Love Wawa®? Love Shabbat? You’ll love Brian Feldman’s newest project!

http://phindie.com/love-wawa-love-shabbat-youll-love-brian-feldman/

Phindie: What does Shabbat mean to you?
Brian Feldman: For me, it’s a much needed weekly opportunity to slow down and reflect on the profundities of life through a Jewish lens. Some of my fondest memories from childhood were around the dinner table during my family’s Friday night dinners, and whenever I see the lighting of Shabbat candles, it takes me back to those simpler times. It may not be surprising to say that I was raised extremely reform. And yet, I’m now the most religiously observant member of my family, even attending the D.C. synagogue I live across the street from! Although, to be fair, I don’t go every single week. Since February 2, 2018, it’s also meant… Wawa!

Observing Shabbat: My weekly day of rest

A student reflects on her traditional observance of the weekly Jewish holiday.

Six days of the week, I navigate college life at full speed, balancing work, classes and extracurriculars. 

I say six days because on Saturday I take a complete day of rest. 

I choose to observe Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, for a full day each week. As a senior at Temple University, I’d be lying if I said has always been easy. 

https://temple-news.com/a-day-of-rest-my-experience-of-shabbat/

The Case for Shabbat as an Antidote to Modern Life

http://jewishjournal.com/newsroom/judaism/case-shabbat-antidote-modern-life/

The fourth commandment presents a God who, rather than demanding ever more work, insists on rest. The weekly Sabbath placed a hard limit on how much work could be done and suggested that this was perfectly all right; enough work was done in the other six days. And whereas the pharaoh relaxed while his people toiled, the Lord insisted that the people rest as He rested: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.””

Unique Intimate Experience of Jessica Bellamy Shabbat Dinner

https://www.broadwayworld.com/sydney/article/BWW-REVIEW-The-Unique-Intimate-Experience-of-Jessica-Bellamys-SHABBAT-DINNER-Enthrals-And-Educates-20180911

"Remember the Day of Shabbat" - The Commandment of Kiddush

By Yisroel Dovid Klein

What is the significance of reciting kiddush on Shabbat? Is the friday night kiddush or the Shabbat day kiddush more important? Is the wine a biblical obligation or a rabbinic one? Is there a relationship between kiddush and havdalah?

The Source and Significance of the Mitzvah

The mitzvah to observe the Shabbat is repeated numerous times in the Torah. Most notably this is one of the Ten Commandments, which are repeated twice in the Torah, first in Parshat Yitro and again in Parshat Vaetchanan with several minor variations. One of the differences is that while in Parshat Yitro we are commanded to “remember” the Shabbat (zachor),1the ^{verse in Parshat Vaetchanan commands us to “guard” the Shabbat (}shamor).² The Talmud explains that G‑d actually said both words, zachor and shamor, in one utterance.³

This double statement in a single utterance is understood to constitute two seperate commandments: The verse in Parshat Vaetchanan, which uses the word shamor—guard, requires us to abstain from various kinds of “work” (melachah) on Shabbat. The verse in Parshat Yitro, which uses the word zachor—remember, requires us to actively remember the holiness of Shabbat, and not merely desist from work activities.

Finding The Off Switch: Four Reasons I Observe Shabbat

by Peter Himmelman 
With the pace of technology and its demand for our attention increasing month-to-month, comes the challenge of occasionally leaving it behind. I’ve found some answers in my over thirty-year observance of Shabbat, (the Jewish Sabbath), a time when the use of technology is prohibited. While I don’t believe that the strict tenets of this observance are appropriate for all people, I am strongly convinced that many of its ideas would be helpful if they were incorporated on some level.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhimmelman/2018/04/08/finding-the-off-switch-four-reasons-i-observe-shabbat/#5d3bb10760e8

Resist lighting the fires of bickering on Shabbat

http://www.jewishaz.com/religiouslife/resist-lighting-the-fires-of-bickering-on-shabbat/article_e9841d70-22e8-11e8-9b20-cf655a056944.html

One of the most beautiful and important aspects of Shabbat is that by its very nature it forces us to put aside our work, our electronic gadgets and our ultra-busy schedules, and focus on what is truly important — our relationships with both G-d and family.

The problem we so often face, however, is that it is precisely this aspect of Shabbat that can cause us so much grief. The opportunity to finally spend so many waking hours in such close proximity to one another can seem to result in nothing more than squabbles! So important is it for us to address this matter that the Torah in this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Vayakhel-Pikudei, discusses it front and center.

In just the third verse of the parsha the Torah states, “Do not ignite a fire in your dwellings on the day of Shabbat.” The Zohar, in a novel understanding of this verse, understands “fire” here to mean destructive arguments and bickering. Whereas water symbolizes a degree of calmness and serenity, as water merely takes the shape of its container, fire on the other hand is destructive, consuming its container, much like needless arguments can grow and destroy. Thus, the verse is warning us not to have destructive arguments with each other on Shabbat.