Someone
asked the famous rabbi of Rymanov, “Where lies the superiority of Yom Kippur,
that it is called Shabbat Shabbaton,
a Sabbath of Sabbaths? Is not Shabbat also called Shabbat Shabbaton, unto the Lord? The rabbi replied, “I see that
you do not read the Torah with care … indeed of Shabbat it is written “Shabbat shabbaton unto the Lord,” but about
Yom Kippur it is written Shabbat
shabbaton hu lachem, to you [for the people]. On Yom Kippur we draw the
Presence of God down, closer to us!
At
most congregations, Yom Kippur must be the best attended Shabbat! Yet, Shabbat
is a Jewish holiday that comes every week!
Shabbat
is the only Jewish holiday that is mentioned in the Ten Commandments. In the
book of Exodus we read, "Zachor
… Remember Shabbat to keep it holy," (Exodus 20:8). In Deuteronomy the
wording is different. In chapter 5 we read, "Shamor, keep Shabbat
to make it holy," (Deuteronomy 5:12).
The
first stanza of the well-known Friday evening prayer, L’cha dodi, reads:
Shamor
ve-zachor be-dibbur echad, hishmi’anu el ha-m’yuchad
keep and remember: A single command the Only
God caused us to hear;
What
does it mean that God “caused us to hear” two commandments as ONE? According to
a famous midrash, at Sinai, God did what no human being can do: God uttered two
distinct words, zachor/shamor at the
same time. Let me demonstrate with the help of our wonderful choir [have them
do it].
Tradition teaches us that shamor/observe,
refers to mitzvoth instructing us
what NOT to do; those things we should
not do on Shabbat. In traditional terms, they include working, kindling
fire, cooking, washing, conducting business. On the other hand "zachor/remember" refers to those mitzvoth that we should do; those things
that we do on Shabbat such as
lighting candles, reciting kiddush, attending services.
In traditional circles, someone who observes all the restrictions of
Shabbat is called a shomer shobbes.
For more than two hundred years now, our Reform movement has rejected being shomer shabbes. In some cases, we even
went as far as declaring Sunday as our day for services.
Although in recent years, our movement has welcomed a rapprochement to
tradition it is clear to me that the paradigm of shomer shabbes has not appealed to Jews who choose to join Reform
congregations. The restrictions concerning work, shopping, and participating in
secular activities is meaningless to most of us. Yet, Shabbat can still be
relevant. Celebrating Shabbat was
crafted by our ancestors with one purpose in mind: to connect us to God and to
lead us to be ethical, moral human beings. You could say, “Shabbat is as Jewish
as a corn-beef sandwich,” so we need to find a place for Shabbat
in our lives.
Like many
Jews before me, I went through a period when I wanted to experiment with
Shabbat. Everything seemed to come together during my first year of rabbinical
school, in Jerusalem. I rented an apartment that was all set up for Shabbat
–including a Shabbat timer. Basically, you set it up so that the lights go off
right before bedtime on Friday night. Since I had everything I needed for a
“true” Shabbat experience, my roommate and I decided to be shomer shobbes for a year. We reasoned that being future rabbis, we
should have the experience of being shomer
shobbes at least once in our lifetime. We did everything: No cooking, no TV
or radio or computers, no traveling –I walked 45 minutes each way many times,
on Shabbat morning, to attend HUC’s services. I did Kiddush, 3 meals, havdalah, attended the local Orthodox
synagogue, and took lots of naps!
Rabbi
Lawrence Kushner suggests a way to describe non-Orthodox Jews who are serious
about Shabbat, as zocheir shabbes.
Rabbi Kushner teaches, “One who is zocheir Shabbat would remember
throughout the day’s duration that it was Shabbat. (Not as easy as it […] sounds.)
We say to one another, do anything you want—as long as you will remember it is
Shabbat and that will insure that whatever you do will be lichvod Shabbat—for
the honor of Shabbat.”
I am glad I
was able to experience being shomer
shabbos. I learned a lot about Shabbat and it made me put “keeping Shabbat”
into perspective. Although being a shomer
shabbes is not for me, I developed an appreciation for the “DO mitzvot” of Shabbat. I see myself as a zocher shabbos for sure.
