Jewish holidays and festivals are rich sources to learn about Judaism. Among many holidays and festivals, the Sabbath is so important to the Jews; it is a holy day, a day of rest, a day of joy, and a day of liberation. When talking about the Sabbath, Jacob Neusner wrote, “It is the single happiest moment in Judaism, and, coming as it does every week, the Sabbath sheds its light on the everyday.”[1] The Sabbath also reflects deeply on many aspects of Judaism such as religious, historical, and biblical. As Ben M. Edidin describes the importance of the Sabbath to the Jews in his work, Jewish Holidays and Festivals,
Of our many holidays and observances, the
Sabbath is the only one prescribed in the Ten Commandments, for it is one of
the very first customs observed by our ancestors. It was celebrated as far back
as Exodus days… Even more important, the Fourth Commandment is the first labor
law known to mankind. Two explanations are given in the Commandments for
keeping the Sabbath. One is religious reason – that God rested on the seventh
day after having created the world in six days. The other is historical –
because the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.[2]
As
for me, especially, observing the Sabbath through celebrating the Friday night
dinner also has something beyond the religious and historical meaning of the
Sabbath, which is about celebrating the relationship with God and with one
another. Therefore, in this paper, first of all, I will explore some aspects of
the historical and biblical roots of the Sabbath in general. Secondly, I will
particularly discover how the Jews celebrate the Friday night dinner with a
learning of the meal, rituals, and prayers. Finally, I will focus on a great
influence of this tradition on the Jewish relationship with God and on Jewish
family life.
I. Historical and Biblical Roots of the Sabbath
1. Historical Roots
When talking about the historical root
of the Sabbath, one can have many different resources that analyze the history
of the Sabbath from different periods of time in the Jewish history. However,
in this paper, I will discuss the Sabbath as constructed by Rabbis in the
centuries after the destruction of the Second Temple. Indeed, when the Jews did
not have a sacred place to worship their God anymore, they had to learn to
adapt to the reality of living the Jewish life and practicing their beliefs
without the Temple. In many ways of adapting to a new life, there were many
modern Jewish rules established to fulfill the need of their religious life.
Observing the Sabbath was one of the considerations that was encouraged and
developed in the Jewish family life.
First of all,
the Jews considered the Sabbath as a special day for God, and called everyone
to observe and honor this day. Indeed, they learned from the Torah a clear
affirmation of observing the Sabbath as a holy path to show the Jews how to
engage fully into the world, but still treat the Sabbath rightly. “Six days a
week you will engage and do all of your work, but the seventh day will be a
Sabbath – a day for God.” (Exodus 20: 8-11). In a famous book, The Sabbath: It’s Meaning for Modern Man,
Abraham Joshua Heschel absolutely shows his honor and respect to the Sabbath
through his tone: “Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit
from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity
planted in the soul. The world has our hands, but our soul belongs to Someone
Else. Six days a week we seek to dominate the world, on the seventh day we try
to dominate the self.”[3]
He also emphasizes the definition of the word “Sabbath” as the name of the Holy
One so it needs to be honored rightly. “Since the word Shabbat is a name of
God, one should not mention it in unclean places, where words of Torah should
not be spoken.”[4]
In addition to
honoring the day of God, observing the Sabbath is also to commemorate the past
when the Israelites were in captivity and slavery in Egypt; they had to work
hard, and there was no time to rest. God librated them and gave them rest. From
this historical aspect, resting is needed for human beings. It‟s true that, in
reality, if people keep continuing on working, they still can‟t complete all
their work. One of Heschel‟s studies on Exodus questions about this reality:
“Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work (Exodus 20:8). Is it possible
for a human being to do all his work in six days? Does not our work always
remain incomplete? What the verse means to convey is: Rest on the Sabbath as if
all your work were done. Another interpretation: Rest even from the thought of
labor.”[5]
Moreover, the
history of constructing the Tabernacle was also an indication that considered
the day of rest as one of 39 fundamental categories of labor. It was to
emphasize that the day of rest was so important for the Israelites to gain hope
and strength to overcome the challenges of life in the desert. The Sabbath was
the time to pray, to talk, and to acknowledge all the hard work, conflicts, and
fears. It was also the time to rebuild the relationship among the
Israelites and with nature.
Pinchas H. Peli describes the same state of rest in his book, The Jewish
Sabbath: A Renewed
Encounter, that, “In the state of rest, human beings anticipate the state
of human freedom. On the Sabbath the relationship of humanity with nature and
of one person with another is one of harmony, of peace, of noninterference.”[6]
The Sabbath
was observed not only as a weekly day of rest, but also as a law written in the
Torah to emphasize that it was a very important day for all the Jews to
remember and keep it.
