Shabbat is not only a commemoration of the creation of the world in the past, but also intimates a future in which souls find rest in the World to Come. Refraining from certain physical activities on Shabbat is a reminder of where we came from, while the spiritual aspect of Shabbat is a reminder of where we are going.

Only in the spiritual realm is there true rest. The tranquility of Shabbat alludes to the soul’s rest in the spiritual realm:

The mitzva of Shabbat does not only teach the aspect of the creation of the world, but Shabbat also alludes to the spiritual realm [i.e., life after death], where there is true rest and respite because that is where there will be true cessation from all labor and an end to material concerns. The purpose of labor is [the attainment of the spiritual realm] and there, there is no labor. For this reason, the Sages called it “the great Shabbat.” They say about it: Whoever toiled before Shabbat will eat on Shabbat. Accordingly, workdays are an allusion to human activities in this world, which bring us toward the objective. The seventh day is an allusion to that objective.

Every Shabbat has two aspects:

Accordingly, we have two Shabbatot: One is the physical Shabbat, in remembrance of the Creation and the beginning of the world; and the other is the spiritual Shabbat, in remembrance of the permanence of the soul and the gratification it experiences after death. (Abravanel, Exodus 31)