Why Shabbat?
Why Shabbat? It is our oasis in time, a day when we leave the rat race behind, ignoring business concerns, household tasks, e-mail and a myriad of other irritants of everyday life. It is a gift from God to us, allowing us to enjoy a special day with our families and friends -- those who are most important to us. In Yiddish we are "mahen Shabbos" - "making Shabbat." Important occasions in our lives don't just happen by themselves; we prepare for them. We, as Jews, "make" our own Shabbat, converting it from a Friday night and Saturday to a yom kadosh, a holy day. We prepare for it, welcome it, and celebrate its special sacred character -- then we can recognize the preciousness of the day God gave us. Our homes' Shabbat is a different experience because of our personal investment.
The central position of Shabbat in Judaism is articulated throughout the Torah:
- The very first entity in all of Torah to be called holy is Shabbat.
- As God completed the creation of heaven and earth, the final creation was Shabbat: "On the seventh day God finished the work which He had been doing, and He ceased [rested] on the seventh day from all the work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation which He had done." [Genesis 2:2-3 The New JPS Translation]
- "It shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed." [Exodus 31:17 The New JPS Translation] When we celebrate Shabbat as a day of rest, we commemorate God's creation.
- Shabbat is the only commandment among the Ten Commandments dealing with a holy day, Shabbat’s preeminence emphasizes its centrality in Jewish life. There are two versions of the commandment. In Exodus we are commanded, "Zahor (remember) the Sabbath day and keep it holy," [Exodus 20:8 The New JPS Translation] and in Deuteronomy we are commanded, "Shamor (observe) the Sabbath day and keep it holy." [Deuteronomy 5:12 The New JPS Translation] These two verses teach us that it is not enough to identify Shabbat as important; we must observe Shabbat and with its mitzvot.
- In the commandment in Deuteronomy the reason given for not doing any work on Shabbat is: "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day." [Deuteronomy 5:15 The New JPS Translation] Rather than being slaves to our daily work, we proclaim our freedom with Shabbat, putting the daily work aside, and treating ourselves as free, taking care of ourselves with prayer, study, relaxation, good food and visiting with family and friends.
We translate these ideas of rest and freedom into our celebration of Shabbat. During the week we control the world -- creating, building, destroying and maintaining. By resting on the seventh day, we acknowledge that we do not own our world. Our world is God’s domain. This is a day for looking at what God has created and lent to us for our enjoyment. By setting aside one day for Shabbat, we also proclaim our freedom from daily obligations, commitments, worries and concerns. Rather than thinking of Shabbat as a day when we can’t do things, we declare that one day of the week is for our own re"Jew"venation. Now we can concentrate on creating Shabbat -- a yom kadosh, a sacred day. For generations, Shabbat has been considered a major component of Judaism by practically every Jew. It has provided an element of continuity throughout the years. Our goal is to invite participants to learn more about Shabbat, discovering the joy and enrichment that the gift of Shabbat brings.
