Introduction to Judaism - Shabbat 2

Ahad Ha'Am (1856-1927)
More than the Jewish People have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish People.

Both the Sabbath and mindfulness are…subversive. They ask us to withdraw from doing and to focus on being. They ask us to withdraw from a focus on content and focus on the relationship to what is. Shabbat is introduced in Genesis when it says: Vayishbot – God ceased – on the seventh day. Shavat me kol m’lachot – God ceased from all the work of creation. The Sabbath is God’s ceasing, the Creator of All just stopping. This models a rhythm for our lives. The same is true for meditation. It is a sitting (in Hebrew, the same root as Shabbat: lashevet) and stopping.

The Sabbath was created on the seventh day. Pausing is not an option. Pausing is part of the plan. Shabbat makes its appearance after the human being is created. Why? We are the completers. We are the ones who can embrace and include in our awareness the whole of creation. We are the ones who are prone to forget that we are not self-created. We are most likely to confuse creativity with control…Only we can impose our purposes on time and forget that time is so much grander than our purposes.

Mindfulness practice, like the Sabbath, can lead us with tenderness in to the territory of the unseen. By pausing and opening to all that exists without our effort, we deepen our appreciation both for our own potential and for the vastness of creation. In the place of pause, the empty space between the out breath and the next in-breath, we touch mystery. If is from that mystery that another miraculous breath, moment, or new idea is born. Without pause, without space or rest, there is no place for the new to enter.

The Chief Rabbi’s Haggadah, p. 25
Despite attempts of historians to trace a connection to the Babylonian calendar, the Sabbath was an unprecedented innovation. It meant that one day in seven all hierarchies of wealth and power were suspended.

Faith in the Future
Imagine the experience of coming home on Friday afternoon. The week has flown by in a rush of activity. You are exhausted. And there, in all its simplicity and splendour is the Sabbath table: candles radiating the light that symbolises shalom bayit, peace in the home; wine, representing blessing and joy; and the two loaves of bread, recalling the double portion of manna that fell for the Israelites in the wilderness so that they would not have to gather food on the seventh day. Seeing that table you know that until tomorrow evening you will step into another world, one where there are no pressures to work or compete, no distractions or interruptions, just time to be together with family and friends.

So, after the Friday evening service, we bless our children. Jewish husbands say to their wives that lovely passage of praise from the book of Proverbs, 'A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.' And after we have said the blessings over the wine and bread, we take turns to speak about the weekly Bible reading, and we sing zemirot, family songs in praise of God.

Relationships take time, and Shabbat is when we give them time — to listen to one another, praise each other, share in a meal, sing together, and sense the blessedness of one another's company. Adam and Eve, said the rabbis, were spared one day in the Garden of Eden before they were exiled into the world of toil. That day was Shabbat. And for those who observe it Shabbat becomes a way back into Eden, paradise temporarily regained. (p. 133)

The Sabbath is not just a day of leisure and relaxation. It is holy time. We are used to the idea of holy places and holy people. But the first thing the Bible calls holy is not a place or a person. It is a day: 'And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy' — as if to say that God has given us one precious gift, time itself, that fleeting span of years which makes up a human life. The Sabbath is our moment of eternity in the midst of time. Within the cycle of the week it creates a delicate rhythm of action and reflection, making and enjoying, running and standing still. Without that pause to experience family, community and God we risk making the journey while missing the view. (p. 137)

Shabbat How-To
Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday evening and concludes when there are three stars in the sky on Saturday evening, meaning that it lasts for about twenty-five hours. Jewish people observe Shabbat in a few different ways. It is important to note that not all Jews consider themselves to be "religious" and therefore bound by Jewish law, and so not all Jews will do all of the following.

1. Cease any kind of work
2. Clean up the home, prepare a festive meal, and get dressed up
3. Attend synagogue Shabbat services on Friday evening (sometimes called Kabbalat Shabbat)
4. Bless and light the Shabbat candles, after which Shabbat officially begins
5. Bless and consume wine (kiddush)
6. Bless and consume the challah bread (ha-motzi)
7. Eat the festive meal and say the Grace After Meals (Birkat Hamazon)
8. Attend synagogue Shabbat services on Saturday morning (sometimes called Shacharit)
9. Spend time with family, including eating more festive meals
10. Read, relax, and take walks
11. Recite the Havdalah (separation) blessings when Shabbat is over

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who finding favor with us, sanctified us with the commandments, and hoped for us. In love and favor, You made the holy Sabbath our heritage, as a reminder of the work of Creation. As first among our sacred days, it recalls the Exodus from Egypt. You chose us and set us apart from the peoples. In love and favor You have given us Your Holy Sabbath as an inheritance. Blessed are You, Adonai, who sanctifies the Sabbath.

Blessing over the Challah
בָּרוּך אַתָּה ײ אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם הָמוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הַאָרֵץ
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Blessing the Children
Many Jewish parents embrace the custom of blessing their children on Friday evening. This custom is a nice way of bringing gratitude and spirituality into your family. On Shabbat and at other special occasions, it can contribute to a special feeling of closeness between you and your children. The words of the final blessing are taken from the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) and the introduction is altered depending on whether the child being blessed is a boy or girl.

