The privilege of Shabbos

Just as the highest privilege is to wear the king’s clothes and ride on his horse, as Haman suggested, so are we granted the highest tribute when Hashem allows us to use His day of rest, Shabbos, as our rest-day. (Rashi) The question is that the analogy is incomplete; the king’s horse is reserved for royal use, how is Shabbos reserved for Hashem. Hashem rested on Shabbos, yes, but is it reserved for Him? We suggested that Shabbos in general, or at least its rest-inducing properties, draws its qualities from the particular holiness of that day, and not the simple metaphysical aspect of the time it represents. It’s not the Shabbos day that produces rest; it’s the spirituality within that works this effect. Only Hashem is capable of relating to this spirituality and utilizing it, not human beings. Shabbos is inherently linked to Hashem, for only He can apply it. Hashem’s gift is that he upgraded us into being able to relate to something in His exclusive domain; the spirituality of Shabbos.