Shabbat Double Coupons

Welcome to Embrace Shabbat. In this week’s parsha, Parshat Pinchas, it describes the Korban that is brought on Shabbat: וּבְיוֹם֙ הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת שְׁנֵֽי־כְבָשִׂ֥ים , on the Shabbat day, two lambs without a blemish . Generally, the Korban Tamid consists of one lamb, but on Shabbat it is doubled The Yalkut Shemoni on Shemot (261) explains that everything about Shabbat is doubled. This concept began with the double portion of mann that rained down in honor of Shabbat, a physical item that allowed Klal Yisrael to eat and survive. In a similar vein, the korban is spirituality doubled, thereby doubling the connection to Hashem. The language of the punishment for desecrating Shabbat is also doubled- מְחַֽלְלֶ֨יהָ֙ מֹ֣ות יוּמָ֔ת , those who desecrate Shabbat, die; they will die. Similarly, the reward for Shabbat is doubled; we are promised oneg and kavod , delight and respect. There is a positive and negative warning for keeping Shabbat- zachur and shamor . The mizmor of Shabbat is doubled, mizmor shir , two terms of song. Everything about Shabbat is doubled. Therefore, we have special actions on Shabbat that represent this double power. We light two candles, one for zachur and one for shamor . We also have lechem mishneh, two loaves of bread, to represent the double portion of mann that came down for Shabbat. This concept dates back to a previously-mentioned Midrash, where Shabbat complained that each day of the week had a pair, but it did not. Hashem promised that the Jewish people would be its pair. On Shabbat, everything is doubled to signify that Shabbat adds and enhances everything about our day. We receive a neshama yetaira , an additional soul, that provides us with a double force. This concept of double power does not only refer to Shabbat and the Jewish people, but also to the connection between G-d and the Jewish people. גוי ששבת חייב מיתה , a goy who observes Shabbat is guilty of death. A goy observing Shabbat can be compared to a stranger who walks into the king and queen’s room and interferes with their intimate time together. Shabbat is a special time of connection for G-d and the Jewish people. It is customary to read Shir HaShirim on Friday night to commemorate the love between G-d and the Jewish people on Shabbat. On Shabbat, everything becomes supercharged. Our brachot, neshama, reward, and, heaven-forbid, punishment. Like a “double coupon” at a Chinese auction, on Shabbat every bracha is supercharged, every bit of learning is supercharged, and everything that we do has an extra superpower. The two loaves at our Shabbat meals and the two candles on Friday night are there to remind us of the double power on Shabbat. Be’ezrat Hashem, we will reap the double reward of וקראת לשבת עונג , delight , and לקדוש ה' מכובד , and honor . Have a wonderful day and a Shabbat Shalom.