One of the books that Lavi has us read multiple times every day is called Shai’s Shabbat Walk. It’s a book about a little boy that goes on a Shabbat afternoon walk, and along the way he encounters different things - a dog sleeping on the steps, Uncle Danny reading to Rachel, a bird singing in a tree. Each of these images teach him that Shabbat is a time for something special - resting, telling stories, singing.
Shabbat has always felt like a unique time in my life, but the past three months have posed a greater challenge to Shabbat feeling different. Our routines have become disrupted and for many of us, this bizarre time is now the new normal. It’s hard to mark Shabbat as unique when Shabbat feels different than it used to and when the rest of the week feels different than it used to, as well. I have found the need to be far more intentional about what I can do to make Shabbat feel holy and separate from the rest of the week.
We spent last Shabbat at Chickasaw State Park, and it wasn’t until I was there that I realized how much I was craving a sense of difference on Shabbat. I needed Shabbat to feel different than the rest of the week. I needed the air to smell different and I needed to look at different things and hear different noises and see different stars. In the absence of those differences, created in an intentional way, the days have too many resemblances to really feel Shabbat as markedly different.
While for me I’ve had to be far more deliberate in ensuring that Shabbat felt different, a Hasidic story depicts two rabbis trying to understand the holiness felt on Shabbat. Every week on Shabbat, especially when they ate their delicious Shabbat meal with friends and family and shared words of Torah, Rabbi Elimelekh and Rabbi Zusya were overcome by a feeling of holiness. Once, when they were alone, Rabbi Elimelekh told his brother Rabbi Zusya that he was sometimes worried that his feeling of holiness on Shabbat was not a true feeling. Rabbi Zusya agreed and the two brothers decided that there was only one way to find out: they would recreate Shabbat on a weekday and if it felt the same, they would know this holiness was not a true feeling. On a weekday the brothers made a meal like their typical Shabbat meal, they invited their friends and families, and they spoke words of Torah -- the feeling of holiness overcame them, even though it was not truly Shabbat! In a panic the brothers decided to go to their teacher, the Maggid of Mezeritch, to find out what they should do about this. When they told the Maggid of their trouble, the Maggid smiled and said: “ah, Shabbos clothes, they are such a wonderful thing…” (Based on Martin Buber’s version of the story in Tales of the Hasidim)
In some ways, it’s quite surprising that these two rabbis were able to recreate a feeling of holiness on a random day of the week. The answer isn’t just that sunset on Friday to sundown on Saturday is a magical time with a special feeling. Their story reminds us that it’s what we do to fill that time, the way we make it feel different, that makes it holy. Their teacher the Maggid knew that part of the answer is their clothing. It’s an outward reminder that Shabbat is a different time. But it’s not just that - it’s the choices we make in how we spend our time. I’m reminded that while it’s beautiful to get a change of scenery, I don’t need to be in a State Park to feel the holiness of Shabbat.
As Shai’s Shabbat Walk reminds me, Shabbat can be holy because it’s a time for telling stories, for resting, for singing. When we choose to sing certain songs, when we choose to tell certain stories, we allow the holiness of Shabbat to emerge.
May this Shabbat be one for you of intentional holiness, of carving out time to feel different.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
We will NOT be having services at shul this Shabbat. I hope you will join Abe and me for Hachanah l’Shabbat (Preparing for Shabbat at 6:30PM this evening), and for Havdallah (Saturday at 9:15PM). Click those links to connect on Zoom!
Please click here for the davening and teaching I’ve prepared for this Shabbat.
Please check out our website for some Shabbat-related learning resources.
