Restorative Magic

"And the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their host. And G-d completed on the seventh day His work which He had done; and He Rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done...And G-d blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." (Genesis 1:31-2:3)



In this week's Torah portion, 'Vayakhel', G-d Gives us the mitzvah of Shabbat, Stating: “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day shall be holy.”

So what's the deal with this Shabbat idea really?
Work for 6 days and then revert to our inner hippie for a day?

Jews throughout time have sacrificed quite a lot for these 25 hours of "rest." Many of the new Jewish immigrants to America in the early 1900's, used to have 52 jobs a year. Why? Because every week they didn't work on Saturday, they were fired!
Why did G-d find this day of rest to be so badly needed?

Of course, on a very practical level, Shabbat is vital.
Now more than ever, we are distracted from every direction. Work, mortgage, meetings, bills, brunches.
Cell Phones, internet, home phone, TV, text, IPod... the list is endless. When is there time to just spend time with your loved ones?
To strengthen family ties, with one's spouse & children. To re-connect with G-d and our Jewish heritage. To stop & appreciate life and all that we have. To marvel at the world around us. To just relax.
As my mother once said to me: "We began keeping Shabbat before we believed in G-d. It just seemed so healthy for our family."

But on a deeper level, Shabbat is also a time spend with oneself.
How often does the noisy, raging world around us relent enough to let us think about what we're here for in the 1st place?
"Down time" during a weekday isn't enough. It hasn't been designated as a special time away, and the phone can ring at any moment.
No, I need a day to step back and re-focus. To re-energize and become inspired to re-enter the world the way I want to.

We are told to "make a dwelling place" in this world for G-d. To get involved in the world. To work in an honest manner is a mitzvah:
"Six days you shall work." We're supposed to be fully immersed in the world to uplift it. To inspire all we come in contact with for the good.
But like a painter over his canvas, a writer over his keyboard, or a sculptor over his stone, there must be a time to take a step back from one's work. To stop, analyze, reflect, and then delve back into work, with new found focus.

As the famous Jewish author Herman Wouk once described Shabbat: "A retreat into restorative magic."

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel
{To read some beautiful insights & stories about Shabbat, click: Shabbat}