Reward and Punishment in Regards to Shabbos Kodesh

(1) The holy Shabbos is the great sign and covenant which the Holy One Blessed is He gave to us, to know that in six days the Almighty made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, and abstained from work on the seventh day. This is the foundation of our faith. Our Sages of blessed memory said:1See Talmud Yerushalmi, Maseches Nedarim 3: 9 and Rambam, Shabbos 30: 15. "Shabbos is equivalent to all the mitzvos." "Whoever keeps the Shabbos in accordance with its laws is regarded as though he fulfilled the entire Torah;"2Zohar, Beshalach 47. and "whoever desecrates the Shabbos is like one who completely denies the whole Torah."3See Maseches Chulin 5a. And so it is said in Ezra: "And You came down on Mount Sinai and You gave Your people righteous judgments and true laws … and Your holy Shabbos You made known to them."4Nehemiah 9: 13. According to tradition, both the books of Ezra and Nechemiah were authored by Ezra.

Rava bar Meḥasseya said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said that Rav said: One who gives a gift to another must inform him that he is giving it to him. As it is stated: “Only keep My Shabbatot for it is a sign between Me and you for your generations to know that I am God Who sanctifies you” (Exodus 31:13). When the Holy One, Blessed be He, gave Shabbat to Israel, He told Moses to inform them about it. That was also taught in a baraita: The verse states: “For I am God Who sanctifies you,” meaning that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: I have a good gift in My treasure house and Shabbat is its name, and I seek to give it to Israel. Go inform them about it.

Rav Ḥisda said that Mar Ukva said: One who prays on Shabbat evening and recites vaykhullu, the two ministering angels who accompany the person at all times place their hands on his head and say to him: “And your iniquity has passed, and your sin has been atoned” (Isaiah 6:7).

on the inheritance of Jacob your father, as the mouth of God has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13–14). The reward for delighting in Shabbat is specifically the portion of Jacob. Not that of Abraham, about whom it is written, “Rise, walk through the land through its length and its width because I have given it to you” (Genesis 13:17), i.e., only this land alone in its borders. And not that of Isaac, about whom it is written, “Dwell in this land and I will be with you and I will bless you because I will give all of these lands to you and your offspring” (Genesis 26:3), meaning these lands and no others. Rather, that of Jacob, about whom it is written, “And your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all of the families of the land will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Genesis 28:14). There are no boundaries for Jacob’s portion. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: One who delights in Shabbat is rescued from the oppression of exile. He derives it by means of a verbal analogy. It is written here, with regard to Shabbat: “And I will cause you to ride on the heights [bamotei] of the world” (Isaiah 58:14), and it is written there: “You are fortunate Israel, who is like you? A nation redeemed by God, the shield that aids you and the sword of your triumph. Your enemies will try to defeat you and you will trample their high places [bamoteimo]” (Deuteronomy 33:29). Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: With regard to anyone who delights in the Shabbat, God grants him his heart’s desires, as it is stated: “And you shall delight in God and He will grant you your heart’s desires” (Psalms 37:4). This delight in God, which is mentioned in the verse, I do not know what it is. When it says: “And you shall call the Shabbat delight,” one must say: It is the delight of Shabbat. The Gemara asks: With what does one delight in the day of Shabbat? Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, said in the name of Rav: With a dish of beets, and large fish, and heads of garlic. Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said that Rav said: Even with regard to a small item and one prepared it in deference to Shabbat, it is a delight. The Gemara asks: What is the small item mentioned? Rav Pappa said: Small fried fish. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: With regard to anyone who observes Shabbat in accordance with its halakhot, even if he worships idolatry as in the generation of Enosh, God forgives him his sins, as it is stated: “Fortunate is the man [enosh] who does this and the person who holds strong to it, one who guards the Shabbat from desecrating it [meḥallelo], and guards his hand from doing any evil” (Isaiah 56:2). Do not read it as: From desecrating it [meḥallelo], but rather: He is forgiven [maḥul lo]. With regard to the generation of Enosh it is written: “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then they began [huḥal] to call upon the Name of God” (Genesis 4:26), meaning to desecrate [leḥallel] His name. Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Had the Jewish people properly observed the first Shabbat that was commanded them, no nation or tongue would have ever ruled them, as it is stated: “And it happened on the seventh day, some people went out from the nation to collect and they did not find” (Exodus 16:27). And it is written after they went out to collect manna: “And Amalek came and fought with Israel in Refidim” (Exodus 17:8). Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: If only the Jewish people would keep two Shabbatot in accordance with their halakhot, they would be immediately redeemed, as it is stated: “So said God to the eunuchs who will keep My Shabbatot” (Isaiah 56:4), and it is written after that: “And I will bring them to My holy mountain and will let them rejoice in My house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among those who eat three meals on Shabbat.

