There seems to be a connection between Shabbat and the Exodus. The question is why is it that part of kiddush mentions that Shabbat is zecher liyitziat mitzrayim, when the other part of kiddush says that Shabbos is "zikaron limaaseh bereishis" (in memory of the acts of Creation)?
Should the focus of Shabbat be remembering Creation
[G-d as Creator] or the Exodus [G-d as Redeemer (Director)]?
[G-d as Creator] or the Exodus [G-d as Redeemer (Director)]?
Friday evening:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, has desired us, and has given us, in love and good will, His holy Shabbat as a heritage, in remembrance of the work of Creation; the first of the holy festivals, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us from among all the nations, and with love and good will given us Your holy Shabbat as a heritage. Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctifies the Shabbat.
Shabbat day:
Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat for the LORD your God; you shall not do any work — you, your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, and your cattle, and the stranger who is in your gates. For [in] six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11))
Shlah HaKadosh describes the relationship between Tishrei being considered the beginning of the year vs. Nissan being "Rosh Chodoshim".
ReplyDeleteTishrei - The beginning of the physical dimension of the world.
Nissan - The beginning of the spiritual dimension of the world.
R' Yehudah HaLevi in his Kuzari relates that Hashem "introduced" Himself as the God Who took you out of Mitzrayim as opposed to the God Who created the entire universe. This is because the Jewish People were not around to witness the events of Bri'as Ha'olam - creation, but after experiencing the events of Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, recognized, in retrospect, the very fact that it must have been God who created it all.
Tishrei - God of Creation: He created it all
Nissan - God of History: He is involved in it all.
Both these events are critical to our understanding of Hashem's involvement in the world and in our lives.