Chapter 4 Chapter 4Shabbat, Sabbath, or the Sabbath Queen, as it is respectfully called, has been with the Jewish people since they encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai almost 3,400 years ago, where they received God’s mitzvot and became a nation. Therefore, it is fitting that we examine the nature of this most exceptional day at this period in history—when the Jews are about to enter the Promised Land.
For the Jews, Shabbat is the most important day of the week. What is more, the Jewish tradition considers Shabbat more sacred than any other holiday—even Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). It is the only holiday specifically addressed in the Ten Statements, where God commands the Jews to “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” This charge, a sign of the covenant between God and the Jewish people, carries with it both a blessing and a responsibility.
What is a midrash?
A midrash is a commentary or a story that deals with a biblical passage and attempts in some way to explain it or elaborate on it. A midrash may be understood in opposition to a peshat, or the literal interpretation of a particular biblical passage.
Shabbat is such a unique time that it has been compared to the Messianic Age. A midrash explains that when God was preparing to give the Torah to the Israelites, He said that He had something extraordinary to give them if they would accept His commandments and the Torah. The Jews asked what that could be and God replied that it was the “world-to-come.” The Israelites 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.
The word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew root shin-bet-tav, which means “to rest” or “cessation of labor.” It is also referred to as the Sabbath Queen, the Queen of the week, or the Bride because Jewish mystics believed that on Sabbath eve, God’s Presence or Shekinah (often considered to be God’s feminine component) descends to earth.
On the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, Jews rest and turn their minds toward prayer and toward home. Observant Jewish families gather at home to welcome the Shabbat as well as to end it the following evening. Because Shabbat is so important to the heritage and history of the Jewish people, we will examine exactly how this day is traditionally observed.
In the Jewish tradition, the day does not begin in the middle of the night or with the sunrise, but in the evening, at sunset. Hence, Shabbat begins exactly eighteen minutes before sunset and ends on Saturday night, after three stars appear in the sky (approximately forty minutes after sunset).
God commanded the Jews to “remember” and “to observe” Shabbat (Exodus 20:8 and Deuteronomy 5:12), a twofold injunction. Halakhah (Jewish Law) and all of the mitzvot having to do with Shabbat are designed to fulfill this purpose. However, Jewish people in different times and different places have observed Shabbat in many different ways. Today, those who practice one of the four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist) follow their respective protocols when celebrating Shabbat. Jews from different parts of the world also share specific customs and traditions that may seem foreign to other Jews.
The following description of observances is from the Orthodox tradition, which is more rigorous in its adherence to all the rules and commandments concerning Shabbat. But it’s important to note that despite the differences in observance, Shabbat is held in the highest esteem by all branches of Judaism.
Mitzvot associated with observing Shabbat include affirmative obligations as well as prohibitions. These prohibitions are known collectively as melachah, a term that can be loosely translated to mean “work,” but that should really be defined as any work that is creative or that exercises dominion over the environment. Melachah does not necessarily include any expenditure of energy or physical activity.
For example, flipping a light switch does not require much energy or effort, but because it is a creative act it is prohibited during Shabbat. Walking up a flight of stairs, on the other hand, is permitted. Although it does require an expenditure of energy, climbing a stairway is not a creative act and does not exercise control over the environment.
There are two underlying explanations regarding the prohibition on turning on a light. The first has to do with the interdiction against cooking, because it involves heating metal. Secondly, because turning on the light completes (or builds) a circuit, it is prohibited by the injunction that the act of building cannot be performed on Shabbat.
Working within the definition of what is prohibited on Shabbat, the rabbis have established thirty-nine categories of forbidden acts, which they set forth in the Mishna (Code of Jewish Law). For instance, it is prohibited to take an object from the private domain into the public or transport an object in the public domain for over seven feet. Other categories include the following:
| • | Plowing | • | Kindling a fire |
| • | Baking | • | Hitting with a hammer |
| • | Slaughtering | • | Weaving |
| • | Writing (“creating” words) | • | Tying |
| • | Building |
On Shabbat, more observant Jews do not drive, turn on the lights or the television set, go out to dinner, see a movie, or even make a freshly brewed cup of coffee. With all these restrictions, you might seriously question whether “the world to come” is an event one should look forward to. But such an attitude misses the point. These restrictions are designed not to punish but rather to remove the devout from the mundane life and help them experience fully the wonders of Shabbat.
