How many days of "Creation" where there? If the answer is 7, then why is shabbos considered a day of Creation?
2 Answers
The days of B'raishis are referred to commonly by Hazal as Sheishes Yimei B'raishis. However it does say "Vayichal Elokim BaYom HaShvi'i which means the Almighty finished on the 7th day. Rashi is bothered by the fact that the verse said right after Yom Hashishi that "The heavens and Earth and all their hosts were completed". Did Hashem finish on the 7th or the 6th? He answers that Shabbos brought the concept of Minuha, rest to the world. Without the concept of rest the world was not yet complete. The concept of rest means to stop creating. So by stopping, Hashem completed creation. Avin Ezrah (yes, that is how it is pronounced! see http://onthemainline.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-should-we-pronounce-ibn-as-in-ibn.html) says that Hashem resting means He set the laws of nature as constant. It is all there in your Mikraos Gedolos Humash.
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That ניקוד (although I realize not the main point of your post) is blowing my mind. I think this gets back to the question of whether it is more appropriate to pronounce a person's name the way they would pronounce it or the way it is universally pronounced. See: mi.yodeya.com/questions/461/…– WAFApr 25, 2010 at 15:41
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Yes, it blew my mind as well! I just thought it would be interesting to share. BTW, that blog is full of mind-blowing ideas.– YahuApr 25, 2010 at 17:06
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shabbos is the creation of rest. hashem is teaching us that even he, who created the world, took a day to rest, and so should we.
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1yudi b, Welcome to mi.yodeya, and thanks very much for adding your insight here. If you could add a source to your answer, it would be even better. Please consider clicking on "register," above, to create your account. This will give you access to all of mi.yodeya's features and will allow you to take full credit for your contributions.– Isaac Moses ♦Apr 25, 2010 at 4:32