Shabbat
What it means for every Detroit Jew.
PHIL JACOBS EDITOR
youthful Chasidic rabbi once said that
he could offer more peace and more so-
lutions to life's problems over a Sab-
bath cholent than at any board
meeting or counseling session.
A single mother of two lights her
candles, says the blessings, loads
the children up in the car and takes
them to their grandmother's on
Friday night, snow or ice, heat
or rain.
Another family with adult children drives
to shul, and then every Saturday has lunch
with other relatives at the same restaurant.
The waitresses know them by name and
pretty much by what they order. The seating
hostess even wishes them a "Good Sabbath."
Shabbat is about family, friendship, a
break from the rest of the week, a relation-
ship with God and oneself and one's family
and friends that make this day different.
How Jews observe Shabbat can be simple
or complex. It can be a matter of lighting the
candles and renting a movie or sealing off
one's connection with the day-to-day world
by attending religious services, having lunch
with friends and centering the day around
Shabbat activities.
For those who light candles, and feel the
separation between the spiritual and the
mundane, it's a feeling they wish they could
share with those who don't.
Shabbat, the separating of days of work
with a day of rest, finds its origin in the com-
mandments.
The meaning of Sabbath is chronicled in
Exodus 20:8-10 where it is written, "Re-
member the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Six days shall you labor and do all of your
work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day
of the Lord. You shall do no work on this day.
God rested on the seventh day."
There are incalculable references to Shabbat
from authors throughout the ages. Whether
they write in 1495 or 1995, the theme is the
same: the Sabbath is a time of rejuvenation.
It is a moment when families are brought to-
gether to eat, to pray, to sing.
Abraham Joshua Heschel writes in his
book The Sabbath: Its Meaning For Mod-
ern Man: "The Sabbath is not for the sake of
the weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake
of Sabbath."
"More than Israel has kept the Sabbath,
it is the Sabbath that has kept Israel," writes
essayist Ahad Ha'Am in Abraham Millgram's
book Sabbath, The Day Of Delight.
But how does Sabbath translate into
"delight" for us, living here in our suburban
Detroit neighborhoods. There are those who
follow the strictest adherence to Jewish law
and custom when it comes to the Sab-
bath. There are those who observe it
with family traditions or in their own way.
Whatever the Jewish denomination, every-
one puts his or her own custom, mark or min-
hag on Sabbath observance.
It's important and special for each Jew to
observe Sabbath. The question for many is:
how?
As a help to this community, the Jewish
Community Council is offering a Jewish
Unity Shabbat, beginning sundown Friday,
Nov. 10. That evening, the Jewish Unity
Shabbat planners are asking Detroit area
Jews to light an additional candle, one that
signifies unity. Candles and four at-home
songs and readings on the theme of unity will
be distributed this coming week at the Jew-
ish Community Centers, the Agency for Jew-
ish Education and at the Jewish Community
Council office in the Max M. Fisher Building.
Synagogues have been asked to participate
as well, by distributing materials.
When Sabbath observance is taught, it is
done so in a nonthreatening way, according
to Aish Ha'Torah executive director Rabbi
Alon Tolwin.
"I teach it this way," he said. "Pll tell the
person, `I'm going to talk to you about some-
thing that is outside of your experience. In
the life you live now, each day blends into an-
other day. What sense of flow does this give
to you? Shabbat is an island in time. You're
going down the river, you want a break, you
stop.'
"Of course, there are deep religious mean-
ings and practices. But for now, let's skip all
of that. I want you to be Shomer Shabbos for
two hours on a Friday night. You'll light can
bless your children, have a family meal,
sing some songs, and nobody is allowed to
leave the house for two hours. See what that
does for the family. Try to move away from
the week and get into a whole different space,
and let's call that space Shabbos."
"Shabbat is a time to slow down," said
Rabbi Danny Nevins of Adat Shalom Syna-
gogue. "We catch our breath and appreciate
the blessings of life: health, the environment,
our family and friends. It is also a time to ac-
cess our spiritual life — that part of us which
Tills with emotions of gratitude, yearning,
mystery and awe.
"The traditional Shabbat practices
strengthen these goals," Rabbi Nevins said.
"Refraining from travel, we notice our sur-
roundings; eating sumptuous meals with fam-
ily and friends, we appreciate their company;
napping, taking walks, and singing sweet
Some Shabbat basics from Rabbi Daniel
Nevins:
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* Why do we light candles?
"They are simple and pure," he said "They
symbolize the light of life, of Torah and ul-
timately of God's presence in our lives. In
our family, we light three candles, one for
each member of the household. Should we
be blessed with more children some day, we
will add more candles."
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* Why do we have two &snails at the
Shabbat table?
"This reminds us of the double portion of
manna which God provided us on Fridays * Are services the same with
in the desert. Moreover, it symbolizes an as they are during the
abundance of food and lack of worries on "The Shabbat services are similar to the
weekday services with two major excep-
Shabbat," said Rabbi Nevins.
tions," said Rabbi Nevins. "We read the
* Why is our Sabbath on Friday night entire Torah portion and say some additional
prayers (Mussaf). Because of greater at-
and Saturday instead of Sunday?
"God rested on the seventh day, Saturday, tendance, the musical and pedagogical as-
and commanded us likewise to rest on Shah- pects of the service have been am-
bat. It is the Christians who took the idea plified."