Shabbat. Shabbat is therefore the Nefesh, or Soul, of creation. This is why a sacrifice could not be offered at the Temple less than 8 days old, because otherwise it would not contain a Nefesh. Similarly, a baby boy cannot undergo a circumcision until 8 days, until he gets the Nefesh which descends upon creation on Shabbat.
What is the secret behind this Nefesh? The Zohar calls it an Ohr (spiritual light) which emanates from Hashem. On Shabbat, this light is magnified and amplified so that every created thing has an additional blessing and goodness. Our sages thus refer to Shabbat as the Source of our blessing. But the Zohar asks “What blessing is there if one cannot work on Shabbat? Working is prohibited!?” The Zohar explains that rather, all the blessings throughout the following week derive their source from the prior Shabbat.
To truly appreciate the depth of our Chief Rabbi’s shiur on this topic, you are encouraged to view it online at torahanytime.com.
All in all, the Agudah convention once again proved to be one that united all segments of the Jewish community to an inspirational weekend with a lifetime of memories.
By Adam Suionov
Chief Bukharian Rabbi Harav Yitzchak Yisraeli Speaks At The Agudah Convention
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