The Rama in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 274:1) says that Friday night, when we make Hamotzie on the two Chalas, we should cut the bottom one. However, on Shabbos day and on Yom Tov, even at night, he says we should cut the top one. Why? The Rama says that there is a mystical reason behind this tradition.
If one forgot to cut them in this order, it does not invalidate his Bracha (it is not Me'akev), so obviously this tradition serves mainly to add a meaningful dimension to our Shabbos. Lets see if we can understand some small aspect of it.
First, the background:
The Ramban on Parshas Yisro (Shmos 20:8), is bothered by the two different words used in the Mitzvah of Shabbos. In Yisro, it says, "Zachor Es Yom HaShabbos, - Remember the day of Shabbos," but in VaEschanan it says, "Shamor Es Yom HaShabbos. - Guard the day of Shabbos." He points out that Chazal were not bothered by any other differences in the texts except for this one. Shamor implies a negative command to refrain from something, while Zachor implies a positive command to actively do something, so that is a big switch.
The Ramban alludes to the Midrash of Rebbi Nechunia ben Hakana, where the same issue is raised. "What is the reason for Zachor and Shamor? Zachor is for the male, and Shamor is for the bride (Sefer HaBahir #182)." The Zohar brings this down as well. With this fundamental principal, the Ramban says, "The Zechira is during the day, and the Shmirah at night. This is the explanation of the Gemara (Bava Kama 32b), that we say on Erev Shabbos, 'Boee Chala Boee Chala... (at the end of Lecha Dodi)' and also why we call the Kiddush of the day [of Shabbos], 'Kidusha Raba,' since it is the 'Kiddush HaGadol.'" The Ramban concludes by saying, "VeTavin Zeh - Understand this." So that is what we are going to try to do.
The Ramban goes on to say that negative commandments are rooted in, or are expressions of Yeeras Hashem, while positive commandments are rooted in, or are expressions of Ahavas Hashem. The difference is whether we simply restrain ourselves from doing what we would normally do, or actively reach out to Hashem. The Ramban says that Ahava is greater, because it is not just submitting, but actively implementing the will of G-d.
Here we go...
The Bracha in the Shmona Esrei Erev Shabbos is different from the Bracha we say in the Shmona Esrei on Shabbos morning (and Musaf). Friday night we make the Bracha, "VeYanuchu Vah Yisrael... - And may Israel rest on it..." whereas during the day, we say, "VeYanuchu Vo Yisrael... - And may Israel rest on it..." Both times, "It" refers to Shabbos, the difference is that Friday night we focus on the female aspects of what Shabbos represents (so we say Vah), whereas during the day we focus on the male aspects (hence, we say Vo).
Conceptually, the male is the Mashpia, the one who provides the spark of creativity, while the female is the Mekabelles, the receiver of that spark. The male creates the potential, and the female brings it into reality. Anything that is the culmination or actualization of a process can be said to be female, because that is what the female does. She takes the potential from the male, and actualizes it. Avraham and Sarah are the prime example of this. When it came to the practical implementation of certain ideas, Sarah was right. When Sarah tells Avraham that they should kick out Hagar, Avraham is not so sure if he should listen. Hashem tells him, "Listen to your wife (Bereishis 21:12)." The practical implementation is the realm of what is called "female."
This is apparent even from looking at the physical relationship between a man and woman. The man has the seed, which a woman actualizes into a baby. (That is why the last of the Sefiros is Malchus. It represents the womb of the female. King David and his children actualized everything by building the Bais HaMikdash and conquering Eretz Yisrael. That is also why the Mashiach, the ultimate realization of G-d's expression in the world comes from King David, from the Malchus Meshico.)