“Keep the Sabbath and sanctify
it. And you must remember, because you were a slave in Egypt”.
Abraham Joshua Heschel firmly insists the importance of the
Sabbath as a core teaching of Judaism, “Judaism teaches us to be attached to
holiness in time, to be attached to sacred events, to learn how to consecrate
sanctuaries that emerge from the magnificent stream of year. The Sabbaths are
our great cathedrals; and our Holy of Holies is a shrine that neither the
Romans nor the Germans were able to burn”[7].
In practicing the Sabbath as a liturgical act, the ritual of Kiddush was established
to sanctify the Sabbath to recall the time when the Israelites were ready to
leave Egypt. The blessing sanctifying Sabbath was to remind the Jews that they
were strengthened to leave a place of devastation to find freedom. Thus the Sabbath was a remembrance of the
history of the Israelites from Egypt. Moreover, once Sabbath was written in the
Torah, it became a liturgical activity required as part of the Sabbath
observance to all the
Jews.
2. Biblical Roots
First of all,
the Sabbath is one of the most important days that is repeated in the Bible
many times. “It is described not only as a memorial of Creation and of the
Exodus from Egypt, but as the „sign of covenant between God and Israel‟.”[8] Truly, the Sabbath day was established to
commemorate God‟s Creation. Right at the
beginning of Genesis, this is said clearly at the opening of the Torah, “The
heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the
seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the
seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh
day, and hallowed it; because in it He rested from all His work which God in
creating had made”[9]
(Genesis 2: 1-3). The seventh day was made special in the Torah as a holy day. Abraham
P. Bloch reaffirms the holiness of the Sabbath in several places in Exodus and
Deuteronomy such as Exod. 16:23,
20:10, 14:15 and Deut. 5:12. Especially, he makes clear the
Sabbath as written in his book, The
Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies, “A
holy day is one which is set apart, or above, the other days of the year.”[10] He continues to explain why the
Sabbath is observed as a holy day, “As a memorial of God‟s
creation of the world and his resting on the seventh day, it is a holy day
because it gives man an opportunity to imitate the ways of
God.”[11]
In the Ten
Commandments, the Sabbath observance is found as fundamental of religious
practice. Among many important Jewish holidays, the Sabbath is a special day
and the only one mentioned in the Ten Commandments that clearly shows the basic
rules of morality for the Jews to live out. Abraham E. Millgram definitely
recognizes that, “The Jew‟s high regard for the Sabbath was not based on
tradition alone. It was founded on deep religious convictions and on sound
moral principles. To begin, it was religious institution, „a Sabbath unto the
Lord‟, associate the Jews with the divine creative faculty.”[12] Particularly, the Sabbath is mentioned as the
Fourth Commandment, which is to acknowledge the meanings of the seventh day, to
remember what God had done on that day, and to command how to honor the
Sabbath. All of these details are listed clearly in Exodus 20:8-11:
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt not labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath
unto the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor
thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor any of
thy cattle, nor the strange that is within thy gates; for in six day the lord
made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them and rested on the
Sabbath day; werefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.[13]
Moreover, this
commandment was articulated and reaffirmed with more details on keeping the
Sabbath in Deuteronomy 5: 12-15:
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,
as the Lord thy God commanded thee.
Six days that shalt thou labor, and do all
thy work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord thy God; in it thou
shalt not do any manner of work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy
cattle, nor the strange that is within thy gates, that thy manservant, and thy
maidservant may rest as well as a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord
thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm;
therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.[14]
The added
details in Deuteronomy are to emphasize strongly on the experience of
liberation that God freed the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt. Therefore,
“The Sabbath not only commemorated the creation of the world, it also served as
„a memorial of the deliverance from Egypt‟.”[15] In observing the Sabbath regularly, the
Sabbath is understood that, “It returns every seven days to help Jews liberate
themselves personally from the burdens of the week.”[16] Through observing the Sabbath, the
relationship between God and Israel was renewed and strengthened to continue to
be living in the covenant that God has promised them. The Sabbath became a
“sign” between God and Israel, which is said clearly in Exodus 31: 16-17,
“Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe throughout
their generations for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the
Children of Israel forever; for in six days the
Lord made heaven and earth and on
the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.”[17]
The especial significance of the
Sabbath is also found in other places in the Bible. In the Leviticus 23:1-3,
the holiness of the Sabbath is continued to be proclaimed by the Jews. The
ritual of Kiddush was established to sanctify the Sabbath as an imitation of
God‟s sanctification of the first Sabbath. “Six days shall work be done; but on
the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation” (Lev. 23:3).