(12) Rabbi Levi said: If Israel observes Shabbat properly, even one day, the son of David25The Messiah. will come. Why? Because it is equivalent to all the mitzvot. Likewise it says: “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the flock of His hand; today, would you only heed His voice” (Psalms 95:7). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Even though I set a limit for the end, and it will come whether they repent or do not repent, it will come only at its time. If they repent, even one day, I will bring it not at its appointed time. That is, “today, would you only heed His voice.” Just as we saw that for all the mitzvot, the son of David comes, for the observance of one day of Shabbat, the son of David comes, because Shabbat is equivalent to all mitzvot.
Rabbi Elazar bar Avina said: We find in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings that Shabbat is equivalent to all the mitzvot. In the Torah, from where is it derived? From the fact that when Moses forgot to tell them the mitzva of Shabbat, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Until when do you refuse to observe My commandments…” (Exodus 16:28). What is written thereafter? “See that the Lord has given you the Shabbat” (Exodus 16:28). In the prophets, from where is it derived? From that which is stated: “The house of Israel defied Me in the wilderness, they did not follow My statutes” (Ezekiel 20:13). What is written thereafter? “They desecrated My Shabbats” (Ezekiel 20:13). In the Writings, from where is it derived? From that which is stated: “You came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke to them [from heaven and gave them upright ordinances and laws of truth, good statutes and mitzvot]” (Nehemiah 9:13). What is written thereafter? “You informed them of Your holy Shabbat” (Nehemiah 9:14). The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘If you merit to observe Shabbat, I consider it for you as though you observed all the mitzvot of the Torah. If you desecrate it, I consider it for you as though you desecrated all the mitzvot.’ Likewise, it says: “Who keeps the Shabbat from its desecration and prevents his hand from performing any evil” (Isaiah 56:2).
When a person observes the Shabbat, he issues a decree and the Holy One blessed be He fulfills it, as it is stated: "If you restrain your walking because of the Sabbath” (Isaiah 58:13). What is written thereafter? “Then you will delight in the Lord” (Isaiah 58:14), just as it says: “Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4). Moreover, everything that you eat in this world is only from the profits, but the principal remains for the World to Come, as it is stated: “I will feed you the inheritance of Jacob your forefather, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 58:14).

(15) [The observance of] the Sabbath and [the prohibition against] worshiping false deities are each equivalent to [the observance] of all the mitzvot of the Torah.54The Jerusalem Talmud (Nedarim 3:9) derives the equivalence between the Sabbath and the entire Torah from Nechemiah 9:13-14: "On Mount Sinai You descended.... And You gave them straight judgments... and good statutes and commandments. And You informed them of Your holy Sabbath." The Maggid Mishneh explains that the Sabbath's central importance stems from the fact that it is a sign of God's constant renewal of creation.
Kinat Eliyahu explains the equivalence between the Sabbath and all the other mitzvot as follows: The dynamic spiritual activity of the Sabbath, carried out against a backdrop of rest and material satisfaction, reflects the goal and purpose of the totality of our Torah observance. It is for this reason that our Sages called the Sabbath "a microcosm of the world to come." And the Sabbath is the eternal sign between the Holy One, blessed be He, and us.55The Rambam is borrowing the wording of Exodus 31:13,17.
For this reason, whoever transgresses the other mitzvot is considered to be one of the wicked of Israel, but a person who desecrates the Sabbath publicly is considered as an idolater. Both of them are considered to be equivalent to gentiles in all regards. Therefore, our prophets praise [Sabbath observance], saying [Isaiah 56:2]: "Happy is the man who does the following, and the mortal who holds fast to it, who keeps the Sabbath, without desecrating it...."
It is explicitly stated in our prophetic tradition that whoever observes the Sabbath according to law and honors it and delights in it according to his ability will receive reward in this world in addition to the reward that is preserved for the world to come,57Which the Rambam considers to be the ultimate reward, as he writes in Hilchot Teshuvah, Chapter 8. as [Isaiah 58:14]58It is the observance of the Sabbath that is described in the preceding verse in Isaiah, "And you shall call the Sabbath 'a delight...,' which makes one worthy of the rewards mentioned in this verse. states: "'You will then delight in God. I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth, and I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob your ancestor'; thus has the mouth of God spoken."

When I guard the Sabbath, God guards me.
It is a sign for eternity between Him and me.
It is forbidden to seek to do regular things,
Discussing only of what is nessicary,
not words of business, not even words of politics.
I study the Torah, and G-d makes me wise.

On [Shabbat], I always find myself and my soul,
Behold, for the first generation he gave it's holiness
From the miraculous giving of bread, the double loaves, on Friday
Thus on every Friday he doubles my portion.

It is written in God's Torah, a portion to his priests
For the table, the show bread is on it for him,
Therefore, to make a fast on [Shabbat] is forbidden
in accordance with his sages.
Only on the day of atonement do I fast.

It is a day of honor, it is a day of pleasure,
Good bread and good wine, Meat and Fish,
Mourners who are made to grieve on [Shabbat], cease
Because it is a day of joy, and I am made joyful.

He who labors on [Shabbat], destroy him to his end.
Therefore I wash my heart like the covenant,
And I pray to God, Night and Morning,
The Additional and also the Afternoon prayer, he answers me.

(2) Happy is the mortal who does this,
The one who holds fast to it:
Who keeps the sabbath and does not profane it,
And holds back from doing any evil. (3) Let not the foreigner say,
Who is joined to GOD,
“ GOD will keep me apart from this covenanted people”;
And let not the eunuch say,
“I am a withered tree.” (4) For thus said GOD:
“As for the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,
Who have chosen what I desire
And hold fast to My covenant— (5) I will give them, in My House
And within My walls,
A monument and a name
Better than sons or daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not perish. (6) As for the foreigners
Who are joined to GOD,
To render service,
And to love GOD’s name,
To be devoted servants—
All who keep the sabbath and do not profane it,
And who hold fast to My covenant—