When Moses repeats the Ten Commandments in Va’eschanan, one detail stands out. The fourth Commandment, the one about keeping Shabbat, contains a notable difference compared to what was said back in Parshas Yisro. 

Back there says, 
Remember (Zachor) the Sabbath day, keeping it holy. (Shemos 20:8)

While in this week’s Parsha, Moses says, 
Observe/Guard (Shamor) the Sabbath day, keeping it holy… (Devarim 5:12)

This being the famous Shamor/Zachor dynamic I discussed a few years ago. The mitzvah is pretty much identical after that: six days do your work, the seventh you can’t work, and neither can anyone in your household, etc. Until the final sentiment when it diverges again. 

Yisro:
For in six days God made heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is within them, and He rested on the seventh day. God therefore blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. (Shemos 19:11)

Va’eschanan:
You must remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that Hashem, your God, took you out from there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm. Therefore, Hashem, your God, commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Devarim 5:15)

So why do we keep Shabbat? Is it because Hashem created the world or because He took us out of Egypt? The act of creating the world seems to make sense. God worked and rested, so we should work and take a day off too. What does the fact that we were slaves and then taken out have anything to do with Shabbat? 

Rambam says in The Guide for the Perplexed (2:31) that the two reasons are equal aspects for observing Shabbat. One should focus on both the sanctity and blessing of the Sabbath as well as we must remember that we were slaves who didn’t get a day off. A beautiful vacation is great, but it is even better when you appreciate that you used to work a job that didn’t give vacation time. So not only did God create the world, He gave us a better job when He acquired us as His servants. 

The Ramban seems to have a problem with the Rambam’s answer. Ramban remarks, “When we are resting on the seventh day we are not provided with a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt, nor does anyone who sees us being idle from work have any knowledge of [the notion we were slaves in Egypt.]” Essentially he’s saying, no one is spending their Shabbat thinking “Gee this is so much better than being a slave in Egypt because I get a day off.” Instead Ramban stresses, “If there ever arises a doubt in your heart concerning the Sabbath that evidences the creation of the world by the will and power of God, you should remember what your eyes saw at the exodus from Egypt which is to you evidence of His power and the remembrance of His deeds.” But why would the miracles in Egypt add anything to our understanding of God if we already believe He created the world?

There is a belief that maybe there is a God who created existence, but who is to say that that God didn’t go off to other galaxies or dimensions or became busy with other things? Maybe this God peaced out and left us to our own devices. That might seem plausible until you have to explain the Exodus. And not just that we escaped from bondage, we were taken out via the most incredible earth shattering miracles the world has ever known. 

So it’s not just that God created existence, He is actively and intently involved in the world and human history. He is invested in what we are doing. In other words, God cares. 

Many people ask questions akin to, “Does God really care if I eat shrimp?” “Does God really care if I turn on the lights on Shabbat?” or “Why would God care about such an insignificant thing?” To respond to that, I’d quote the writer David Sacks, “Why would you make God so small?” If God is infinite as Jewish thought sees Him, God can’t get too busy. God can’t be overwhelmed. He doesn’t need to prioritize one thing over another. In fact, it is this very idea of God’s limitless presence is found throughout the parsha. 

It’s in Va’eschana where we first get the mitzvah of Shema which famously says, “Hashem echad.” Not just that there is one God, but that God is One. The Ultimate Unity. Starting in chapter 4, at verse 26, Moses tells a prophecy. He says that even though the Israelites are crossing into Israel, they “will not live long upon it… Hashem will disperse you among the peoples and you will remain few in number among the nations.” It’s chilling to know that this perfectly describes what actually happens in Jewish history including the exile we currently find ourselves in. The prophecy then foretells how we will return to Israel and how we have a unique relationship with God. Finally at verse 35 it says “Hashem is the God, ein od milvado (there is nothing else other than God.)”

Ein od milvado is regarded as one of the most secretive and mystical phrases in all of Torah. But in essence (assuming I understand it), not only is there a God, not only is God involved, not only does God care, not only is there no other god than Hashem, in truth, there’s nothing else that exists BUT God. 

Whether you’re willing or open to that level of Divine interaction is up to you. The point is Judaism emphatically believes in God’s present involvement. But let’s go back to why this matters to Shabbos. We said that the 4th Commandment in this week’s parsha is characterized by the verb shamor, to observe or to guard. The rabbis say this pertains to the prohibitions of Shabbos. The thing we avoid so as not to transgress Shabbat. 

To abstain from the temptations of work, to risk losing money, missing out on networking opportunities, losing out on the chance to get ahead… that’s a lot to let go of. The truth is, Shabbat can only be appreciated if you believe that some higher power is running the show. Letting go of anything is an exercise in trust. The mitzvah of shamor Shabbos is a profound act of letting go. Is this thing I’m letting go of going to be okay without me? Is someone else going to screw it up? Will it be there when I come back? But when we trust that not only will everything be okay without us for 25 hours, it’s not only going to be okay, it’ll actually thrive.

 “Hashem blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.” (Shemos 20:11) means not just that Shabbos is blessed, but it is the source of blessing. But in order to be at peace with that, we have to know that God is involved, He cares, and is guiding your life just as He has done for all of the Jewish people since taking them out of Egypt. That is why remembering the exodus is key to trusting that we weren’t just created, there’s a reason for that creation. There’s purpose, design, and letting go for the sake of Shabbos isn’t a risk, it’s part of the whole plan.