The Holy Rebbe Leibele Eiger [Toras Emes Noach] writes [based on the Zohar Hakadosh] that Noach is the personification of Shabbos. נח is נייחא - rest, and that is what Shabbos is as well. Noach was also called a Tzadik כי אותך ראיתי צדיק לפני בדור הזה. The concept of "Tzadik", everybody and their Aunt Millie knows [if their Aunt Millie learns Chasidus and/or Kabbala], is an adjective for someone who is shomer bris. He guards his eyes, thoughts and deeds so that everything remains pure. The pasuk expresses this when it says צדיק יסוד עולם - A Tzadik is the Yesod - foundation - of the world. In Kabbala, the middah of Yesod represents carefulness [word or not a word?] about one's bris kodesh. A Tzadik is one who keeps the world afloat by being extra special careful never to contaminate his soul with illicit thoughts, words or deeds. [After the world was destroyed we needed a Tzadik like Noach to plant a strong Yesod].
It emerges therefore that Noach, being a Tzadik and Shabbos in one, teaches that each requires the other. Without Shabbos there is no Shmiras Habris and without Shmiras Habris there is no Shabbos.
You, my sweet friend, asked - which comes first? If each needs the other, where do you begin??
Good point.
The mishna in Pirkei Avos [3/17] arouses the same question when it says אם אין חכמה אין יראה ואם אין יראה אין חכמה - If there is no fear there is no wisdom and if there is no wisdom there is no fear. So where does it begin? The mishna then presents a number of similar constructs that without "a" there is no "b" and without "b" there is no "a". The commentaries deal with this issue of "where does it begin"? Try to apply their answers to your question....:-).
[Note - "Yosef" Heller in Catch-22 presented the same connundrum - If you have no experience you can't get a job but if you can't get a job then there is no way to get experience...]
Similarly the Gemara says in Brachos that Hashem only gives wisdom to the wise. If so, how does anybody have wisdom to start with??
Ahhhaaaa:-)!
To answer your question directly I will suggest the following. R' Leibele was not talking about the external acts of keeping Shabbos and guarding the bris. I know plenty of people who are great at keeping Shabbos but quite lax in guarding their bris. [I don't know anybody who doesn't keep Shabbos and guards his bris....]. He writes that if one is lax in one area then he will not receive the KEDUSHAH of the other area.
Meaning, we live our lives and perform many acts of kindness and goodness. The question is - Are we becoming holier people as a result? I can go 40 days without speaking ONE WORD of lashon hara and remain on the same spiritual level I was before the 40 days. Look at a cow. She hasn't spoken lashon hara EVER. But she remains a cow...
The Mesilas Yesharim says that Kedushah is תחילתו השתדלות וסופה מתנה - We invest out efforts and Hashem will hopefully reward us with the gift of holiness. But there are no guarantees. If one is Shomer Bris then he will be able to absorb into his soul the Kedushah of Shabbos and if he properly keeps Shabbos then he will be able to absorb into his soul the Kedushah of the Bris. Our job is to keep both and then let the heavenly bounty descend upon us.
This leads us to another question that has perplexed philosophers and theologins both Jewish and non-Jewish alike for centuries - what is Kedushah - "sanctity"? How does one define it? That is worthy of many many posts and shiurim but suffice it to say, whatever it is - it is worth attaining.
We call Hashem Kadosh - קדוש קדוש קדוש השם צבקות שמו. By guarding our bris and Shabbos, we are able to get all that closer to HaKADOSH Baruch Hu.
Love and blessings my sweet friend R' Marc!!!
לזכות האיש הקדוש ביותר שזכיתי להכיר אי פעם שליט"א
שאזכה גם אני וכל שומעי לקחי ללכת בדרכו הקדושה
