Adapted from her 5784 Rosh Hashanah Sermon of the same name.
In the Summer of 2021, I broke. As a new mom, an acting nurse for my baby with medical issues, and a novice rabbi, I had to prove my worth at every moment. After months of going and going, I arrived in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for a much-needed vacation.
I had one request while I was there: to go dancing with my brother. This would be my release. We set out for Provincetown. I took two steps towards this afternoon dance party, and I fell. Splattered, really. My elbow took the hit. I knew it was broken and went dancing anyway. Nothing was going to stop me. Nothing was ever going to stop me. And so, I broke.
As Americans, we are indoctrinated to believe that our worth comes from our productivity. Judaism tells a different story. Judaism tells the story of Shabbat: a story that values rest and values humans for being exactly who they are.
I am going to share my case for Shabbat: why I think Shabbat is awesome, plus an easy model for adapting it to your life.
Why is Shabbat awesome?
- Shabbat is good for us. Rest can reduce stress, irritability, anxiety, and blood pressure. Rest can even increase metabolism. Diet culture sucks. We have Shabbat! In more Jewish terms: At the end of V’shamru, a prayer that celebrates Shabbat, we say “Shabbat vayinafash,” or “Shabbat refreshes.” This verb, vayinafash, comes from the same root as the words for soul and breath. Shabbat re-souls us. Shabbat re-breathes us. God needed this after the work of Creation; we need it after the work of our lives. (See “Rethinking Rest” by the Mental Health Association.)
- Shabbat is cool. It is countercultural. Really. We are commanded to observe Shabbat right after the Israelites are freed from Egypt in a fifty-five-word commandment (Exodus 20:8-11). That is a ton of Torah real estate telling us to rest. It was needed. God was speaking to those who were enslaved, who were told that their worth came from their productivity. They would need the repetition. We are no longer enslaved, but we are told that working 24/7 should be the norm. Shabbat reminds us that we don’t need to listen to that constant rhythm. We are Jews. We get to live on a six-and-one rhythm: six days of work, one day of rest. Damn the man. Make six-and-one the drumbeat that frames your life.
- Shabbat is productive. If you are still convinced that our worth comes from our productivity, Shabbat is still for you. A shorter frame to our week will make us more productive. If I have a free day with no appointments, I will get nothing done. Give me a free hour in a day that is jam packed? I will get through all my emails, write an article, and work out. Shabbat condenses our week. If Shabbat becomes a priority, then that email will have to go out on Friday afternoon. No procrastinating til Saturday. The work must be done to be able to rest, and you will get it done.
So, how do you do it? Shabbat is not as hard as you think, nor as complicated as it feels like rabbis for generations have made it. You want to keep and honor Shabbat? Bring rest and renewal into your life? Be countercultural while still being productive? Awesome. Don’t do one thing and do one thing. That simple shift will change your rhythm.
- Don’t do one thing. When Jews talk about observing Shabbat, we hyper-focus on the activities we are not allowed to do. Don’t drive, don’t turn on lights, or don’t use fire to cook. My advice to you: Do not look at these lists of prohibitions, but rather, think about what provides the most stress for your life. Maybe it is checking email. Then don’t check email on Shabbat. Maybe it is social media. Block those apps for 24 hours. Think about the one thing that will give your mind more space, and then make the decision to give yourself that freedom.
- Do one thing. The hyperfocus on prohibitions masks the beauty and holiness of what we add to our lives on Shabbat. What will give your life a little bit more holiness? Maybe it is lighting two candles and saying a blessing on Friday evening. You enjoy the light and take a breath of gratitude after they are lit. Maybe you love community, and so you decide to go to services at your local synagogue. Maybe you thrive in nature, so you decide a Shabbat hike is your weekly ritual. An hour of reading. A walk with a friend. A museum. Add one thing that you habitually do on Shabbat and create the ritual that can frame your life.
That day on Cape Cod, I needed a break from my usual responsibilities and needed the sacredness of a dance floor. Even broken, the beat of the music, the time with my brother, and the movement of my body helped me to heal. Shabbat can even look like an afternoon dance party. We do not need to take Shabbat so seriously. We can play and see what fits. We can decide to rest before we break. We can mend the fissures that occur every week. We can bring Shabbat into our lives. And we can heal.
Rabbi Eliana Fischel is an Associate Rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation, where she cultivates a joyous and authentic Jewish community for people in all stages of their life, ages 0-120. She is also an alumna of the Glean Network.