The True Spirit of Shabbat

By Brielle Goodman
Johns Hopkins University
(KOACH-On-Campus Editor)

A year or so ago, I was having a conversation with a friend, about the sanctity of Shabbat. He seemed offended by the role that technology has come to play in Shabbat. This got me thinking and I realized that he had a point.

Shabbat used to be the Day of Rest. It was a holy day, on which Jews would pray, think, meditate, and relax. Shabbat was the day to sit back and appreciate all that God has created for us.

Now Shabbat is less about spirituality and the glory of God and more about how to get around the rules of Shabbat. How can I be productive, while not breaking most of the commandments of Shabbat? NO! Shabbat is supposed to be a sacred day about nothing but God. Instead we ride the "Shabbat elevator" (an elevator which stops at every floor so no buttons need be pressed), we put our lights -- and even the television -- on timers. We ride the bus if necessary. We regularly carry. We carry money, we carry keys, we carry books. We do homework, we grade homework, we read patients' charts, we do work.

What happened to us? What happened to Shabbat? Technology makes certain things in life easier. But if you think about it, Shabbat is supposed to be the easiest day of all! All you have to do is pray and rest. There is no need for technology to play a role at all in Shabbat, and yet it does.

Let’s return to what the essence of Shabbat is. It’s not a day to raise our stress level, because we have lots to do and too little time. It’s not a day that we have to try to skirt the rules. It’s a day to celebrate earth, nature, ourselves, our families, and most of all, God! God has blessed us in so many ways. It can’t be all that difficult to give God one full day each week. This is my challenge to you: Celebrate Shabbat in the spirit that it is intended to be celebrated. Just try it for even one week and see if you don’t feel even a little bit more at peace with the world.

[Posted 9/15/04]