Shabbos - Negative and Positive Space

July 30, 2020 - 9 Av 5780

Shabbos is one area that may pose challenges due to its melocho-oriented nature. Even people that have been frum their entire lives may find it difficult to really enjoy Shabbos due to the bundle of activities that they need to remember not to do. Notwithstanding that once you get into the groove of observance and avoiding melochos it gradually becomes second nature. However, up until that point and even afterward the ebb-and-flow of life can be distracting. Therefore a particular visualization may help you to really enjoy Shabbos.

Imagine for a moment a white sheet of paper. One of the basics taught to art students is that a good piece of art makes good use of both the empty space on the page and the area that the artist fills, known as the "negative" and "positive" space respectfully. If the entire canvas was empty there would be nothing to look at, and if the entire canvas was filled with paint it would feel cluttered and chaotic. The more balance there is between positive and negative space the more pleasing the piece of art is to look upon.

Shabbos as well is composed of negative and positive space. The negative space corresponds to the activities that you need to avoid, which are the melochos. The positive space corresponds to the actively engaged element of Shabbos, i.e., the davening, the seudos, the friends, the singing, and of course, the sleep. Fortunately for us these concepts are already built in to Shabbos in the form of שָׁמוֹר וְזַכוֹר בְּדִבּוּר אֶחַד, with שָׁמוֹר corresponding to negative space, and וְזַכוֹר corresponding to positive space.