Part 1: Simple Gifts
There’s an old Shaker tune called Simple Gifts. And the composer best known for his version of it? Aaron Copland, who just so happened to grow up in a Conservative Jewish household. For whatever reason, this is the song that “springs” to mind whenever I think about the Sabbath.
Perhaps it’s the intent of the original piece – “’tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free” – or maybe it’s the beautifully woven orchestral layers Copland used to transform a simple melody into a monument of multicultural Americana. Can the two really be separated?
God created heaven and earth and on the seventh day God rested, so we also rest, for we are made in His image. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, so we should remember it to keep it holy. God took us out of slavery in Egypt, so we must guard the Sabbath, for it represents the ownership of our own time.
As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, the Sabbath is a palace in time, “not an interlude but the climax of living.” The idea that time is a monument within a religion (society, civilization, the general organization of people) is itself unique and uniquely Jewish. It represents a point in our weekly journey through life to intend towards (in a way, kavanah) where we can physically, mentally and spiritually arrive for what Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi calls, “ensoulment.”
In Exodus 31:17 we read, “It is an eternal sign between Me and the Israelites that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he ceased and was revived (refreshed).” Reb Zalman notes that in the line, “shavat va-yinafesh, God rested and was refreshed,” yinafesh is derived from nefesh (soul) and read literally means, “become souled.”
Or, as Heschel concludes, “All our life should be a pilgrimage to the seventh day; the thought and appreciation of what this day may bring to use should be ever present in our minds. For the Sabbath is the counterpoint of living; the melody sustained throughout all agitations and vicissitudes which menace our conscience; our awareness of God’s presence in the world.”
Until the day after the sixth, there was no rest, making the seventh day (a day of rest) a creation in and of itself. And that creation is the critical part. This, according to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, is what’s revolutionary about the Sabbath. “Rest is the creation which allows us to enjoy all other creations. Just as clear space surrounds a page or frames a picture, so clear time is the frame in which we set our work, giving it the dignity of art,” he says.
In further commentary, Rabbi Sacks adds, “All of nature is creative, but only God and humanity create consciously for a purpose. For us, unlike the plant or animal kingdoms, creation is not a process of ceaseless activity. It involves moments contemplation when we reflect on why we act. We need time for thinking as well as for doing. So the Sabbath is a holy time, meaning time set apart, time out from the relentless pressures of activity: a day dedicated to thinking about the purpose of what we do.”
It is a simple gift: To rest. But, often, the simplest gifts become the most meaningful. So, too, Shabbat, whose true beauty is in the layers of activity (and non-activity) that build upon the simple gift of rest. Shabbat allows us to separate ourselves from our weekly toils, to reflect on our purpose of being and to “become souled” again.
And, through this lens, we should look to the 40 minus one (a phrase worth other thoughts on another day) melachot(1) not strictly as prohibition, but also as freedom from that which binds us to our weekly creation. The Sabbath allows us to embrace organic time for 25 hours, and leave processed time behind us. Indeed, Shabbat should be a day of being and not of doing – of being Jewish, not of doing our labors.
Which brings us back to Copland and Simple Gifts. In a way, Shabbat is much like a piece of music that envelopes us. When the first note begins, it’s time to take part – even if our work remains incomplete. At that moment, there is only one focus: the song, Shabbat.
A quiet opening and the introduction of a simple melody as we enter the day with candlelight. “Blessed are You, Lord, God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Shabbat.”
An accelerando as we greet the bride of Shabbat: “Shalom aleichem, Peace upon you, ministering angels, Messengers of the Most High, of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be God.”
And a crescendo into kiddush as we bless the holy day: “You have lovingly and willingly given us Your holy Shabbat as inheritance, in memory of creation because it is the first day of your holy assemblies, in memory of the exodus from Egypt because You have chosen us from all peoples for Your service, and You have given us a sacred purpose in life. In loving favor, You have given us your holy Shabbat as an inheritance. Praised are You God who sanctifies the Shabbat.”
But then, what? Well, just as Copeland orchestrates, we settle back into a space of simplicity and rest. We settle into purposeful and rejuvenating time with our family and friends, with God and our prayers, with nature and the spaces around us, with our community and with those things that bring us contentment and joy. And here, we can expand on Reb Zalman’s “being, not doing” mindset: “Save up for Shabbos those activities that pamper your soul,” he says.
For a convert, the Sabbath should be known – the why from creation to remembrance to guarding; from Genesis to Exodus to Deuteronomy. But, in truth, it can only be understood through mindful practice, experience and reflection.
Performance expert Brad Stulberg writes about achieving sustained excellence and one of his core principles is to use “behavioral activation.” In other words, just get started. Start simple.
The same can be applied to Shabbat: Just get started; start simple.
Embrace Shabbat as the destination of your weekly pilgrimage and as the kiddush for the week to come. Read it in scripture, absorb the commentary from Rashi and Rambam to Heschel and Sacks, embrace the melachot and truly turn the seventh day into a monument in time.
It’s a simple gift, rest, and one we must keep in our lives every week.
(1) On melochot, I personally like Reb Zalman’s worldview here: “For me, the actions the actions we should avoid on Shabbos include those we would rather send someone else to do, delegatable work. But if weaving is where your passion is, rather than your business, and sitting own at your weaver’s loom is what brings on the Shabbos experience for you, I have no problem with that.” Understand what the 39 categories are, why they are, and how they apply to life in the 21st century, but remember, like Heschel said, “Call the Sabbath a delight: a delight to the soul and a delight to the body.”
Part 2: It’s here, now breathe
To be continued…
Peter Kane 