The ancient Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem, destroyed in the 1967 war and later rebuilt by architect Louis Kahn.
Because work on Shabbat is prohibited, preparing for it usually involves such practical steps as cleaning the house, setting the Shabbat dinner table and preparing the Shabbat meal, bathing, and dressing up for the occasion. On Friday afternoons, for thousands of years, all over the globe, Jews have bustled about in preparation to greet Shabbat.
As Shabbat begins, the mother will traditionally light two candles, which represent the mitzvot to remember and observe. (Some families follow a slightly different tradition and light a candle for every person present at the table.) The candles may be of any color, but they are usually white. Usually, a blessing is said before lighting the candle, but in the case of Shabbat candles, you light them before saying a blessing because the blessing is what begins the Sabbath and you can’t light candles on Shabbat. Then, the man of the house recites the special blessing, the Kiddush, over the wine.
The woman’s role in welcoming the Shabbat by lighting the candles and saying the blessing is representative of women’s responsibility of conducting the way Jewish traditions and practices are held in the home. However, if no women are present, a man can carry out the blessings. Inversely, if no men are present, it is appropriate for a woman to say the Kiddush.
The family can then greet each other with the words shabbat shalom! (in Hebrew) or gut shabbes! (in Yiddish), for the Sabbath has begun. At this time, some families attend a brief Shabbat service (kabbalat shabbat) at the synagogue and then return home for dinner.
For Shabbat dinner, the table is usually set with the family’s best china and silverware. People often add a vase filled with fresh flowers and a white tablecloth. In addition to the festive decorations, the Shabbat dinner table requires a Kiddush cup, wine or grape juice, two challahs (special Shabbat bread loaves) with white covers, and candles.
Just before dinner, people wash their hands, and make a blessing over the challah. (This blessing is known as the motzi, or blessing of the bread.) Another beautiful custom that may take place at the Shabbat dinner is the blessing of the children.
It is also customary to sprinkle salt over the challah or dip the challah in salt. One explanation for this custom is that salt was a valuable commodity in the Roman Empire and was available only to free people. Another reason has to do with the fact that ever since the destruction of the Temple, the home has become a small sanctuary. Given that sacrifices were offered with salt, sprinkling salt on the challah is a link to the era of Temple Judaism.
Except for the bread and wine needed for the blessings, there are no special requirements for what is served at a Shabbat dinner, as long as the food is kosher, or subject to the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut, and was prepared before Shabbat began. Of course, Jews from different parts of the world do have their preferences.
At an Ashkenazic table, you may see dishes like gefilte fish, chopped liver, chicken soup with matzah balls, roast chicken, brisket of beef, and noodle or potato kugel. Among Sephardic Jews, traditional meals may consist of fish, eggplant salad, lamb roast, stuffed grape leaves, and white rice.
Who are Ashkenazim and Sephardim?
Ashkenaz is the Hebrew term for “Germany,” and Ashkenazic Jews are the Jews from Germany or Eastern Europe who speak Yiddish. Sephardic Jews take their name from Sepharad, or Spain—they are the Jews who were exiled to Spain and settled in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, or the Middle East.
During dinner, conversation is open to any subject, but it is a time for the family to move beyond the perfunctory small talk that exemplifies a typical evening meal. During or after the meal, some families will sing Sabbath songs. At the meal’s conclusion, they recite the birkat ha-mazon (grace after meals).
Judaism is a religion shared by a community, and public worship has always been an integral part of Jewish life. Today, the synagogue is the place Jews go to worship together as a community, and at no time is this more appropriate than on the holy days of Shabbat.
The kabbalat shabbat service welcomes the Sabbath; it is followed by the evening or ma’ariv service, which includes additional prayers. In some synagogues, particularly those that practice Reform Judaism, this may be the main Sabbath service. Following services, most Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative congregations have an oneg shabbat (joy of the Sabbath), where refreshments are available and the congregation has the opportunity to socialize.
