Daf Yomi, Marriage Counseling, Psychotherapy, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Torah and Psychology
Our Gemara on Amud Beis explains why Shabbos supersedes Yom Kippur in certain halachic situations:
“Shabbos is established and permanent, i.e., it always occurs on the seventh day of the week, whereas in the case of Yom Kippur, it is the court that establishes it, as the Sages determine the New Moon. Consequently, Shabbos is considered to have preceded Yom Kippur, and the prohibition to perform labor on Yom Kippur does not apply, due to the fact that labor is already prohibited because it is Shabbos. Since one brings a sin offering only due to unwitting transgression, he is obligated to bring a sin offering only if he performed labor without realizing it was Shabbos.”
Sefas Emes (Bamidbar, Shlach 3) applies this principle to explain a Midrash about the Mekoshes, the person who defied Shabbos in the Torah by gathering wood (Bamidbar 15:32).
The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 750) notices a juxtaposition between the event of the Mekoshes and the giving of the commandment of Tzitzis. Moshe argues that the Mekoshes succumbed to temptation because on Shabbos there is no Tefilin to remind the person of his obligation to Heaven. In response, God provided the commandment of Tzitzis, which can be worn on Shabbos and will serve the same purpose.
Sefas Emes asks, we know that Shabbos itself is considered a “sign” or “reminder” just as tefilin is, and this actually is the reason why we don’t wear tefilin on Shabbos. Rabbi Akiva says, “I might have thought that a person should don tefilin on Shabasos and Festivals. Therefore, the verse states: ‘And it shall be for a sign for you on your arm, and for a remembrance between your eyes, so that God’s law shall be in your mouth; for with a strong arm God brought you out of Egypt’ (Exodus 13:9). The obligation to don tefilin applies when Jews require a sign to assert their Judaism and their status as the Chosen People, i.e., during the week, excluding Shabbos and Festivals, as they are themselves signs of Israel’s status as the Chosen People and a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. Consequently, no further sign is required on these days.” (Eiruvin 96a.)
Therefore, why was Shabbos alone not enough of a sign to prevent the Mekoshes from violating Shabbos?
Sefas Emes answers that since Shabbos is enacted by Hashem alone, it has less influence over a person than mitzvos that he partners in. Other mitzvos require an action - the person has to enact and sanctify it. Though he makes Kiddush, because Shabbos comes automatically, it is still fundamentally different. This speaks to the pedagogical idea of ownership and participation. The more children feel like they are active participants and partners in their learning, which can be achieved by giving them choices and collaborating on learning goals, the more they are motivated. The mitzvos that require human activation end up more inspiring.
Another answer occurs to me, based on a different principle: “A prisoner cannot generally free himself from prison, but depends on others to release him from his shackles.” (Berachos 5b) In that Gemara, it is therefore noted that someone else’s prayers for a person may be more effective than their own.
If so, perhaps the sign of Shabbos could not effectively remind the Mekoshes about Shabbos — only a sign that came through a different mitzvah. What is the psychology behind this phenomenon? When one is immersed in something they may not notice it in the same manner; there is a loss of contrast. The grass is greener on the other side of the street for a reason. One sees the different qualities from the outside, not the inside. Similarly, Ibn Ezra (Shemos 2:3) suggests that God had Moshe grow up in Pharaoh’s palace, because if he grew up with regular Jewish folk, they would not respect him as much and just see him as “one of them.” Actually, to add to Ibn Ezra’s idea, perhaps it was the divine will that Moshe be an outsider to both the Egyptians and the Jews so I posted them would take him more seriously. The lesson is that the familiar is often taken for granted.
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Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com