The Shabbos Elevator

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

When the Torah describes the Sanctuary offerings it states an interesting rule. “From eight days on an animal will be accepted.” The Medrash explains that the requirement to wait eight days is so that every animal should first greet the Shabbos before being offered to G-d. The Medrash continues: “The same is true for Milah, which is done when a baby boy is eight days old.” The universal waiting time of eight days ensures that every child has “greeted” Shabbos first.

If you will do the calculation of eight days you will notice an obvious question. It doesn’t really take eight days to greet Shabbos. If a child is born on Shabbos, then he instantly experiences Shabbos. If he is born on Sunday, it only takes seven days to ensure that he will experience Shabbos. Why is eight days considered the universal waiting time?

One of the most interesting customs in the Jewish world is the Shalom Zachor. The Shalom Zachor is a festive gathering that takes place on the first Friday night of a baby boy’s life. The commentaries explain that the purpose of the gathering is to comfort the baby boy upon a great loss that he experienced. Our tradition maintains that when the baby was in his mother’s womb, an angel came and taught him Torah. When he emerged at birth, an angel “touched” him and he forgot his learning. We therefore comfort the child on the first Friday night of his life, to commiserate with his loss, and to encourage him that in this world he can regain that which he lost.

The question is why does the Shalom Zachor take place on Friday night, and not at any other time during Shabbos?

I believe that the Shalom Zachor, and the need to wait until the eighth day after a birth, follow a similar theme in Jewish thought. When we wish to comfort a child on his loss of Torah, it is not enough to show that sanctity exists. The child’s soul comes from heaven; he knows very well that sanctity exists. To bring comfort to the child you must give him the confidence that he can do it, that he can elevate himself from the mundane into sanctity. That message occurs on Friday night as Shabbos begins. For this reason the Shalom Zachor comfort occurs on Friday night shortly after Shabbos has begun. Similarly, circumcision is performed after the child has “greeted” the advent of Shabbos. Only then has he experienced the ascent into sanctity.

Think of it like an elevator that goes between two floors. If a person is born on the second floor then he experiences sanctity, but he has never had the experience of elevating himself into sanctity. It is only when a person starts on the ground floor that he can have the elevator experience rising into sanctity.

The entire Shabbos experience declares that sanctity exists, but it is the Friday night transformation that contains the message of spiritual ascent. That is the message of comfort offered at a Shalom Zachar. That is the message implied in the eight day wait before circumcision. And that is the message that you experience every Friday eve as you ready yourself to ride the Shabbos elevator.

With best wishes for a wonderful Shabbos.

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