The prophecies in Isaiah 58:13-14 and 66:33 continue to acknowledge the reward
of honoring the Sabbath and make known the Sabbath as a universal day of
worship.[18]
Jeremiah 17:24, 15, 17 and Nehemiah 13: 15-17 also see that the
observance of the Sabbath is very important to the destiny of Jerusalem. Finally, in Ezekiel 20:10-13, 17-22, the
Sabbath was given to the house of Israel, but they did not observe it, and then
they received consequences for profaning the Sabbath.19 However, “Under Ezekiel‟s leadership the
Sabbath became closely associated with congregational worship.”[19] In short, these prophets highly
encouraged their people to observe the Sabbath, which was the source of
personal and national salvation for them.
II. The Observance of the Sabbath Evening Dinner
1. The Sabbath Evening
Meal
First of all,
food is an important element that cannot be missing in celebrating the Sabbath.
Traditionally, the Jews eat three meals on the Sabbath: the opening Friday
night dinner after the Synagogue service, the second meal following the morning
worship, and a lighter meal in the late afternoon before sundown as the third
meal. The traditional Friday meal usually includes chicken, chicken soup,
gefilte fish, and kugel.[20]
There is a reason for eating fish at the
Sabbath meal. As Dr. Ron Wolfson says that the Jews eat fish
“because it reminds us that God promised that the children of Israel would
multiply like the stars in heaven (and there are a lot of fish in the sea).”[21] There is also a meaning for adding Kugel in
the menu of the Sabbath dinner.
He continues to say, “Why kugel? Because kugel is a
corruption of the Hebrew K‟ugal, „having a round shape‟. The manna given in the
desert was said to be k‟ugal – round in shape.”[22] However, nowadays, among the traditional
dishes, people actually can choose their own favorite food to enjoy; especially
those who have a special eating need can have their own menu for the
Sabbath dinner. Moreover, when parents don‟t have much time
to prepare a big meal, they are very flexible, not going to follow a certain
menu, but being able to prepare a simple meal with some meaningful symbols. For
example, “A simple dinner can still be a Shabbat oneg/delight if it includes
even one special item such as the first fruit of the new season, a fruit out of
season, or a desert that everyone present enjoy.”24
Besides, the
Jews also serve braided bread (Challah) covered by a beautiful cloth on the
table. There are some commentaries for eating Challah. In Exodus 16:4, God told
Moses, "I shall rain down for you bread (food) from heaven; let the people
go out and gather each day's portion on its day”. Over 40 years in the desert,
God provided manna to feed the Hebrews.
In this sense, the two loaves of Challah are seen as the symbol of manna
from heaven. Rabbi Ted Falcon also says the same in his book, Judaism for Dummies, “Some say the two
loaves represent the double portion of manna which was given prior to Shabbat
when the Hebrew were in the wildness.
Others say they‟re like the two tablets that Moses brought
down, or representation of male and female.”[23]
Secondly, when
celebrating the Sabbath dinner, one can‟t forget talking about the time of
gathering together to share with one another as a family. Dining is not just
about food, but relationship, conversation, and communication. Dr. Ron is very
clear in relating between food and dining, “While good food is important, the
essence of fine dining is conversation, communication, and connection.”[24] It is time to renew the relationship among
family members, and time for parents to be with their children, discussing and
listening to each other. Dr. Ron continues, “Dining is when we go beyond „grabbing
a bite‟ to breaking bread together…Dining is when there is time to talk, to
savor, to spend a period of significant time together around the table.”[25] Besides sharing food, they share with one
another the love and care so that they can understand and grow in unity and
solidarity as a healthy family. Bob Shafton shares about his family that, “In
our family we‟ve done something that Sally pushed from before the kids were
born, and that was to make the dinner hour important. We may be busy and be
home now only one or two nights a week. But as a couple, we have always tried
to be home for dinner, no matter what was going on in the rest of the world.
Friday night was a terrific time to talk and to be together with the kids –
there was always a lot of family discussion around the table.”[26]
Having some
entertainments and music is also part of the Sabbath dinner. Families with
children like to create some activities that invite their children to
participate in the celebration.
