Spiritually, every week is a repetition of the week of Creation: G‑d re-creates the world during the six workdays and “rests” every Sabbath. G‑d “rests” by re-experiencing the original idea that gave rise to the creation of the world. During the six original days of Creation, G‑d attended to the details of executing His designs; after the master architect completed His masterpiece, He surveyed it and reviewed it as the fulfillment of His plan.
Thus, during the six workdays, the world is re-created by G‑d’s “creative” energy, whereas on the Sabbath, the world is created by G‑d’s “resting” energy.
Therefore, our task on the Sabbath is not to labor in rectifying creation, but to experience creation as the Divine dwelling we have worked to make it into during the week. We enter into this state of consciousness by refraining from the 39 categories of creative work we do in our weekday lives.1
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