What does God’s rest on the seventh day teach about my own worth?

Rabbi Landau explains that God didn’t rest on the seventh day because He was tired. He rested to show that existence itself, without any production at all, has infinite value.

That is what Shabbos brings into a person’s week. On Shabbos you don’t justify your existence with a to-do list, and you don’t earn your place at the table. “You sit down, not because you finished, but because you are.”

In his words, “The most radical thing Shabbos does is to remind you that you were worth something before you achieved anything.” Most people have forgotten that, he says, so “one day a week, at least remember it.”

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

God’s rest on the seventh day was not about tiredness.

Underlying need or longing

A person needs a place where he does not have to justify his existence. On Shabbos you sit down because you are, not because you finished.

Deepest human truth

Existence itself, without production, has infinite value. You were worth something before you achieved anything.

More questions from this teaching

• Is my worth based on what I produce?