“Young children will be very delighted to vie for the
opportunity to blow the match after the candles are lit, pour the wine, hold
the challah, cut or tear it and then distribute the pieces.”[27] Besides, children also have some kinds of
game that are appropriate to this event to have some fun during and after the
meal. For many families that love music,
singing the Sabbath songs actually can bring great joy and inspiration to the
celebration. They often sing Zemira as “an informal song sung around the
table.”[28] Through singing together, the meaning of the
Friday night Sabbath dinner can be naturally expressed, and the Sabbath spirit
is spread throughout the family. Music can bring them together and motive their
spirit for the rest of the Sabbath.
2. Sabbath Rituals and
Prayers
a. Lighting the
Candles
This ritual is
to begin and welcome the Sabbath. “Come, let us welcome the Sabbath. May its
radiance illumine our hearts as we kindle these tapers.”[29] Moreover, the Sabbath begins at sundown, it‟s
reasonable to light the candles to shine the house and be ready for the
celebration. The custom of lighting Shabbat candles is to honor the Shabbat and
to determine the beginning of the holy day in the family. As Rabbi Adin
Steinsaltz said, “The lighting of candles fulfills a part of the commandment to
enjoy the Sabbath and festival – which includes illuminating the home during
mealtime – and is also a sign of respect for sanctity of those days.”[30] Lighting the candles also has a connection
with the Torah as mentioned that, “The Rabbis associated Sabbath candles with
the light of the Torah; they connected Sabbath candle lighting to a verse in
Proverbs (6:23): “The mitzvoth are a candle, the Torah is light.”33 It
is true that lighting the candles is a mitzvot that has been observed joyfully
by the Jewish people as a whole. This is clearly showed in the blessing of the
candles: “Blessed are You, Eternal One, our God, ruling Presence of the
Universe, Who makes us holy with mitzvot, and give us this mitzvah of kindling
the Sabbath lights.”[31]
Usually, in
the Jewish tradition, the woman of the house is encouraged to light the candles
and recite the blessing. She lights the candles, covers her eyes with her
hands, reciting the blessing over the candles while the eyes are covered to not
to see the light, and uncovers her eyes afterwards.
This practice derives from the combination
of two important rules: (1) A blessing associated with a mitzvah should be said
before doing the mitzvah, in order to demonstrate that one is consciously
acting in obedience to a divine commandment; (2) A fire may not be kindled
after Shabbat begins. Since the recitation of the blessing signifies the
beginning of Shabbat, the candles could not be lit after the blessing - but the
blessing should come first! To show respect for both rules, the one covers
one's face while reciting the blessing - as if the candles were not yet lit.[32]
However, according to the Jewish codes
of law, both men and women are obligated to light the candles. Therefore, if
women are not present, men are responsible for lighting the candles and
reciting the blessing.[33]
b. The Blessing over
Family
Usually,
most Jewish men are at Synagogue to attend the Friday Evening Service.
Women are
at home to light the candles and set up the table with food, wine, bread…. When
men return from the Synagogue, the family gets together to sing the song
“Shalom Aleichem” to “evoke the angels
of Sabbath peace who traditionally accompany people home on Shabbat”[34], and then they begin to do some
blessings before the Sabbath meal such as the blessing over their children,
wine, and bread. Indeed, the blessing over the children originates from
the source of the
Torah. “For example, Isaac blesses his sons, Jacob and Esau,
and Jacob blesses his twelve sons (Genesis 27, 49). Jacob also blesses his
grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, and the words he uses in Genesis 40:20 provide
the customary wording of the blessing used for sons at the Shabbat table.”[35] Usually, the fathers bless their sons and
daughters. However, nowadays, in many Jewish families, parents place both hands
on the head of their children and say the blessings.
There are two separate
blessings: one for boys and the other for girls.
