Good Morning,

“Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it. Six days you will work and perform all your labor, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God; you shall perform no labor, neither you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your beast, nor the immigrant living among you. For six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.” 

Exodus 20:8-11

Every Shabbat morning we say these words just before reciting the blessing over wine, sanctifying the day of Shabbat.  According to these verses, all the people and animals who either work for you or live with you should rest on Shabbat.  

In this context, what does “rest” mean?  This type of “rest” discussed in these verses is understood to be any type of creative work.  The rabbis interpret these verses to mean that there are 39 categories of work. (More info can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_prohibited_on_Shabbat)  

What does this mean for us today? I’m guessing for many of us the prohibition on combing wool is not one we transgress on a regular basis.  Yet, taking a step back from the exact prohibitions, we can understand the great benefit we personally receive by taking time on Shabbat to rest in some way and not treating it the same as the six other days of the week.

Shabbat gives us the opportunity to spend time with our family and friends, enjoying meals and spending time together. Shabbat affords us the time to put those things that separate us away and come together.  So often during the week, people separate themselves from each other. We stop listening to one another when we aren’t interested anymore and take out our phones.  Even showing another pictures of a recent vacation or new baby (as wonderful as these are), can be a separation.  When one shows a picture, there is less need for a description and less opportunity to describe how they felt in the moment. Look at the person’s face, not the screen. 

We are asking everyone, especially in the synagogue, to turn your phones off. Be present in the moment. Enjoy our time with friends here at Congregation Beth Mordecai without interruptions.  Connect with people face to face and enjoy the break that Shabbat gives us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Metz

Friday, Feb 2, 8 PM
Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat services and Kiddush in memory of Irving Belafsky, Anita Krentar’s father, and John Krentar, Bob Krentar’s father.

Sat. Feb 3, 9 AM
Join us for Breakfast minyan. 9 am nosh, 9:30 – 10:30 a meaningful and short Shabbat service.

Sat. Feb 3 7 PM
Paint & Sip! Join us for a fun and colorful evening! Participants will learn from an art teacher how to create a beautiful painting while enjoying wine with friends. Bring your creativity, clothes that can get paint on them and we will provide the rest!
$25  Pay here: http://bethmordecai.org/special-events/paint-and-sip/

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal