Friday, May 24, 2013

Why I care about Judaism: Shabbat

Why I care about Judaism: Shabbat - Israel Jewish Scene, Ynetnews:
So on a very practical level, Shabbat has had a most profound impact on my life. It has allowed work to be a choice for me, not a habit. When family and friends come to visit or when I go on vacation with my wife and kids, I do not feel compelled to work by some instinct that comes from a place deep within my brain. I am able to start and finish working at will. This I attribute to my keeping of Shabbat in all of its details. Shabbat is truly a gift from God.
'via Blog this'

Friday, May 10, 2013

Shabbat — The Marriage Cure – Just Married – Forward.com

Shabbat — The Marriage Cure – Just Married – Forward.com:
Shabbat has always meant, to me, a stretch of uninterrupted relaxation. It’s enforced relaxation, in fact — just sleeping, eating, reading and hanging out with family and friends. As I grow older and my weeks became more stressful, I am more and more grateful for the blessing that is Shabbat, counting down the days until Friday as soon as Monday begins. It is a weekly mini vacation made all the more special by the infusion of spirituality that I’m certain I can feel almost tangibly. And now that I’m married, Shabbat means all that and more.

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/just-married/176248/shabbat-the-marriage-cure/#ixzz2StbtyMyG

'via Blog this'

Friday, May 3, 2013

Shabbat - A day of rest & rejuvenation - Documentary

Shabbat - A day of rest & rejuvenation - Documentary: "See, hear, understand and taste the Shabbat experience. The presentation places one in a Shabbat wonderland, and shows how this is attainable for everyone. This video includes interviews with various Jewish personalities. A must for anyone venturing to take the first steps towards Shabbat observance."

'via Blog this'

Shabbat as a utopian ideal

The Jewish Chronicle - Shabbat as a utopian ideal:

The gift Judaism has given the world with regard to Shabbat and the Sabbatical year is, therefore, the idea that from time to time — weekly and every few years — we owe ourselves and one another the privilege of stepping outside the regular patterns that have come to define our work lives, wherein our days buzz with activity and are too often defined only by what we pursue each for our own benefit.  

But writing in “The Sabbath World,” Judith Shulevitz, opines, “[Shabbat] is not just a holy day of rest.  It is also a utopian idea about a more sociable, purer world.”  If so for a weekly respite, how much the more so for the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years! Perhaps, irrespective of where we may be in our calendar, it is time for our community to heed the two Torah portions we read this week.  Imagine, they instruct, what it could mean were we to decide to approach a day in the week ahead as Shabbat, and the year upcoming as a sabbatical from our regular routines.  Consider the rewards, our Torah enjoins, were we to determine to do what we do differently in the days and year ahead.  How much the better might our land and people might be were we willing to imagine our work and its rewards differently. 

Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - Shabbat as a utopian ideal 

'via Blog this'

A Love Song for Shabbat

A Love Song for Shabbat | www.clal.org:
Clal Resident Tzemah Yoreh, Ph.D. has just published the first book in his Humanist Prayer Series. In A Love Song for Shabbat he attempts to add some spice toKabbalat Shabbat. It is intended for anyone who wishes that there were more prayers reflecting contemporary values, while at the same time remaining true to traditional cadences. Tzemah Yoreh relates ‘ Here you’ll find my original poetic compositions in Hebrew, introduced and translated (creatively) into English with notes for people who want to delve more deeply into their meaning. If some of these poems strike a chord, great! If none of the poems speaks to you, I still hope and pray that upon reading them you become mobilized to compose prayers that are as meaningful to you as these are to me.’..."
'via Blog this'