For a daughter: “Yesimekh Elohim
ke‟Sarah, Rivkah, Rahel, ve‟Leah. May God make you as Sarah, Rivkah, Rahel, and
Leah”. For a son: “Yesimkha Elohim ke‟Efrayim vekhi‟Menasheh. May God make you
as Ephraim and Manasheh.”[36]
Finally, they continue to bless upon both of them: “Yevarekhekha Adonai
ve‟Yishmerekha. May the Lord bless you and guard you. Yaer Adonai panav elekha
vi‟yhunnekha. May the Lord make His
counternance upon you and be gracious to you. Yissa Adonai panav elekha
ve‟yasem lekha shalom. May the Lord turn His counternance toward you and grant
you peace.”[37] Traditionally, this moment is also the moment
for the husbands to honor their wives by reciting from Proverb 31:10-3, “What a
rare find is a capable wife! Her worth is far beyond that of rubies. Her husband
puts his confidence in her, and lacks no good things.”41 This is the
idea of the extension of the blessing over the adults as it‟s continuingly said
in Gates of Sabbath: A Guide for
observing Shabbat, “A wife can recite from Psalm 112 for her husband. A
family prayer can also be read for all those at the table.”[38]
c. Saying Blessings
over Wine: Shabbat Kiddush
The blessing
over wine is to sanctify the Sabbath, usually recited by the male head of the
family. The Kiddush actually is a prayer that is rooted in the book of Exodus
20:8, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” The word „Kiddush‟ itself is
“a form of the ubiquitous Hebrew work „Kadosh‟ – holy. Kaddush literally means
„to make holy‟ or „to sanctify‟.”[39] However, to understand the meaning of Kiddush
clearly, Mark Dov Shapiro defines that, “It is important to note that the
Kiddush is not a prayer in which the wine is sanctified. Rather, it is a prayer
in which the wine is used in order to sanctify Shabbat.”[40]
It is clear to understand that the Jews don‟t sanctify the wine, but indeed
sanctify the Sabbath through blessing over the wine, to make the Sabbath time
holy. This meaning is well interpreted throughout the book of Abraham Joshua
Heschel, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. He strongly emphasizes
that, “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six
days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try
to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon
to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to
the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the
world.”45
Usually, the male head of the household holds the full cup
of wine, praying:
Ba-ruch a-tah,
A-do-nai, Eh-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-o-lam, bo-rei p'ri ha-ga-fen.
Ba-ruch a-tah,
A-do-nai, Eh-lo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, a-sher ki-d'sha-nu b'mits-vo-tav
v'ra-tsa va-nu, v'sha-bat kawd'sho b'a-ha-va uv'ra-tson hin-hi-la-nu, zi-ka-ron
l'ma-a-sei v'rei-shit. ki hu yom t'chi-la l'mik-ra-ei ko-desh, ze-cher li-tsiat
Mits-ra-yim. Ki va-nu va-char-ta v'o-ta-nu ki-dash-ta mi-kawl ha-a-mim,
v'Shabbat kawd-sh'cha b'a-ha-va u-v'ra-tson hin-chal-ta-nu. Ba-ruch a-tah
A-donai, m'ka-deish ha-Shabbat.
Blessed are You,
Eternal God, ruling Presence of the Universe, who has sanctified us with
commandments and finds favor in us, a remembrance of the creation, that day
being also the first among all the holy occasions, a reminder of the Exodus
from Egypt. For you have chosen us and hallowed us above all nations, giving us
your holy Sabbath as a heritage in love and favor. Blessed are You, Eternal
one, who sanctifies the Sabbath.[41]
d. Washing the Hands
Washing the hands is followed right
after the Kiddush. It is also a ritual that reflects on the ritual of purity in
the time of the Jerusalem Temple. People keep silent while washing their hands.
It is also time to say the blessing to themselves as said by Sandy Goodglick:
“I like washing our hands in the kitchen because we don‟t say anything… We say
the blessing to ourselves…”47 Although everyone has already washed
their hands to be prepared for eating, this washing the hands is not about
cleansing, but purifying.[42] The washing blessing is recited by each
person before drying their hands: “Baruch A-tah A-do-nai, Eh-lo-hay-nu Me-lech
Ha-olam, Asher Ki'-de-sha-nu B'-mitz-vo-tov, V' tzi-vanu al N'tee-lat
Ya-da-yim. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has
sanctified us with his commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of
the hands.”[43]
e. Saying a Blessing over Bread: the Motzi
Two loaves of
braided bread (Challah) are set on the table, but actually covered during the
Kiddush because “the Bible tells us that the manna was covered with dew above
and below.”[44] The Challah is a symbol of manna, which
“reminds us the double share of manna that God caused to fall every Friday
while the children of Israel were in the wilderness.”[45] It is understandable that the blessing over
bread before eating is normal as the blessing over food before the meal begins.
It is time to give thanks to God for food to nurture everyone‟s life and for
the availability of everything in this world.
