630. And There Was Evening and There Was Morning

Why was it not said, “And there was evening and there was morning, the seventh day”? It is known that absence precedes presence, for there is no light without a Kli [vessel]. Hence, first there must be evening, and both together are one day, for if one does not feel a lack, he has no need to draw the filling.

This is precisely during the six workdays, when there is an awakening from below. At that time, there must be darkness first, for otherwise he will not draw the filling. This is why it is written concerning the six workdays, “And there was evening and there was morning.”

But on Shabbat [Sabbath], which is an awakening from above, he does not need to first feel the state of evening in order to draw the filling, since Shabbat is regarded as extending from above without the assistance of the lower one. This is why it was said “the seventh day,” since on Shabbat, the light and the Kli come from above.