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Why did Hashem (ה׳) give us tzitzis after the Mekarev Shabbos (שבת) incident? The Midrash connects tzitzis to the lack of tefillin on Shabbos. Tzitzis uniquely serves both weekday battles (neshamah vs guf) and Shabbos synthesis (unifying physical and spiritual), making it the perfect mitzvah (מצוה) for all seven days.
This shiur explores a fascinating Midrash quoted by the Maharsha that connects the mitzvah (מצוה) of tzitzis to the incident of the mekoshesh etzim (wood gatherer) who violated Shabbos (שבת). The Midrash explains that when this occurred, Moshe Rabbeinu approached Hashem (ה׳) saying that during the week, the Jewish people have tefillin to keep them spiritually focused, but on Shabbos there is no tefillin, which led to the Shabbos violation. In response, Hashem gave the mitzvah of tzitzis. The shiur addresses several fundamental questions arising from this Midrash. If the lack of tefillin on Shabbos caused the problem, why didn't Hashem simply require tefillin on Shabbos? The standard answer is that tefillin is an 'os' (sign) and Shabbos itself is an 'os', so we don't need both. But this creates a circular problem - if we don't need tefillin on Shabbos, how could its absence cause the violation?
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Parshas Shelach - Mekoshesh Etzim
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