In a similar way, Mark Dov Shapiro also said,
“When we pause to recite the
Motsi before a meal begins, our goal is to sensitize ourselves to the
fundamental blessing that surround us. We thank God for creating the world in
such a way that life can sustain itself.”52 Traditionally, the
Challah was also the product of the farmers that was offered to the priests who
worked in the Temple. Therefore, the blessing over bread is also the
remembrance of the human handy work of farmers as a “gift to the Lord”. Dr. Ron
explained more clearly that, “In baking the bread from grain raised in their
own fields, the biblical family took a portion of the dough as a „gift to the
Lord‟ (Numbers 15: 19-20). This dough was given to the priests who worked in
the Temple and was called the „hallah portion.‟ Later on, the loaves themselves
were called hallot.”[46]
Before saying
the blessing, the Challah is uncovered, and then the blessing is recited:
“Baruch A-tah A-do-nai, Ehlo-hay-nu Me-lech Ha-olam,
Ha-motzi Leh-chem Min Ha-aretz.
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”[47]
After the blessing, the Challah is cut into slices and
dipped in salt before eating, to commemorate the ancient sacrifices. Finally,
people say to each other Shabbat shalom and begin to serve the Sabbath
meal.
III. Sabbath Evening Dinner – The Building of the Jewish
Life and Family
1. Resting and
Renewing the Relationship with God
Friday night
dinner has become a very important celebration for the Jews. First of all,
“ceasing from work”, this time has always been a night consecrated to God and
observed through all rituals and prayers. It recalls the time when the Hebrews
were set free from slavery in Egypt. They were no longer slaves, and entering
into a new relationship with God, which allowed them to live in freedom, the
love of God, and being called God‟s people. This relationship becomes very
special as Nicholas De Lange said, “The relationship of the Jews to God is a
very special one. In theory it is a relationship of mutual love, a mutual
commitment formally embodied in a binding legal agreement, known as „the
covenant‟.”[48]
In observing the Sabbath, the Jews are about to continue to celebrate this love
and renew their relationship with God, where they find calmness and peace. As a
family, they find happiness and harmony, being protected and safe in
God‟s hands. Abraham Joshua Heschel describes the state of
people at the Sabbath time and their relationship with God as their Shepherd,
To the biblical mind menuha is the same as
happiness and stillness, as peace and harmony. The word with which Job
described the state after life he was longing for is derived from the same root
as menuha. It is the state wherein man lies still, wherein the wicked cease
from troubling and the weary are at rest. It is the state in which there is no
strife and no fighting, no fear and no distrust. The essence of good life is
menuha. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters” (the waters of munuhot). In
later times menuha became a synonym for the life in the world to come, for
eternal life. 56
It‟s
interesting to understand Menuha or rest as the state of being in an intimate
relationship with God as expressed in a beautiful poem suggested by Samuel H.
Dresner[49]:
You are One and your Name is One
And who is like
your people Israel, one nation on the earth?
A crown of
distinction and salvation, A day of rest and holiness, You have given to your
people.
Abraham is glad,
Isaac rejoices, Jacob and his sons find rest on it:
A rest of love
freely given,
A true and sincere
rest,
A secure and
tranquil rest, quiet and safe. A perfect rest which You desire.
May Your children
understand,
That this, their
rest, is from You, And by their rest they hallow Your name.
Resting is not
about doing nothing or being detached from this world, but about embracing and
loving the Beauty of Creation and living in it. Celebrating the Sabbath evening
dinner is really time to appreciate being present the here and the now. All rituals and prayers such as lighting the
candles, or saying blessings over family, wine and bread are to bring us closer
to the Creation in acknowledging all God‟s work for creating the world and
saving human beings. Therefore, the Jews really learn to observe the Sabbath
with all their mind and heart through offering good food, nice dress, worship,
songs, dance, fellowship, or study… “Sanctify the Sabbath by choice meal, by
beautiful garments; delight your soul with pleasure and I will reward you for
this very pleasure.”58
Through
resting, people can be immersed in a peaceful and silent state to be able to
connect with the Divine, to listen to God‟s voice from inside, and to reflect
on their lives deeply.
The Sabbath indeed gives individuals the opportunity to open
themselves to God, and to be prepared to grow in holiness and spirituality.
