Moshe called the whole community of the children of Israel to assemble, and he said to them: "These are the things that the Lord commanded to make". (Shemos 35:1)
True Observance
Through my travels, I have unfortunately met all over the world, Jews that define their Shabbos observance simply by going to shul, or by making Kiddush Friday night and eating some fish. They do not know better, and their naivety is the result of never learning what keeping Shabbos truly means.
However, this ignorance is not limited to the uneducated. There are many Jews who learn Torah daily and perform the mitzvos to their best ability. However, in regard to their Shabbos observance, they have a peripheral understanding of the complexities of Shabbos' laws. They may understand the main concepts, but they do not know the depth and intricacies that surround the extensive laws of observing Shabbos properly.
Observing Shabbos properly is dependent on one's understanding of Shabbos' laws. R' Yonason Eybeschutz wrote in Ya'aros Devash (Volume II, Drush 2), that without reviewing all the detailed laws of Shabbos multiple times, it is impossible to escape the desecration of Shabbos.
By committing yourself to thoroughly studying the laws of Shabbos, you will not only understand how to properly observe Shabbos, but the holy power of this learning will also protect you from even accidentally desecrating Shabbos.
Knowledge is Power
The Baal Shem Tov, zt"l, applied this very concept to the performance of all the mitzvos, when he taught, that if a Jew is presented with the opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah that is challenging for him, he should learn the relevant laws in the Torah, and, by doing so, he will receive help from the Heavens to be able to actualize that mitzvah completely and properly. The same is true regarding the transgressions. When a person faces the enticements of the Yetzer Harah, when he is tempted to sin, if he learns the laws that apply to that prohibition, he will receive the strength from the Heavens to overcome that temptation.
R' Yissachor Dov from Belz, zt"l explained, that we see this same idea when the Jews received the Ten Commandments in Parshas Yisro. The pasuk says (Shemos 20:1), 'Hashem spoke all these words, to respond...' Rashi taught that the Jews responded to each positive commandment "yes", and "no" to each negative commandment. That verbalization, explained the Rebbe, helped empower the yidden to be able to observe the mitzvos.
Similarly, a Jew once approached R' Aharon from Belz, zt"l. He had desecrated Shabbos once and wanted to know how he could remedy that wrongdoing. The Rebbe told him, "Spend an entire year learning the laws of Shabbos carefully and in-depth. This will correct your past transgression, and will also be a Segulah to protect you from doing so again in the future."
A proven Segulah
The Tiferes Shlomo from Radamsk, zt"l, spent Shabbos with his Rebbe, R' Yeshayahu from Peshdevorz. After Havdalah the Rebbe asked the Tiferes Shlomo to sing "Hamavdil". He sang with such a liveliness and passion that everyone was compelled to come and hear the melody. When he finished, the Rebbe reached into his Shabbos coat and found a coin which he gave to the Tiferes Shlomo and said, "This is the payment for singing Hamavdil."
Then the Rebbe added, "I have extensively studied and memorized the laws of Shabbos. Therefore, it is impossible that I would have forgotten that a coin was left in the coat I wear on Shabbos. My studies have ensured that I would not violate a single law of Shabbos even accidentally. Therefore, I have to conclude that Eliyahu HaNavi placed that coin in my pocket so that I may give it to you."
The Baal HaTanya zt"l related, that when he was arrested and being escorted to prison, Shabbos was rapidly approaching. As the sun began to set, he asked the guards to allow him to stop and not to travel on Shabbos. Of course, they denied his request. As a result, the Rebbe began to reflect on his Shabbos observance and realized that there was one aspect of Shabbos law that was still unclear to him. He immediately began analyzing and dissecting every aspect of that law. The moment it became clear to him, the wheel of the wagon that was transporting him broke, and they were forced to stop their travels until after Shabbos.
We can clearly see, that engaging in the laws of Shabbos and studying them thoroughly, helps protect someone from desecrating Shabbos in any way.
Learn Together
This is the reason that many tzaddikim and sages encouraged Jews to review these laws regularly on Shabbos. Many communities also have the custom to study these laws on Shabbos through classes and self-study.
We can find the source for this in this week's Parsha:
The Parsha begins with Moshe gathering all of the Jews together and teaching them about the laws of Shabbos. The Midrash (Yalkut Shemoni, 408) taught that throughout the entire Torah this is the only Parsha that begins with gathering all of the Jews. The message, explains the Midrash, is clear: Hashem was teaching us that we need to create large congregations and gather them for the purpose of teaching Shabbos' laws. The Midrash concludes that throughout the generations the Jews should gather in shul every Shabbos to study the laws of the Shabbos together.
Based on what we have said above, we can explain the rest of the pasuk that says, and he said to them: "These are the things that the Lord commanded to make". The commentators note, that since what follows are the actions a person cannot do on Shabbos, it should have said "These are the things that the Lord commanded NOT to make". We can explain, that the Hebrew word for things, הדברים, can be read to mean "words" – meaning the words of Torah study. Therefore, the pasuk can be interrupted to be teaching us, that the yidden need "make" and establish classes that focus on the words of Torah and the laws that are relevant to observing Shabbos.
The next pasuk says (Shemos 35:2), "Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to the Lord; whoever performs work thereon [on this day] shall be put to death". Through studying the laws of Shabbos a person merits to be successful during the 'Six days work may be done', and you will merit 'on the seventh day you shall have sanctity'; your study of Shabbos laws will enable you to sanctify the day and guard it from any semblance of transgression. And, you will merit only goodness and brachos.
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