This past August I decided to start (sort of) practicing Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest or Sabbath. I don't watch TV, use computers or phones from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. While based on the Jewish tradition (trust me, Orthodox Jews do much more than I do), my decision to do this is not about God but about me. The more time I spent with people who kept Shabbat and the more I learned about it, the more sense it made. They explain it as a day to forget about everything that's urgent and focus on what's important: friends, family, themselves, spirituality... For me, it's also one day a week where I give up the distractions of my electronic addictions. When I'm not sitting around watching TV or chatting online, I do more with my friends and family here in Hawaii: play games, go surf, or just talk. My weekends have become more relaxing and rejuvenating since I now read and nap more. I even find that I'll work harder other days knowing that I have Shabbat to look forward to. So while, at first, it may seem archaic and bizarre, it's been a great way to regain some focus and has been freeing rather than restrictive.
Hopefully this makes my whole "ritual" seem less weird. If not, I'd love to answer any questions... and if that doesn't work, I'll just remain your weird Jew-ish friend. That's cool too. :)
Hopefully this makes my whole "ritual" seem less weird. If not, I'd love to answer any questions... and if that doesn't work, I'll just remain your weird Jew-ish friend. That's cool too. :)
2 comments:
heee, we talked bout this :) i'm glad you like it!
It's great that you are trying to observe Shabbat even a little. I'm far from being orthodox or observant, but I am totally into Shabbat candle lighting and making the day feel "different" in one way or another. I can't always only do what I want (my Shabbat rule...) 'cause I have kids, but I try not to fold laundry, clean house, pay bills, that sort of thing.
You might be interested in reading my book teaser about Shabbat candle lighting as a spiritual practice for women...or my news releases and articles for Jewishmag.com...or my teleclasses. I write and teach about Jewish women serving as priestess and creating sacred space in which the Divine Feminine can dwell...and about using the Shabbat candle-lighting ritual as a spiritual practice.
Look at my calendar on my web site and you'll see when the next teleclas series is happening. It's not on the teleseminar page yet. Go to my web site and check it out. www.purespiritcreations.com. Tell your friends about it...or link my site to yours so your Jewish friends will know about what I'm teaching...if you like what you see.
Enjoy your time in beautiful Hawaii...I'm jealous....what a place to spend Shabbat...like Heaven. And Shabbat shalom,
Nina Amir
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