Being a zocher shabbos means
making time to “make Shabbat” on a regular basis. For instance, honoring
Shabbat: doing things lichvod Shabbat, because Shabbat is
coming. They can include preparing for the upcoming Shabbat by bathing, having
a haircut, and cleaning and beautifying the home -with flowers, for example. We
can have a haircut any day, right? Why not have it in honor of Shabbat? Then,
on Shabbat itself, we may choose to wear festive clothing and refrain from
unpleasant conversation. Of course, we can go the whole “nine yards” and recite
Kiddush and light candles … and attend services.
I know that for some
of us, doing any of these Shabbat things might be quite foreign. But they need
not be. In this New Year I would like to offer my help. I want to help our families and
individuals to feel a sense of ownership of Shabbat. In the coming year, I’ll
begin a “pilot” program, “Shabbat Basket.” Once a month or so, I will come to
your home on Friday at around 5 or so, with a “Shabbat Basket” containing all
the necessary elements for making Shabbat: Kiddush wine, grape juice, challah, candles, etc, and of course, a
rabbi! Remember: It is not about the food or how fancy your house might be. It
is about doing something to remember
Shabbat. It will open to every one of our member households, NO matter your age
or knowledge, or what side of town you live in. It will be a great learning
opportunity for you as well as a good way for me to get to know you a bit
better. I pray that you will consider it. There is a sign up sheet in the lobby
–I would love to see as many names as possible! I will get in touch with you
with more details and to set a date [Pause].
You may say, “but
rabbi, doing Shabbat on Friday night just does not work for me.” It’s fine, I
understand, sometimes it doesn’t work for rabbinical households either! During
the first five years I served the Jewish community of Lima, Ohio, I lived in
Cincinnati –about two hours away. I traveled to Lima 3 weekends a months, so it
was not possible for Kris to come every time. I soon realized that Kris and I
could not have regular Shabbat dinner on Friday evenings. So, we decided to
REMEMBER Shabbat on Thursday evenings. We would do a special dinner on Thursday
in honor of Shabbat, and spend that special time together.
Where
there is a will … there is a way. It might not be the Orthodox way –it might
not even be the way that other people are doing Shabbat, but if we CHOOSE to
remember Shabbat every week, we WILL find a way that works for you and for your
family.
In addition to honoring Shabbat, it is a mitzvah to enjoy Shabbat; it’s what we call oneg Shabbat. Yes,
I know oneg shabbat means the
refreshments after Friday night services, but oneg Shabbat is much more than that. Oneg Shabbat is a great way of being a zocher Shabbat. Oneg Shabbat
means engaging in pleasurable activities such as eating, singing, spending time
with the family and friends … and attending services (have I mentioned that
before?).
I
believe that whatever each one of us decides to do to remember Shabbat, it must
be a personal decision. As Jews, we all need to develop our own personal way of
making Shabbat a special day. Since Shabbat is at a personal choice, let me
give you a personal example of what I mean by “remembering Shabbat.” This is
certainly an example of oneg Shabbat!
Some
of you may know that I like opera. As an opera fan, attending the Metropolitan
Opera in New York City is a must. I attended for the first time in 2003. Just
being there was impressive, but I wanted it to be really special. So, I did some research … I found out that during
the 2003-2004 season the Met, after 70 years, was going to put up a production
of an opera composed in 1835 by a Jewish composer, on a Jewish theme. I had to
go! But when I looked for tickets for La
juive (The Jewess), the only day that worked for us was a Friday evening. I
did hesitate but then I thought, “how appropriate!” So, that Shabbat I had my
special evening: First time at the Met, listening to an opera by a Jewish
composer, on a Jewish theme … and did I mention that the tenor, Neil Schicoff, was
the son of a cantor and former student at HUC cantorial school, and that he
performed the most famous aria from the opera wearing his dad’s tallis?
So,
I wonder, was I keeping Shabbat that evening? Probably not, but I was very
aware that it was Shabbat –I was honoring and remembering Shabbat. For me, that
evening at the Met, was a religious experience, very shabbesdik. I can tell you: I surely was a zocher shabbes. The fact that it was Shabbat made it so much more
meaningful to me.
