There’s a portion of the Talmud about what it means to delight in and honor the Sabbath. The Talmud was written around 500 CE, but its stories are older. A man named Yosef cherished the Sabbath and he had a gentile neighbor who had a lot of stuff. He was very wealthy. One day, some astrologers told the wealthy man: “Yosef who cherishes the Sabbath will consume all your property.” Angry and determined to protect his belongings, he sold everything he owned, took that money, and bought a pearl. He hid it in his hat so no one could find it – not Yosef, not anybody. But when he was crossing the river on a ferry, suddenly a gust of wind blew his hat right off his head and it fell into the water. A fish found the pearl and ate it.1
Some fishermen caught that fish, but they realized that it was very late in the day. The Sabbath would start as soon as the sun set. They said, “Who buys fish at a time like this?” Some people in town said, “Go, bring it to Yosef who cherishes the Sabbath. He likes to buy delicacies to honor the Sabbath – he does it all the time.” So, Yosef bought the fish. When he was preparing it for his Sabbath dinner, lo and behold, there was a pearl. He sold the pearl for 13 vessels full of golden dinars. An old man who bumped into Yosef heard this story and said: “Ah, when you lend to the Sabbath, the Sabbath repays you!”2
It’s easy to get drawn into a story like this – even knowing from the start that Yosef will surely be rewarded and the wealthy man will surely lose his fortune! The details are incredible, the plot has a twist, and the moral is clear. When you honor the Sabbath with the best of what you have and the best of what you are, the Sabbath will bless you abundantly.
[1] https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.119a.5?lang=bi
[2] https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.119a.5?lang=bi