The Gift of Shabbat

  • Posted by Pete
  • October 29, 2006

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Ahhh, the pressure even the youngest of us are under to get things done, to deliver the stuff (whatever the stuff is) …

Them ancient civilisations (or Civs as gamers call ‘em) knew a thing or two about livin’ right. The ancient Hebrews for instance had a tradition called Shabbat. You might have heard it called “Sabbath” - its simplest meaning is “taking a day off every week”. But it ran deeper than that in their culture.

It was the day of the week where all agendas, productivity and rushing around got put on hold while people renewed their relationships, got “centred”, lingered over pre-prepared meals and took time for what really matters in life.

Many of them saw “Shabbat” as an obligation - one of the 10 Commandments they had to obey or else get zapped by God. But others had the sense to see it as a gift - a gift of space given to get our lives our thoughts our health our relationships our goals under control and back on track.

No one’s going to legislate these days that you take a day to do this. You and I need to regularly give ourselves the gift of space and revisit the things that matter most…

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October 29th, 2006
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Leah
Posted on:
October 30, 2006 at 7:31 am

Pete - One of the most important aspects of Shabbat is that the day of “rest” is celebrated on a common day by everyone in the community, and especially the family. That way there was more than just “a day off” but it was a chance to share time.

In the current 24/7 world where work is not just Monday to Friday, but can be Tuesday to Sunday for one family member, Friday to Wednesday for another and Monday to Friday evenings for another one, the chance to share time together is becoming rarer.

So is Shabbat just about a gift for yourself of time or is it also about the opportunity to share time with others?

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Pete
Posted on:
October 30, 2006 at 9:26 am

Great point, Leah. Thanks for making it. I think you’ve nailed the “life’s not really about me” principle that ironically (when lived by) actually brings the greatest fulflment…

I reckon when we stop and take stock (as well as a breather) we start to “notice” other people in a renewed way. So I agree that this is an opportunity to share time …

And I hope that that in itself would lead to a sharing of hearts and minds as well, rather than reverting to those kind of thoughts/motivations like “Oh I have to go and see my Dad today” or “(Sigh) I haven’t seen Frank for a while, I guess I’d better go catch up with him.” In other words that we let some of our social interaction be shaped by Shabbat rather than driven by agendas and guilt etc.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Zack
Posted on:
August 5, 2007 at 8:59 am

Hi pete, would you say that “being” is therefore about sharing time with others

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Pete
Posted on:
August 5, 2007 at 2:16 pm

I think that’s a large part of it. There is always going to be a “doing” component of “being” and if that “doing” is spending time with people, so be it.

But I think it still needs to be an orientation toward awareness of the moment, awareness of the person, a letting go of striving to achieve…

Thanks for visiting Zack!