Genesis 8: Finding Rest on Shabbat

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi · Sep 9, 2025 · 3m

A staple of the Shabbat zemirot liturgy is a poem written by Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi: “Yonah Matzah Bo Manoach,” “The Dove found in it [Shabbat] rest.” This Shabbat lunchtime song has a recurring chorus about the dove finding a resting spot on Shabbat. The rest of the song, though, deals with the giving of the Torah. How does the author know the dove found the resting spot on Shabbat and what is the connection between the dove and giving of the Torah and Shabbat? To answer the first question, we can look at today’s chapter- “He waited another seven days, and again sent out the dove from the…