I wouldn’t say this day is magic, but it has a special feel. Everything glows and becomes at rest. Everything stops.
I began keeping Shabbat fully, Shomer Shabbat, just last year. . . since then Shabbat has become a constant in my life. Every Friday to Saturday evening I enter into a new realm. I learn the ins and outs of the world without worry. Well, an intention of “without worry.” I’ve made Shabbat an untouchable day. I make no plans. Nothing interrupts what a Rabbi once said to me as the “moment of Shabbat.”
So powerful, Shabbat is my medicine. Not like any Effexor or Ibuprofen, Shabbat awakens the soul to the mystery of life. Shabbat opens my eyes to this life as mystery and beautiful and riveting rather than a ball of anxiety. The trees to my left and right on a running trail are no longer just a background, but living beings that I am coexisting with. During Shabbat, I never know where my runs will take me. Often I stop and say hello to the trees to enjoy the sunshine that falls down on both of us.
What is Shabbat?
People usually take Shabbat as rules to restrict someone from their daily routine but in actuality Shabbat enhances what is already there that makes one life special. It is a time to stop and pause and say “hey, this is my life . . . let me enjoy it.”
There are three basic principles to this day of rest that I follow:
Number One:
Let what be, be. Que sera sera. Don’t disturb what is already happening in the world…do not create or destroy.
Number Two:
Do not make plans for the future. Que sera, sera. I call this the flow of Shabbat. Let the world come to you. Let go of the hard fist that is grabbing for control for the world around you.
Number Three:
No checking the time. Let the world show you what it wants to show you when it wants to show you. This is God’s time.
The sum of these principles is the power of Shabbat to do “no work.” This can mean a lot of things. I clearly understand this message as an extension of neither create nor destroy . . . but, building an appreciation for the world and humanity as it is right now.
The power of these principles is that it prepares you for Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.
How does it do this? By taking time to reflect upon the world that is in front of you one can become enlightened with the gifts they can offer the world.
I liken this aspect of Shabbat to a flower soaking up the sunshine to become full. It needs the time to gain the Sun to be ready to offer pollination for the bees.
When reflecting during Shabbat, you are at a relaxed state. You’re seeing the world through your eyes. You’re able to channel into who you are as a human in this world. You’re able to see how you can use your human gifts to repair the cracks that will always exist in the world.