Shabbos is the culmination of the week. The whole week we create, but on Shabbos, the work that we have done stops, and we live in only what has been built. All creative activity ceases on Shabbos. Whatever you have prepared during the week, you have. Whatever you did not prepare, you lack. The status of an object depends on its status when Shabbos arrives: If you set aside a rock before Shabbos to be a doorstop, then it will not be Muksah, it will be a doorstop. However, if you made no such declaration before Shabbos, then it is a rock and cannot be moved all of Shabbos (except in certain situations). This is of course, one of the ways that Shabbos is one-sixtieth of Olam Haba. The rules are the same going to the next world. Rav Tatz explains that whatever you have prepared in your life will be with you. However you fixed your personality, whatever you have gained in life will be with you forever. That is the pleasure of the next world. You live eternally in what you have built. However, the converse is also true - whatever you fail to build will also be with you forever, or at least until it can be fixed. That is the pain of the next world. The creative activity can only be done in this world.
On Friday night we prepare ourselves to receive Shabbos, the Sabbath Queen. We do nothing to actively create it, we only prepare ourselves to receive it. That is why the Friday night service is called Kabalos Shabbos - the reception of Shabbos. We are emphasizing the female aspects of what Shabbos represents. The bottom Chalah is cut at the meal for the same reason. When we speak of the "higher worlds" and "lower worlds," the lower worlds are where the potential is actualized (Heaven and Earth, etc.). Friday night, we focus completely on the female aspects of what Shabbos represents, the culmination of the entire week.
This is certainly one dimension of what the Ramban had in mind when he said that Shamor is for the bride, and is at night. The Shamor aspects of refraining from activities have their expression at night, because that is all part of the conceptual female idea. She does not actively create; the creative potential is the realm of the conceptual male. The female receives that spark of potential and fans it into a flame, something real, something lasting. But, where do you see the idea of male being Zechira, and having its expression during the day?
In Chassidus there is what's called an Issarusa DeLeEilah, and an Issarusa DeLeSata. An Issarusa DeLeEilah is where one receives an inspiration due to no reason that he can pinpoint. It is a gift. When the Jews were in Egypt, they had become decrepit. They were on the forty-ninth level of Tumah. When they were crossing the Red Sea, even after all of the miracles, the angels saw that the Jews were being saved, and the Egyptians were drowning, and asked G-d why he was saving the Jews. "These are idol worshipers and these are idol worshipers!" Why do the Jews deserve to be saved? Yetziyas Mitzrayim was a situation where the Jews were lifted to the highest heights, out of Chesed from Hashem (All the Jews did was shecht the Korban Pesach. The idol that the Egyptians worshipped was the sheep. The Jews were told to prepare themselves to receive Hashem. They had to separate themselves from the idolatry of Egypt (Tzur MeRa), and prepare themselves.). We did not deserve to be saved. It was a gift.
An Issarusa DeLeSata, is when man works at something to cause the inspiration. After the Jews were redeemed from Egypt, they ran into a small problem. They were faced with a large body of water in front of them, and an army of Egyptians behind them. The Red Sea did not split until Nacshon ben Aminadav jumped in. It was his valiant effort of Emunah that produced a reaction from Hashem, and the Red Sea split.
These concepts permeate our everyday lives. The most blatant example is marriage. When two people are dating, they experience this Issarusa DeLeEilah - it's called romance. It is an emotional gift, but since it is a gift, it fades fast. After marriage, everyone experiences a "fallout" of that initial romance. It then takes strenuous effort to work back to that feeling of inspiration. That's called love. Love is real, and it lasts.
We learn this sequence from Yetziyas Mitzrayim. Bnei Yisrael received an Issarusa DeLeEilah, but were then crushed when they were faced with a wall of water, called the Red Sea. Then it took an Issarusa DeLeSata to cause the sea to split. We also see this in terms of the Chaggim: Pesach represents the Issarusa DeLeEilah, but then the Jews found themselves in a desert, a place of tremendous spiritual challenge. It took forty-nine days of work (Sefiras HaOmer), to get back the inspiration, which was realized in Matan Torah, which is Shavuos.
