The following is my attempt to describe Shabbat to a person with almost no knowledge of Shabbat. After writing the essay, I got the impression that I was subtly influenced by Abraham Joshua Heschel's The Sabbath.
Judaism, the first of the “monotheistic” religions, has an idea called Shabbat, anglicized as the Sabbath. It is commonly translated as a day of rest (the literal definition of Shabbat does indicate a stoppage of activity), but as with most translations, the words do not convey the Sabbath’s Jewish experience. First, the Sabbath is not a typical day. For Jews, the Sabbath is really a 25 hour period starting from approximately sundown on Friday until sundown Saturday night.
For most people, the ideal picture of rest would consist of sitting back and watching TV, reading a book, or going on a drive to the beach. Rest on the Sabbath is much more than this, for Jews spend Shabbat pursuing less mundane, more spiritual activities. On Shabbat, one has more time to actually sit down and contemplate the world. Jews are required to pray three times a day. During the week, with everyone’s busy schedules, prayer services tend to be fast paced and lacking in contemplative overtones. People need to get to work so they rush through the words they say without giving them a second thought. Therefore, the Sabbath services tend to be slower and longer, both in time and the amount one recites.
On the Sabbath there is a requirement to partake of three meals. During the week, because of very hectic schedules, the lucky families may be able to partake of even one meal a day together. On Shabbat, families have the opportunity to sit together and eat both dinner and lunch. The third meal traditionally is eaten in late afternoon between the afternoon and evening prayer services. This meal is either eaten at home or in the synagogue depending upon the community. For some synagogues, this third meal is the one time during the week for community members to mingle together.
Shabbat is a day of rest and also a day when one can “escape” the stress and constant interruptions that exist during the remainder of the week. On Friday afternoons, we turn off our cell phone because a person cannot use a telephone on Shabbat. Since one cannot turn on a TV or radio, there is more opportunity for reading and catching up with one’s family. The meal times are opportunities to find out what everyone has been up to for the past week. There is also the long standing custom of the Shabbat afternoon nap, the true sign of the literal “day of rest.”
From a personal perspective, while the rituals repeat each Shabbat, there is something unique about each week. Some weeks, the rest is very rejuvenating and relaxing, for Shabbat provides the quiet time I need to catch up on my reading, especially those weeks when my free time is scarce at best. Other weeks, the ritual fulfills my need for spiritual revival, because weekdays don’t allow much time for quiet contemplation.
Judaism, the first of the “monotheistic” religions, has an idea called Shabbat, anglicized as the Sabbath. It is commonly translated as a day of rest (the literal definition of Shabbat does indicate a stoppage of activity), but as with most translations, the words do not convey the Sabbath’s Jewish experience. First, the Sabbath is not a typical day. For Jews, the Sabbath is really a 25 hour period starting from approximately sundown on Friday until sundown Saturday night.
For most people, the ideal picture of rest would consist of sitting back and watching TV, reading a book, or going on a drive to the beach. Rest on the Sabbath is much more than this, for Jews spend Shabbat pursuing less mundane, more spiritual activities. On Shabbat, one has more time to actually sit down and contemplate the world. Jews are required to pray three times a day. During the week, with everyone’s busy schedules, prayer services tend to be fast paced and lacking in contemplative overtones. People need to get to work so they rush through the words they say without giving them a second thought. Therefore, the Sabbath services tend to be slower and longer, both in time and the amount one recites.
On the Sabbath there is a requirement to partake of three meals. During the week, because of very hectic schedules, the lucky families may be able to partake of even one meal a day together. On Shabbat, families have the opportunity to sit together and eat both dinner and lunch. The third meal traditionally is eaten in late afternoon between the afternoon and evening prayer services. This meal is either eaten at home or in the synagogue depending upon the community. For some synagogues, this third meal is the one time during the week for community members to mingle together.
Shabbat is a day of rest and also a day when one can “escape” the stress and constant interruptions that exist during the remainder of the week. On Friday afternoons, we turn off our cell phone because a person cannot use a telephone on Shabbat. Since one cannot turn on a TV or radio, there is more opportunity for reading and catching up with one’s family. The meal times are opportunities to find out what everyone has been up to for the past week. There is also the long standing custom of the Shabbat afternoon nap, the true sign of the literal “day of rest.”
From a personal perspective, while the rituals repeat each Shabbat, there is something unique about each week. Some weeks, the rest is very rejuvenating and relaxing, for Shabbat provides the quiet time I need to catch up on my reading, especially those weeks when my free time is scarce at best. Other weeks, the ritual fulfills my need for spiritual revival, because weekdays don’t allow much time for quiet contemplation.