When talking about “From self to Relationship”,
Rabbi Irving Greenberg
experiences that, “The Sabbath clears the way for meditation, which becomes
more than a reflection on the self. In Norman Lamm‟s words, it opens a personal
inner silence „in which you make yourself available for a higher impression.‟
People who are too preoccupied for it to happen all week long may open up to
the possibility of a spiritual experience.”[50]
2. Strengthening the relationship with one
another: The Source of Family Values
Celebrating
the Sabbath Friday night meal is to serve the purpose of gathering family members
and friends together and strengthening the relationship among them. Dov Peretz
Elkins wrote that, “The Sabbath
provides an opportunity for the expression of the most important human
feelings, for deep relationship with others, with God, and with ourselves, our
own thoughts, our own feelings, our own aspirations.”[51]
It is true that during six days of the week, people are busy taking care of
their own business. There is no time for family and friends. Therefore, Friday
night dinner is time for people to be present and serving one another to show
care and love for each other. Through preparing for the Sabbath with cleaning,
cooking, setting up the table, and welcoming the guests, the Jews really show
responsibility and care for other members as a family. Sandy Goodglick was
excited to say that, “Friday is always a hectic day. I think any Jewish
housewife will tell you that. First you have to look good, then you have to
have the house look good, and have the table look good, and have the food look
good.”61 Not only the women in the household are responsible to
prepare for the Sabbath, but also the men actively prepare for the celebration
of the Shabbat. Especially, during the
Talmudic time, the leading rabbis also help prepare for the
Sabbath. “In the Talmud (Sabbath 119a) it tells that one rabbi would prepare
the greens, another would gather wood, the third would make the fire, and
another would prepare the house for the guest – the Shabbat. That rabbi would
bring out the Shabbat dishes and utensils and put away the weekday utensils.”[52] Being together to prepare for the celebration
of the Sabbath really strengthens the relationship between husband and wife,
parents and children, indicating the unity of the Jewish home life. Celebrating
and eating together as a family is truly a good time for children to express
the filial piety to their parents. It is time to heal the broken relationship,
also time for reconciliation and forgiveness among family members. It‟s the
healing time. Abraham E. Millgram deeply reflects on this aspect when talking
about “The Sabbath in the Home”,
The Sabbath has always been
associated with filial piety, as indicated be the biblical command, „Ye shall
fear every man his mother and his father, and ye shall keep my Sabbaths: I am
the Lord your God‟ (Lev. 19.3). That the reverence for father and mother is
linked with the keeping of the Sabbath is evident from the Sabbath custom of
bringing together the scattered members of the family. Sabbath observance helps
to cement family ties which might otherwise have been loosened. The atmosphere
of enhancement which the Sabbath Queen brought into the home strengthened
family unity in sweet forgetfulness of weekday sorrows.63
In this sense,
observing the Sabbath at home is not only to perform a religious act, but also
to promote the spirit of education in the family that helps shape the children
in a very healthy way, so that children can grow in family virtues and graces.
Like many other people,
Abraham E. Millgram admits
that, “Such Sabbath observances exerted a powerful influence on the family as
an institution, and on its individual members. They strengthened those domestic
virtues and graces to this day distinguish Jewish home life for its unusual
stability and its beneficent influence on the children.”[53]
Moreover, spending time together
at the Friday night meal is not only the time of praying and eating, but also
the time of joy, conversation, and study for all the members of the family.
Amazingly, all voices are heard and participated in the celebration in
different ways. That is the way that the family tradition is kept, learned,
valued, and passed on to next generations. Rabbi Irving Greenberg describes how
family members are involved and connected to each other in the celebration of
the Sabbath evening dinner.
Around the table, in the presence of
the family, the Sabbath meals overflow with conversation and catching up on
family matters. As the joy unfolds, song wells up, naturally. A whole tradition
of special Sabbath table songs (zemirot) developed to express the delight of
the day. Since no one need rush off to business, the meal is extended with talk
and words of Torah. The pressures of the week dissolve, and parents find time
to relate to their children, exploring issues between them at leisure. Parents
become the source of wisdom, the indispensable keepers of memory; learning
together becomes a major activity of Shabbat. So important are relationships
and intimacy that the Rabbis permitted a married woman to use certain cosmetics
on Shabbat that were prohibited to single women.[54]
In short, in many ways, the celebration
of the Friday night dinner really renews and strengthens the relationship among
family members, and additionally teaches and reinforces the family traditions
and values to one and another in the household.
Conclusion
There are so
many things to learn about the Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath at home is a
great piece of knowledge and ritual that gives light to understand the meaning
of the Sabbath as a whole. Through the historical and biblical roots of the
Sabbath, one can understand deeply why and how the Sabbath has been so
important to and appreciated by the Jews today. As one of Ten Commandments, the
Sabbath is definitely observed as one of the most important days in the Jewish
tradition. Through the rituals, prayers, food, decoration, or state of rest,
the celebration of the Friday night dinner really reflects deeply on the
religious practice of Judaism and family participation in keeping the Sabbath.
As Mark Washofsky acknowledges the
Sabbath as a process that, “We remember the Sabbath through
our liturgy, by the words we say and sing…We observe the Sabbath by refraining
from doing „work‟ on that day. And we honor and delight in the Sabbath through
foods we eat, the clothes we wear…”[55]
The Sabbath, in this sense, becomes a very significant celebration in the
Jewish life and family. Accordingly, the wonderful fruits that come out from
this tradition are magnificent to nurture the Jewish beliefs and family values.