The Kedushas Levi explains that we have two months that are considered to be the major beginnings of the year: Tishrei and Nissan. These two beginnings also demonstrate the idea we have been discussing. The Torah refers to Nissan as Chodesh HaAviv, since it is the beginning of spring = Aviv. The first two letters of Aviv are also the first two letters of the Alef-Bais. The Alef, the most "spiritual" letter (if you add up the pieces of an Alef, you get a Vav in the middle, and two Yud's on the sides, which = 26, which is also the value of the name of G-d we never pronounce, and Alef is silent, because it is so spiritual, it lacks the physical expression of sound) is followed by a Bais. The letters that spell Tishrei are backwards in the Alef-Bais: Saf, Shin, Reish (in the English language too - T,S,R). What is the significance in the fact that these two months are spelled this way? As we have seen, Nissan is the month of inspiration from above, Issarusa DeLeEilah, so Aviv is in the order of the Alef-Bais, coming from the most spiritual down to man. It is Hashem inspiring us. However, Tishrei, is the month where we are required to do tremendous activity to incur a Heavenly response. In Tishrei we do Teshuva to gain forgiveness from Hashem, so the word is spelled T,S,R to reflect that work from the bottom, up. That is an Issarusa DeLeSata, an inspiration that we have to work for.
Rav Eliyahu Dessler stresses that every Issarusa DeLeEilah must be followed by an Issarusa DeLeSata to make it real. Just like romance goes away, and to keep a spouse one must work to create love, so to by any Issarusa DeLeEilah, an Issarusa DeLeSata must follow.
On Shabbos eve, we only prepare ourselves to receive Shabbos. It is an Issarusa DeLeEilah. All we have to do is prepare ourselves to receive it. The Gemara (Pesachim 117b) says that, "Shabbos is fixed and ongoing, but Rosh Chodesh and Yom Tov Israel must sanctify." Kedushas Shabbos doesn't require Bnei Yisrael. There was Shabbos long before there were Jews to celebrate it. Yom Tov however, only happens because of Bnei Yisrael. The Jews are Mekadesh the Zmaanim, but Hashem is Mekadesh the Shabbos. That is what we say in every Shmona Esrei of the Chaggim. The Bracha we make is: Mekadesh [HaShabbos, Ve]Yisrael VeHazmanim. When Yom Tov falls out on Shabbos, we mention Shabbos before Yisrael and the Zmaanim, because Hashem is Mekadesh Shabbos and Yisrael, but Yisrael is Mekadesh the Zmaanim (Brachos 49a).
However, that Issarusa DeLeEilah is only the focus at night. In the Musaf Shmona Esrei, we say, "Tikanta Shabbos Ratzisa Korbenoseha..." Sound familiar? It reflects work from the bottom, up; Issarusa DeLeSata.
Shabbos begins with an Issarusa DeLeEilah, but to keep it going we need to also actively keep Shabbos. You won't feel it unless you try. The Issarusa DeLeEilah has to be followed by an Issarusa DeLeSata. It's not enough to have a Shmira of Shabbos, there has to be a Zechira as well. After we receive it, we have to actively keep it here. We have to keep Shabbos meaningful, etc. That's the "Vo" on Shabbos day. The male aspect of Shabbos day, is to keep the Kedusha of Shabbos that we felt the night before. Sometimes it's easy to feel spiritually high after a good Kaballa Shabbos, or a good Tish Friday night. But, the "Kiddusha Raba" is Bayom. The time when we are actively performing the Mitzvah of Zechiras Shabbos, reflects our love for G-d. When it is difficult to muster the strength to sing a few Zemiros on Shabbos, is where the real work takes place, and that is where we gain the most. On the day of Shabbos we focus on the male aspects of Shabbos. We keep it going and expand its meaning. The "Ikker Kiddush is Bayom."
At Mincha on Shabbos, we don't say "Vah," or "Vo." We say "VeYanuchu Vam."
That's for another time.
Good Shabbos.
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