Spirituality

TORAH PORTION

To Sanctify Shabbat,
Shop Like Shammai

Parshat Yitro: Exodus 18:1-20:23;
Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6.

R

the best possible meal for Shabbat.
emember the Shabbat in order
In the typical Hillel-Shammai debate,
to sanctify it:'
we expect to see two things: First,
These are the opening words
Shammai will somehow be stricter; and
of the fourth commandment as it
appears in this week's parshah; and like second, Hillel will win. Here, however,
both are strict in their own
many biblical verses, it says
way: Shammai stresses liv-
both too little and too much.
ing each day with Shabbat
On one hand, we want
in mind, and Hillel stresses
more details — how exactly
trust that God will provide.
are we supposed to make
Both shared the goal that
the Shabbat holy? The verses
Shabbat should ultimately
that follow instruct us to
be
full of joy; their shopping
work six days and to refrain
strategies
just differed.
from creating on the sev-
Who
wins?
Most com-
enth.
mentators in the past ruled
Does the absence of cre-
Ra bbi
that we follow Hillel; in fact,
ative labor represent the full
Jona than
it was long traditional to do
extent of the Shabbat's holi-
Ber ger
all of one's Shabbat shopping
ness? Surely not; there must
on Friday. With the advent of
be more to making a day
packaged ingredients that last longer,
holy than merely resting.
and refrigerators that allow us to store
But how does a day off become a
food safely, many rabbis began advocat-
holy day? In this regard, the verse says
ing shopping during the week so that we
too little. It fell to later rabbis and
can have a less stressful Friday, and enter
thinkers to develop the idea of a holi-
Shabbat more calmly.
ness that comes from relinquishing
And so, on this issue, I am squarely
our mastery of the physical so that
on Shammai's side (with deep apolo-
we might appreciate and celebrate the
gies to my school, Hillel Day School). We
spiritual.
can get so caught up in our day-to-day
But the Torah here also says too
responsibilities and burdens that we
much; the word "remember" seems
forget about Shabbat. We always think
superfluous. We might have expected
about our weekend as a day off, but we
something more concise: "Sanctify the
Shabbat day" would have been enough. lose sight of the distinctive joy and holi-
ness that Shabbat can offer.
Why the injunction to remember?
How can we keep Shabbat in our
In his commentary, Rabbi Moshe bar
hearts and minds? Shammai's answer
Nahman brings a wonderful teaching
is as simple and powerful as any I've
from the Talmud to illustrate the verse.
encountered: Shop for it every day.
How do we carry out the instruction
to remember the Shabbat? By having it
Jonathan Berger is rabbi-in-residence of
in mind throughout the week — when
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit in
shopping for food, for instance.
Farmington Hills, and rabbi of B'nai Israel
When the great sage Shammai saw
Synagogue in West Bloomfield.
something special at the market, he
would say "This is for Shabbat!" and
buy it. If he saw another, better item
Conversations
the next day, he would eat the previous
At what point this week did you
day's purchase and save the new deli-
start thinking about Shabbat? Did
cacy for Shabbat. In this way, he lived
the person who planned the meal
every day with Shabbat in mind.
begin thinking about Shabbat
Hillel, his contemporary, shopped
first? How can you orient your
differently. He bought the best that he
week towards Shabbat? Whose
could — and ate it that day. Why didn't
approach towards life do you
he save the best for Shabbat? It seems
prefer – Hillel's or Shammai's?
that he trusted God to provide for each
day's meals — including, presumably,

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January 20 • 2011

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