On Saturday, Sabbath observances continue with the morning service, which has three parts: shacharit (morning service), the Torah reading, and musaf (additional Shabbat prayer service). Again, following this service there is a Kiddush where wine and perhaps cakes and cookies are served. At this time, the family can return home to enjoy the rest of Shabbat.
It takes a full year for the congregation to read through the five books of the Torah. Upon the completion of the last weekly reading, which falls on the second day after Sukkot, Jews celebrate Simchat Torah, literally “rejoicing in the Torah.”
During the afternoon, people may engage in a wide variety of activities so long as they are not prohibited by Halakhah. Generally, people occupy themselves with praying, reading, and studying, but you may also see some people playing games, such as chess or checkers, taking family walks, or engaging in other leisure activities. The point is for people to try and remove themselves from the ordinary and enter the holiness of Shabbat.
Because Shabbat is so extraordinary, simply ignoring its end when the sun sets on Saturday evening would be rude, much like not saying good-bye to an honored guest in your home. Hence, separating from Shabbat has its own ceremony and customs. When the day ends and three stars appear in the night sky, usually about forty minutes after sunset, devout Jewish families perform the Havdalah (separation) ceremony.
During Havdalah, blessings are made over the wine, a specially woven or braided multiwick havdalah candle, and a box called a bsamim, which contains sweet-smelling spices. Each of these objects represents something.
The wine cup: Filled to the brim, the cup expresses hope that the upcoming week will be filled with divine blessings.
The havdalah candle: Blazing like a torch, the havdalah candle’s flame signifies light and guidance through life.
The spice box: The spices contained in the spice box are meant to remind the devout to make an effort to bring some of the sweetness of Shabbat into the coming week.
It is customary to invite a stranger, traveler, or poor person to be a guest at a Shabbat dinner. Another common practice is to set aside a sum of money for charity before the lighting of the Sabbath candles and the welcoming of Shabbat.
Children are often included in the Havdalah ceremony—their parents entrust them with holding the candle and the spice box. At this time, the family recites the final blessing regarding the division between the consecrated and the worldly, which reflects how the Sabbath is distinct from the other days of the week.
The idea of the weekend, a time away from work at the end of each week, is a modern concept. And yet, thousands of years ago the Jewish people established one day of the week as a complete day of rest. Of course, the Sabbath is much more than a day free from toil, because it marks the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
During Sabbath prayer services, emphasizing this unique relationship between God and the Jews, the following words from Exodus 31:16–17 are recited: “The Israelite people shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed.”
The concept of the Jews as the “chosen people” has often been misinterpreted by gentiles. The special covenant between God and the Jews has nothing to do with the notion the Jews are superior to other people. Nor does it mean they are elected to salvation. All that it signifies is that God entered into a covenant with Abraham and his descendants that they would be loyal to one another. The Jews understand that this relationship comes with the responsibilities of following all of God’s commandments, which do not burden the gentiles.
The way the Jewish people understand their covenant with God might explain why Judaism does not encourage conversion. Those who accept the Jewish faith and join the Tribe of Israel must also take on all the responsibilities of serving God and fulfilling all the mitzvot.
However, this notion of the Israelites being God’s “chosen people” has not boded well for the Jews throughout the ages—particularly among the nations in which the Jews found themselves during the Diaspora. With the same jealousy leading to the murderous rage Jacob’s sons displayed to their brother Joseph for being favored by their father, the nations and peoples of the world have vented their anger upon the Jews.
For millennia, Shabbat has served a special function of providing a beacon of light in the wilderness of the Diaspora by helping the Jews stay true to their path and their heritage. Each and every week of the year, this one day helped preserve the spirit of Jewish life even under the most adverse conditions.
Even if there was no synagogue to attend, there was the home and family where the Jews could welcome and celebrate Shabbat. If there was no home or shelter, there was always this special time of the week when each and every Jew could take a respite from worldly concerns and be reminded of the covenant with God. No matter how omnipotent their oppressors might have appeared and no matter how awesome their power seemed, nothing could ever stand in the way of the arrival of the Sabbath Queen every week.
Shabbat is a day that is central to both Judaism and the Jewish people. Perhaps this has been best expressed by Achad Ha-Am, a Jewish writer, who wrote: “More than Israel has kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept Israel.” 