As Israelis who find Jerusalem summers too hot for our taste, my husband and I have a unique solution. Invited to visit Scottish friends 13 years ago, we found that the cool, rainy weather in August was perfect.
Spending Shabbat on the Isle of Arran, we were delighted by the natural beauty of the island as well as the laid-back approach to life - a haven for Israelis who are bombarded with existential challenges and daily tension and anxiety.
One day out of seven, we have the opportunity to stop creating and start being. To enjoy the world around us, including friends and family, beautiful places, enjoyable activities. To rest and recharge. If sustainability is about meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations, Shabbat is a great place to start practicing this for ourselves—and for the world. Imagine if one day out of seven, the entire world stopped buying, producing, driving.
For thousands of years, Shabbat has sustained the Jewish people by providing a respite from the work of the week. Creating a sustainable Shabbat dinner, a meal that uses our natural resources wisely, means that Shabbat can continue to sustain us for thousands of years to come.
Some people express their love for Shabbat by lighting candles, other add a synagogue prayer, a meal and songs. Some love it through dancing, and others – like the Beit Tefilah Israeli organization ("Israeli Prayer House") – love it next to the sea.
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