Many
of us were taught that being a good Jew is doing what the Orthodox Jews do, and
that IF I were to be a “religious” Jew, I would do what they do. Keeping
Shabbat is not more important, or more authentic, than remembering Shabbat. I
do not believe that the real Jews are ONLY those who keep Shabbat. What we do
for Shabbat is a personal matter, but that does not mean that it ought to be self-centered.
One of the main components of Shabbat is sharing it with a community. I’m not
sure if I mentioned it, but attending services on Shabbat is a way of both
honoring Shabbat and enjoying Shabbat. [Pause] It gets lonely around here on
Shabbat …
The beauty of Shabbat is that all generations can participate and find
a meaningful experience here at our congregation during the year. If you
travel, I encourage you to attend Shabbat services wherever you go; you’ll meet
interesting people and will experience the richness of the Jewish worlds. Summer is a great time for getting a
full dose of Shabbat, our youngsters do so at Jewish camps –if you knew how
much they enjoy Shabbat at camp you would want to be a child all over again! I
would …
This
summer, after a 15-year hiatus, I decided to spend time working at a Jewish
camp, you might have heard of it, it’s called GUCI. I happened to pick the last
two weeks in June thinking the weather would cooperate. Yet, Indiana’s early
summer broke all records (mind you dry heat!). Despite the weather, I doubt
that any of the campers had a less exciting summer than otherwise. I know I had
a great time being part of the faculty and enjoyed the legendary ruach
at GUCI.
After
a week of shvitzing at breakfast, at lunch, during programs, at t’filot,
etc., it was hard to visualize the transformation the camp experiences as we
welcome Shabbat. Visitors from all over the country flock to camp for Shabbat:
former campers, counselors, staff as well as spouses, children of those working
at camp –a spot at the Shabbat table is highly sought after months in advance.
So,
what’s all the fuss about Shabbat at camp? I have experienced Shabbat at other
camps before, but the great anticipation given in everyone’s descriptions of
the evening confirmed that this was special. I could not fathom how campers had
managed to save a set of clean clothes! But there they were, all prepped up and
ready to welcome Shabbat. At GUCI, Shabbat begins with a “Shabbat Walk,” from
the upper regions of the camp, to the “lower” cabins section. As our Shabbat
walk winded down to the various areas of camp, I wondered how could they all
look so radiant and happy? I knew, in my mind, that they were the same campers
and counselors, but I could perceive that something had changed them: Shabbat
had worked its magic –tears well in my eyes. I am happy with my age and my
life’s journey, but at that instant, I wished I had had their opportunity if
for a second I could be a camper … and welcome Shabbat.
A midrash explains that when God was preparing to
give the Torah to the Jews, God said that God had something extraordinary to
give them if they would accept the commandments and the Torah. The Jews asked
what that could be, and God replied that it was the “world-to-come.” The Jews
wanted to know what it was like, and God answered that it was just like Shabbat
because the world to come is simply one long Shabbat. I may add, one long Shabbat Camp-style!
The image the midrash
conjures is indeed beautifully simple: Shabbat is me’ein olam habah,
Shabbat is a taste of the world to come. On this Yom Kippur, this Shabbat
shabbaton, when we attempt to bring down God’s presence among us, let us
realize that the opportunity for connecting with God, with our people, with
each other, presents itself every week, when Shabbat enters.
As we begin a New Year, we
are called upon to do t’shuvah, repentance, return. True t’shuvah can
be reached when, placed in the same situation, we do not miss the opportunity
to do what’s right. True t’shuvah is a resolution NOT to repeat our past
mistakes, NOT to repeat our past omissions, BUT to choose wisely. Whether you
were born Jewish or not, you have chosen to be Jewish. You are here tonight,
Judaism matters to you, and Shabbat is an essential way of expressing Judaism.
Remember the famous words, “More than the Jewish people has kept Shabbat,
Shabbat has kept the Jewish people.” Let us resolve to choose Shabbat again.
Let us all resolve to be zocher shabbos, to remember Shabbat, in
whichever way it speaks to us, whether it may be hosting a “Shabbat Basket,” or
having a special meal with family or friends, studying Torah with your rabbi
or, yes, attending services … In the year ahead, may we all have a taste of
that world that may one day come, but that we can bring down here every week as
we remember Shabbat together. L’shanah tovah, and tzom kal, an
easy fast!
