Done ?

בס"ד

"ששת ימים תעבוד ועשית כל מלאכתך" [שמות כ:ט]

"Six days shall you toil and perform all your work" [Shemos 20:9]

Chazal teach us that  the phraseology of this passuk is meant to teach us a lesson in serenity. For six days we do our work and when it comes to Shabbos – we consider all our work as having been completed.

The question arises, however, how do we do this when we are obviously not done with our work? Can a contractor look at a building site and consider it complete? How does a hodgepodge of paperwork and thirty unread messages appear complete to businessman?

The answer lies in our perspective. Imagine a basketball player shooting hoops furiously after the buzzer has sounded. We would consider him a fool! The point of the game is to score the baskets within the allotted time – not after it. Once the game is up – there is no longer any reason to shoot the ball. The same applies to someone who has a hand up to shade their eyes from the sun – once the sun has set, there is no need for them to continue to raise their hand.

The six day week was given to us for toil. To work, expend effort and accomplish. Shabbos was given to us as a day of rest. The clock is not ticking and the meter is not running. On shabbos our work is complete because there is nothing we can do about it! We finished our part, there is no more to do.

This is also hinted at in the next passuk. "On the seventh day it is a shabbos for Hashem, your G-d, you shall not peform any work …" On shabbos – Hashem takes care of everything. There is no need for us to worry, since He is picking up the tab.

This shabbos, let us focus on this feeling of serenity – this recognition that we have done all that we could (even when we didn't finish) and truly perceive this day as one where all our work has been completed.

Hatzlacha !!