A Partner in Creation
Opening There are moments in the week when you feel it in your gut: you are not running your life. Your life is running you. Making a living, your health, raising your children, your marriage: it all just “happens to you.” You are inside a huge system. You turn its wheels and you do your job. But who ever asks you what you want? Who gives you room to start something, to make a difference, to say, “This is how I want this story to look”? Almost no one. And this is not just a feeling. It is the real state of the weekdays, the six days of ordinary work. In those days you do, you act, you get things done. But most of the time you are working from below. And then Friday night arrives. First Movement: The Words That Change Everything Our Sages say something astonishing in the Talmud: “Whoever prays on Friday night and says ‘And they were finished,’ the Torah considers it as if he became a partner with Hashem in the work of creation.” Stop here for a moment. It does not say “as if he helped.” It does not say “as if he took part.” It says: partner. A real partner, in the creation of the world. Hashem created the world in six days, and the Torah says: “The heavens and the earth and all that fills them were finished.” “Were finished” means it was done. And on Friday night, you stand with the cup of wine in your hand for the Sabbath blessing over wine. You say “And they were finished,” and with your own mouth you join this announcement. Your mouth is a vessel. Through this vessel, you step into the circle. These are not just pretty words on your lips. Your position truly changes. From the Job to the Boardroom Think of it this way. All week long you are a cashier in a company worth billions. You know the rules. You finish your shift and do your part. But where the company is heading? The big decisions? Those never reach you. Then, on Friday night, the head of the company calls you and says: “Come, sit down. You are a partner.” He does not say, “Come and hear what I have decided.” He asks, “What do you think? How do you want this shared business of ours to move forward?” This is your weekly board meeting with Hashem, the Creator of the world. Second Movement: More Than a Parable Someone might say: “That is a beautiful parable. But what does it mean in real life? What do I actually do with it?” This is exactly the point. Being a partner is not a passive role. A partner speaks. A partner brings his own view to the table. So the next time you hold the cup for the Sabbath blessing, do not rush. Stop for a few seconds before you open your mouth. Close your eyes. Bring to mind your life, your family, what you need, what you want to happen. Then tell your Partner, in your heart or out loud, quietly, with tears or with a smile: “This is how I want the story to move forward. This is how I want this business to grow.” This is not only a blessing. It is a real partner having a real say in the direction you share. And your Partner has the power to make real what you bring to the table.
Putting It into Practice
This coming Friday night, before you say the blessing over the wine, take one breath. Go inside yourself for a second. Remember that you are not just blessing a cup of wine. You are walking into a board meeting. And this time, you have something to say.
Questions and answers
Q: Why do we sometimes feel during the week that life is running us instead of us running it?
Rabbi Landau answers: There are moments in the week when you feel it in your gut: you are not running your life. Your life is running you. Making a living, your health, raising your children, your marriage: it all just “happens to you.” You are inside a huge system. You turn its wheels and you do your job. But who ever asks you what you want? Who gives you room to start something, to make a difference, to say, “This is how I want this story to look”? Almost no one. And this is not just a feeling. It is the real state of the weekdays, the six days of ordinary work. In those days you do, you act, you get things done. But most of the time you are working from below. And then Friday night arrives.
Q: What do the Sages mean when they say that someone who says "And they were finished" on Friday night becomes a partner in creation?
Rabbi Landau answers: Our Sages say something astonishing in the Talmud: “Whoever prays on Friday night and says ‘And they were finished,’ the Torah considers it as if he became a partner with Hashem in the work of creation.” Stop here for a moment. It does not say “as if he helped.” It does not say “as if he took part.” It says: partner. A real partner, in the creation of the world. Hashem created the world in six days, and the Torah says: “The heavens and the earth and all that fills them were finished.” “Were finished” means it was done. And on Friday night, you stand with the cup of wine in your hand for the Sabbath blessing over wine.
Q: How does the parable of a cashier invited into the boardroom explain the Sabbath?
Rabbi Landau answers: Think of it this way. All week long you are a cashier in a company worth billions. You know the rules. You finish your shift and do your part. But where the company is heading? The big decisions? Those never reach you. Then, on Friday night, the head of the company calls you and says: “Come, sit down. You are a partner.” He does not say, “Come and hear what I have decided.” He asks, “What do you think? How do you want this shared business of ours to move forward?” This is your weekly board meeting with Hashem, the Creator of the world.
Q: What does it mean in practice to be a partner with Hashem in creation on Friday night?
Rabbi Landau answers: Someone might say: “That is a beautiful parable. But what does it mean in real life? What do I actually do with it?” This is exactly the point. Being a partner is not a passive role. A partner speaks. A partner brings his own view to the table. So the next time you hold the cup for the Sabbath blessing, do not rush. Stop for a few seconds before you open your mouth. Close your eyes. Bring to mind your life, your family, what you need, what you want to happen. Then tell your Partner, in your heart or out loud, quietly, with tears or with a smile: “This is how I want the story to move forward. This is how I want this business to grow.” This is not only a blessing.
Q: How should I prepare myself before making Kiddush on Friday night?
Rabbi Landau answers: This coming Friday night, before you say the blessing over the wine, take one breath. Go inside yourself for a second. Remember that you are not just blessing a cup of wine. You are walking into a board meeting. And this time, you have something to say.