No community start suggestion yet.
Why does Shabbos (שבת) require both zachor and shamor, while Yom Tov observance doesn't mandate the positive commandments? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: Shabbos has two dimensions—Friday night when we are the chasan making the kallah of Shabbos, and Shabbos day when we become the kallah receiving directly from Hashem (ה׳). This dual relationship explains why shamor creates the obligation of zachor.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a fundamental question: The Gemara (גמרא) derives from "zachor v'shamor b'dibur echad ne'emru" that women, who are obligated in the negative commandment of not doing melacha, are also obligated in the positive commandment of kiddush. This suggests that not doing melacha and being mekadesh the day are two sides of the same coin. Yet on Yom Tov, this principle doesn't apply—women cannot do melacha on Sukkos (סוכות) but aren't obligated to sit in the sukkah, and they cannot do melacha on Rosh Hashanah but aren't obligated to blow shofar. What is the conceptual difference? The Ramban (רמב"ן)'s question on the Aseres HaDibros provides another angle: If zachor and shamor were said together, why was only zachor written on the luchos? Why would Hashem (ה׳) emphasize a mitzvah (מצוה) that takes two seconds to perform (kiddush) over the twenty-four hour obligation of not doing melacha? Additionally, the Rambam (רמב"ם) in Hilchos Shabbos (שבת) describes the mitzvah as "lekadesh es yom haShabbos b'dvarim"—to sanctify the Shabbos day through speech—yet the Gemara in Beitzah establishes that the proper bracha is "mekadesh haShabbos" not "mekadesh Yisroel v'haShabbos," because Shabbos is kavua u'kayim, its kedusha doesn't depend on Klal Yisroel like the yamim tovim do. How can we be mekadesh something that is already inherently kadosh?
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Hashkafa
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
Up Next in this Series
Why does seeing a sotah inspire one to become a nazir? The nazir's abstention creates a pre-sin state where body and soul exist in perfect harmony. This 30-day period corrects the internal contradiction that led to his original transgression.
Why does Megillas Esther interrupt Torah study for a message the world deemed ridiculous—that every man should rule his home? The shiur develops the yesod that the moon's willingness to "make itself small" doesn't diminish it but creates unified sovereignty. A woman who enables her husband to lead isn't relegated to second class—she is the king-maker, comfortable creating oneness where a man cannot.
Does going to doctors contradict relying on Hashem as our healer? The Ramban holds medicine is a concession for those not on high spiritual levels, while the Rambam views medicine as a science—a domain Hashem established. The shiur resolves this by explaining that illness uniquely separates a person from Hashem, making self-cure through teshuvah impossible and necessitating medical intervention.
Parshas Yisro - Aseres HaDibros (Zachor es Yom HaShabbos)
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
