Shalom All,
One of my favorite passages from the great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, is about the true difference between Shabbat and the rest of the week. He writes, “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.”
The ending is such a beautiful turn of phrase, “from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.” But the beginning is where the real distinction is: time rather than space. Heschel likes to call Shabbat, “A Palace in Time.” In this day and age we are so beholden to our schedules, and our events, whether for work or play, for ourselves or our children, if it’s not on the calendar it’ll likely get missed.
Shabbat, at its best, is supposed to give us the opportunity to step out of the race, once in a while. Ideally, once every seven days. The realm of space, the world in which we live, demands so much of our energy and focus, without a little downtime, a respite, we can’t possibly be attentive to all that needs our attention. So we were given Shabbat, a day to rest and pray, study and learn, and most importantly, to take the time we need to be fully present in the world.
Shabbat begins every Friday at sundown. Kabbalat Shabbat Services begin at 6:30 pm. I hope you’ll take the time to join us.
Be well and enjoy the rest of your summer.
Rabbi Todd