Shabbat

Last night I was dreaming

If only I could take a step back and contemplate my life’s direction.

If only I could take a moment to figure out who I really am and what is really important to me.

If only I could spend quality time with my family and friends on a regular basis.

If only I could smile just for the sake of smiling.

If only I could add a dimension to my existence by taking the time to sing or dance or listen or laugh.

If only I could recognize all that I have without worrying about all that I lack.

If only I could regularly appreciate the wonder and beauty of our world and feel harmony with it.

If only?

I need not dream.

I have Shabbat.

The obligation to stop for a moment,

Is freeing.

The obligation to be, new

Shabbat is rehumanizing.

Shabbat is liberation.

                 from If Only by Rabbi Hillel Goldberg

Shabbat is a break - a day set apart for introspection during which we stop creating and simply stop. The smoke from the rest of the week begins to clear and we can just be. It is a day for the soul to catch his breath and to rise above the mundane. We pause from our every day routines just long enough to realize that we are alive.

The first source for Shabbat in the Torah describes that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Nature was left on this day without any external disturbances. Imagine the world like that today. 

Imagine yourself on a deserted island for one day, completely divorced from traffic jams, cell phones, automatic tellers and microwaves, in the state of harmony with nature. This is the compelling force of our age-old tradition which beckons us to be a part of this revitalizing experience, separating our humdrum every day lives from the beauty and power of Shabbat.

Shabbat observance is different for every person. Some observe it by not driving, not writing and not using electricity. Maybe spend the day in deep contemplative prayer. Some use Shabbat it as a time to get together with family and friends for a few hours at the end of each week. Some occasionally go to Friday night services.  Some spend a few moments to light Shabbat candles. Some pause just long enough to recognize that she bought is unique, special day.  These are all forms of Shabbat observance and all signify one central understanding, Shabbat is different from the rest of the week.