Thursday, January 29, 2015

Access to the Gift

"See, G-d has given you the Shabbat..." (Exodus 16:29)
Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Gur points out that if one sells a well to his neighbor, only the well may be considered as sold, unless otherwise specified. However, if one gives a well as a gift, the legal assumption is that he is also giving the recipient a means of access to the well. Why this distinction? When one SELLS an object, one is interested only in the money he receives. If one gives a GIFT, one is primarily interested in his neighbors happiness, and includes in the gift everything necessary for its enjoyment. In this case, the access route is automatically included.G-d gives us the Shabbat as a gift. He also provides the path to access this special holiness. He is interested in our happiness.

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