In other words, observing the Sabbath teaches each individual to honor the
seventh day, the day of rest in God‟s love and care, being closer to God to be
renewed and refreshed in the relationship with God. Moreover, one also is
strengthened in the relationship with one another, and earned very important
values from his or her own family. In sum, the observance of the Sabbath is so
important to one‟s life; it prepares the path for him to enjoy the eternal
life. Again, according to the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, one should be
aware that, “Unless one learns how to relish the taste of Sabbath while still
in this world, unless one is initiated in the appreciation of eternal life, one
will be unable to enjoy the taste of eternity in the world to come. Sad is the
lot of him who arrives inexperienced and when led to heaven has no power to
perceive the beauty of the Sabbath… ”67
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[1]
Jacob Neusner, Introduction to American
Judaism: What Books Say, What the People Do
(Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2004), 59.
[2]
Ben M. Edidin, Jewish Holidays and
Festivals (Hebrew Publishing Company, 1940),
17-18.
[3]
Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath: Its
meaning for modern man (Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 1981), 13.
[4]
Heschel, The Sabbath, 20.
[5]
Heschel, The Sabbath, 32.
[6]
Pinchas H. Peli, The Jewish Sabbath: A
renewed encounter, 1st ed. (Schocken, 1991),
63.
[7] Heschel, The Sabbath, 8.
[8]
Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 115.
[9]
Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 116.
[10]
Abraham P. Bloch, The Biblical and
historical background of Jewish customs and ceremonies (KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 1980), 110.
[11]
Bloch, The Biblical and historical
background of Jewish customs and ceremonies,
110.
[12]
Abraham E. Millgram, Sabbath: The Day Of
Delight. (Jewish Publication Society, 1965), 4.
[13]
Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 116.
[14]
Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 116-117.
[15]
Millgram, Sabbath, 4.
[16] Mark Dov Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat: Shaarei
Shabbat: A Guide for Observing Shabbat, 3rd ed.
(CCAR Press, 1991), 26.
[17]
Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 118.
[18]
Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 119. 19 Peli, The Jewish Sabbath, 121.
[19]
Nathan A. Barack, A history of the
SABBATH, First Edition. (Jonathan David Co.,
Inc, 1965), 15.
[20]
Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 30.
[21] Ron Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 3rd ed. (Jewish Lights Publishing, 1995), 179.
[22]
Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 179. 24 Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 31.
[23] David Blatner, Judaism For Dummies, 1st ed. (For Dummies, 2001), 216.
[24]
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[25]
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[26]
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[27]
Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 31.
[28]
Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 31.
[29]
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[30]
Adin Steinsaltz, The Miracle of the
Seventh Day: A Guide to the Spiritual Meaning, Significance, and Weekly
Practice of the Jewish Sabbath, 1st ed.
(Jossey-Bass, 2003), 11. 33 Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 98.
[31]
Blatner, Judaism For Dummies, 212.
[32]
Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council,
Shabbat. No page. http://ourrabbis.org/main/halakhah-mainmenu26/shabbat-mainmenu-30
[33]
Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 16.
[34] Irving Greenberg, The Jewish way: living the
holidays (Simon and Schuster, 1993), 168.
[35]
Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 21.
[36]
Steinsaltz, The Miracle of the Seventh
Day, 17.
[37]
Steinsaltz, The Miracle of the Seventh
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[38]
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[39]
Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 147.
[40]
Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 25. 45 Heschel, The Sabbath, 10.
[41]
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Seder, 159.
[42]
Blatner, Judaism For Dummies, 216.
[43]
Steinsaltz, The Miracle of the Seventh
Day, 49.
[44]
Greenberg, The Jewish way, 170.
[45]
Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 196. 52 Shapiro, Gates of Shabbat, 28.
[46]
Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 168.
[47]
Steinsaltz, The Miracle of the Seventh
Day, 49.
[48]
Nicholas de Lange, An Introduction to
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2010), 150. 56 Heschel, The Sabbath, 23.
[49]
Samuel H. Dresner, The
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27-32 58 Heschel, The
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[50]
Irving Greenberg, The Jewish way: living
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[51]
Dov Peretz Elkins, A Shabbat Reader:
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Wolfson, The Shabbat Seder, 88.
[52]
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[53]
Millgram, Sabbath, 8.
[54]
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[55]
Mark Washofsky, Jewish living: a guide
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