Herman Wouk on the Blessings of the Sabbath

In this excerpt from his book This Is My God, as seen in the August 1961 issue of Guideposts, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author Herman Wouk shares why he so valued Judaism’s observance of the Sabbath: The Sabbath has cut most sharply athwart my own life when one of my plays has been in rehearsal or in tryout. The crisis atmosphere of an attempt at Broadway is a legend of our time, and a true one; I have felt under less pressure going into battle at sea. Friday afternoon, during these rehearsals, inevitably seems to come when the project is tottering on the edge of ruin. I have sometimes felt guilty of treason, holding to the Sabbath in such a desperate situation. But then, experience has taught me that a theater enterprise almost always is in such a case. Sometimes it does totter to ruin, and sometimes it totters to great prosperity, but tottering is its normal gait, and cries of anguish are its normal tone of voice.

'Shabbat guidebook for parents': The value of recharging. A resourceful guidebook for a joyful Shabbat with your children.

The author writes, “As modern parents, we are always planning, packing, and preempting our children’s needs. On Shabbat day, we get the chance to just be. “Be with our child and children. Be with our spouse and partner. Be with our friends and community. Be with Hashem. Even just be with ourselves. Now that we have prepared for Shabbat... let’s... enjoy the unique little people in front of us who are literally part of our creation in this world.”

Science confirms it: Sabbath is good for your brain!

For those who believe the Bible was inspired by God, the fact that science often ends up supporting biblical claims is no surprise. Now neuroscience research published in August has shown that taking a day of rest each week results in great mental health benefits. ...researchers discovered that keeping the Sabbath contributed to better sleep and less fatigue during the week, as well as generally improved mental health – regardless of religious observance.

What Churches Hold Services on Saturday?

Traditionally, seventh-day churches including Seventh Day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists and Church of God (7th Day) have services on Saturday. Roman Catholic Churches offer Saturday mass and a growing number of Evangelical churches provide Saturday evening services.

How My Wife and I Took Back Our Sundays

We have an agreement: One day a week, we do absolutely nothing. In a society obsessed with productivity, this is harder than it should be—but it’s worth it. By Jason Heller

Rabbinic Reflections: My Jewish Christmas

 https://chaddsfordlive.com/2021/12/12/rabbinic-reflections-my-jewish-christmas/

It’s been 11 years since Christmas last fell on a Saturday. It is the longest stretch in a cycle of Christmases on Saturday, falling every six years, then five years, then six years, then 11 years. It is little wonder then that this year is throwing me for a loop.

Like many American Jews, I have inherited traditions to make the most of Christmas. My family spent Christmas Eve eating at Chinese restaurants and Christmas Day at the movie theater. We are more likely to do Chinese takeout these days, and the new COVID spike will keep us home from a theater. That being said, Friday night and Saturday pose a different problem: Shabbat. How do I do my American Jewish Christmas traditions on Shabbat? ...

Three Benefits of Celebrating Shabbat

https://www.aish.com/sh/t/rai/Three-Benefits-of-Celebrating-Shabbat.html

Let go of the illusion!

https://ravjill.com/shabbat-is-the-day-we-let-go-of-the-illusion/

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.

My Husband, the Shabbat King

BY KYLIE ORA LOBELL | PUBLISHED FEB 28, 2018 

At the end of the first exhausting week of work, I came home on Friday afternoon to a clean house, a delicious-smelling stew in the slow cooker, all the appropriate lights duct-taped for Shabbat and a table set for the two of us. A beautiful bouquet of flowers sat in the middle. As soon as I saw Danny, who was adjusting his tie in the mirror, getting ready to watch me light the candles, I hugged him and nearly cried. “You did it,” I whispered.

http://jewishjournal.com/opinion/231344/husband-shabbat-king/

How the Shabbat Dinner is Becoming Trendy

How the Shabbat Dinner is Becoming Trendy

Shabbat, that traditionally religious, meditative bookend of the working week, seems to be undergoing something of a renaissance.

“The concept of spending quality time with friends and family while taking a break from scrolling on Instagram—is for everyone,” Ariel Okin wrote in a 2017 Vogue article, ‘How To Host A Shabbat Dinner And Why You Should – Even If You Aren’t Celebrating’. “It is an ancient antidote to our modern ailments.”

Read more: https://forward.com/life/faith/394854/how-the-shabbat-dinner-is-becoming-trendy/

https://forward.com/life/faith/394854/how-the-shabbat-dinner-is-becoming-trendy/

Jewish seniors fight isolation with a fast food community in ‘Wendy’s Shabbat’

Forget gefilte fish, roast chicken and brisket. Burgers, French fries and chicken nuggets are the preferred fare of senior citizens in Palm Springs, California. They gather on Friday evenings to welcome the Jewish Sabbath at their local Wendy’s fast food franchise.

Instead of staying by their lonesomes in their homes in the Sun City retirement community, the seniors head to Wendy’s, bringing along candles, challah and grape juice. Seated at a long table set up for them by the young staff, they recite the traditional blessings welcoming Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. Then they tuck into their chili and chicken wraps and schmooze for a couple of hours.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-seniors-fight-isolation-with-a-fast-food-community-in-wendys-shabbat/

2018: Let’s Get Back a Shabbat

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/2018-lets-get-back-a-shabbat_us_5a5396a1e4b0ee59d41c0ca9
Once upon a time people worked during the week and rested on the weekend. Most businesses closed. Holidays were dedicated to worship, family, friends, and, for some, culture. Sociologists, especially communitarians like myself, saw a great importance in maintaining a work- and commerce-free space. They pointed out that during the week we stray from the moral codes and values that guide our lives. We are trying to get work done, make deals, move ahead. These activities tempt us to cut corners, to put self-interest above concern for others and the common good. Weekends and holidays are supposed to be the occasions when we rededicate ourselves to what is right, and when we reconnect with each other as full-fledged human beings rather than as dealmakers or bosses and employees—an essential element of human flourishing. This is what happens in places of worship, family gatherings, and community activities.

Shabbat Is an Underrated Way to Destress

Shabbat Is an Underrated Way to Destress

Wine, weed, and unplugging—your ancient Jewish guide to modern-day stress relief.

... I came to appreciate Shabbat not only as an ancient Jewish tradition but as a contemporary, therapeutic practice of being present and unplugging.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/kzgb7e/shabbat-is-an-underrated-way-to-destress-stressweek2017