For boys, the introductory line is:יְשִׂימְךָ אֱלהיִם כְּאֶפְרַיְם וְכִמְנַשֶּׁה
Yesimcha Elohim k'Ephraim v'ch'Menashe
May you be like Ephraim and Menashe.

Why? Just before he dies, Jacob blesses his two grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe. He says they should become role models for the Jewish people in the future. On the day Jacob blessed them, he said, "In times to come, the people of Israel will use you as a blessing. They will say, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe'." (Genesis 48:20) It is taught that Ephraim and Menashe were the first pair of siblings that did not fight, so this is an additional reason to bless our sons in their names.

For girls, the introductory line is:יְשִׂימֵךְ אֱלהיִם כְּשָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה
Yesameich k'Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, v'Leah
May you be like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah.

Why? Each of the matriarchs has qualities that qualify them to be role models. The matriarchs were strong and laudable women. They endured difficult home lives, hardships in marriage, infertility, abduction, envy from other woman and difficult children. Nevertheless, these righteous women, through their individual passion, their partnerships with the patriarchs and their loyalty to God, succeeded to build a nation.

For both boys and girls, the rest of the blessing is:יְבָרֶכְךָ יהוה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
Ye'varech'echa Adonai ve'yish'merecha.
May God bless you and keep you.
יָאֵר יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
Ya'ir Adonai panav eilecha viy-chuneka.
May God show you favor and be gracious to you.
יִשָּׂא יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלום
Yisa Adonai panav eilecha, ve'yasim lecha shalom.
May God show you kindness and grant you peace.

Havdalah means "separation." It signifies the end of Shabbat, which occurs when one can see three stars in the night sky on Saturday evening. Our rabbis teach that on Shabbat, we are given an extra soul. At Havdalah we relinquish that extra soul, but hope that the sweetness and holiness of the day will remain with us during the week. We take a cup of wine, a box of spices and a beautiful braided Havdalah candle, and we sing or recite the blessings.

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-gafen.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים.
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei minei v’samim.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of many kinds of spices.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מְאוֹרֵי הָאֵשׁ.
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei m’orei ha-eish.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fire’s light.

At this point, the braided candle is extinguished by dunking it into the wine, and the following blessing is said:

After the final blessings, many Jews continue with songs about Elijah the Prophet (whom, it is taught, will usher in the Messianic Era) and songs wishing each other a shavua tov, a good week.

Art Green These Are the Words pg. 255
Shabbat or the Sabbath is the central religious institution of rabbinic Judaism. Observance of Shabbat is the practice that most defines membership in the traditional community of the Jewish faithful. The idea of a holy day, unlike any notion of sacred place, is seen by the Torah as existing from the beginning of the world. It started on the day after humans were created, on the day God rested. God sanctified the Sabbath from the very beginning of time. This is a way of saying that human existence itself cannot be imagined in a world where there is no Shabbat.

The root of the word Shabbat means to ‘cease’ or ‘desist.’ To observe Shabbat means to cease our work life and break our daily routine every seventh day, making that day holy. Shabbat is to be a day of enjoying God’s world rather than doing battle with it; a day of relaxation rather than struggle, a day time to live in harmony rather than to achieve domination…

The Torah gives almost no instruction about how to observe the Sabbath. “Work” is forbidden, but the nature of that work is not defined. A few details, including the forbidding of lighting fire and gathering wood on the Sabbath, are all the text provides. The rabbis, however, found an entire body of Shabbat law hidden in the Torah, based on a parallel between the work prohibited on Shabbat and the work required for the building of the desert tabernacle. All the forms of work required for the building (there are thirty-nine major categories and many derivatives form them) are those forbidden on the Sabbath...

Shabbat may still be the most important religious form that Judaism has to give to humanity. In our age of ever increasing pace and demand, the need for a day of true rest is all the greater. But the forms of Shabbat observance as they have evolved in endless detail are, for many Jews, overwhelming and even oppressive to the very spirit of Shabbat freedom. A contemporary Shabbat will have to be simplified and streamline one. This is necessary before Shabbat can be accepted by larger parts of the Jewish people, and also for the sake of any new message of Shabbat we might hope to extend beyond the borders of Jewry. Such a Shabbat will of course have to be entirely voluntary, without compulsion of any sort.

In the spirit of fulfilling this need, I offer the following list of ten prescriptions for a contemporary Shabbat. They may be used either alone to created a Shabbat for you and your family, or in combination of whatever traditional Jewish law seems to work for you:

1. Shabbat: The Jewish day of rest, observed on the seventh day of the week, from Friday evening to Saturday evening.
2. Kiddush: The blessing recited over a cup of wine where we declare the special sanctity of Shabbat.
3. Challah: The loaf of bread that is traditionally eaten for Shabbat dinner. We use two loaves of bread, and they are often braided.
4. HaMotzi: The blessing said over bread before a meal.
5. Bracha: A blessing
6. Mitzvah: Literally a commandment. This refers to the obligations set forth by the Torah or to the later Rabbinic instructions. Plural is mitzvot.
7. Havdalah: The ceremony performed at the end of Shabbat, on Saturday night. Blessings are recited over a cup of wine, fragrant spices and a multi-wicked candle.