Shabbat What you need to know (according to the syllabus) Origins & importance of Shabbat How Shabbat is celebrated including the significance of the mitzvot and traditions connected to Shabbat including how Shabbat is celebrated in the Synagogue and in the home The restrictions of Shabbat How Shabbat is celebrated by different Jewish groups All the above should be evidenced through references to different sources of wisdom 1
Origins of Shabbat There are two origins for Shabbat. One origin is the concept of Shabbat. The other is the command to keep Shabbat. Concept A concept is an idea. Therefore we are looking at how the idea of Shabbat came about. Source of Wisdom: Bereishit, chapter 2: 1-3 ו י כ ל ו ה ש מ י ם ו ה אר ץ ו כ ל צ ב אם. ו י כ ל א לק ים ב י ום ה ש ב יע י מ ל אכ ת ו א ש ר ע ש ה ו י ש ב ת ב י ום ה ש ב יע י מ כ ל מ ל אכ ת ו א ש ר ע ש ה. ו י ב ר ך א לקים א ת י ום ה ש ב יע י ו י ק ד ש א ת ו כ י ב ו ש ב ת מ כ ל מ ל אכ ת ו א ש ר ב ר א א לקים ל ע ש ות. And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their hosts. And on the seventh day G-d completed His work which He had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all His work that He did. And G-d blessed the seventh day and He made it holy, because on that day He rested from all His work that God created to do. 1. When is this passage said? 2. How does this source give us the concept of Shabbat? 2
Command A command is something you have to do. The command about Shabbat is found in the Ten Commandments, which are written twice in the Torah. Source of Wisdom: Exodus 20:7-10 ז כ ור א ת י ום ה ש ב ת ל ק ד ש ו. ש ש ת י מ ים ת ע ב ד ו ע ש ית כ ל מ ל אכ ת ך. ו י ום ה ש ב יע י ש ב ת ל ה א לה י ך לא ת ע ש ה כ ל מ ל אכ ה א ת ה וב נ ך וב ת ך ע ב ד ך ו א מ ת ך וב ה מ ת ך ו ג ר ך א ש ר ב ש ע ר י ך. כ י ש ש ת י מ ים ע ש ה ה א ת ה ש מ י ם ו א ת ה אר ץ א ת ה י ם ו א ת כ ל א ש ר ב ם ו י נ ח ב י ום ה ש ב יע י ע ל כ ב ר ך ה א ת י ום ה ש ב ת ו י ק ד ש ה ו. Remember the Shabbat day to keep it holy. Six days you shall work and the seventh day is a rest day to G-d, do not do any work because for six days G-d made the heaven and earth and He rested on the seventh day, so G-d blessed the Shabbat day and made it holy. 1. What is the opening command in this source? How can someone fulfil this command? 2. What is the reasoning behind Shabbat given in this source? Source of Wisdom: Deuteronomy 5:11-14 ש מ ור א ת י ום ה ש ב ת ל ק ד ש ו כ א ש ר צ ו ך ה א לקי ך. ש ש ת י מ ים ת ע ב ד ו ע ש ית כ ל מ ל אכ ת ך. ו י ום ה ש ב יע י ש ב ת ל ה א לק י ך לא ת ע ש ה כ ל מ ל אכ ה א ת ה וב נ ך וב ת ך ו ע ב ד ך ו א מ ת ך ו ש ור ך ו ח מ ר ך ו כ ל ב ה מ ת ך ו ג ר ך א ש ר ב ש ע ר י ך ל מ ע י נ וח ע ב ד ך ו א מ ת ך כ מ ו ך. ו ז כ ר ת כ י ע ב ד ה י ית ב א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם ו י צ א ך ה א לקי ך מ ש ם ב י ד ח ז ק ה וב ז ר ע נ ט וי ה ע ל כ צ ו ך ה א לק י ך ל ע ש ות א ת י ום ה ש ב ת. Guard the Shabbat day to keep it holy six days you shall work and the seventh day is Shabbat to G-d, do not do any work And remember that you were slaves in Egypt and G-d took you out of there therefore G-d commands you to keep the Shabbat day. 1. What is the opening command in this source? How can someone fulfil this command? 2. What is the reasoning behind Shabbat given in this source? 3. What is the difference between the two sources? What does this teach us? 3
Use the images below to explain in your own words the origins of Shabbat. You must include an explanation of the concept and commands of Shabbat including the differences and similarities of the commands. 4
Importance of Shabbat Look at these tweets and based on them, and on what you already know, list why Shabbat is important to Jews. Note: To explain the importance of something, use the acronym GOTHIC to help you: GOd (How might Shabbat strengthen a Jewish person s belief in G-d) Tradition (How might Shabbat help a Jewish person connect to the past) History (How might Shabbat help a Jewish person connect to history) Identity (How might a Jewish person s identity shaped by Shabbat) Community (How might Shabbat strengthen the Jewish community or bring it together) 1983 Menachem Begin Prime Minister of Israel 1977 Ahad Ha am (Asher Ginsburg) cultural Zionist 1856 1927 Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan Rabbi 1934 1983 5
How Shabbat is celebrated 1: Zachor positive mitzvot & traditions of Shabbat Shabbat in the home Preparation Since no work is allowed on Shabbat, much of what is needed for Shabbat must be prepared before Shabbat begins. In practice, this means that: Food, cutlery & crockery needs to be ready electronic devices turned on or off pre-set timers need to be set (heating, lights etc) We will look at what work is in the next section. KEY POINT - Shabbat begins about an hour before sunset on Friday evening, and ends after it is dark on the following (Saturday) evening. It therefore lasts around 25 hours. Lighting candles when Shabbat begins This is specifically a mitzvah designated for women (one of three) although men may light candles if necessary. Two candles are lit as a reminder of the two commandments of Shabbat. Some people have the custom to light a candle for each member of the household, since a flame is comparable to a soul. Blessing the children Many parents have the custom to give a special blessing to their children after the men return home from shul on Friday evening. 6
Kiddush At the beginning of every holy day, we make Kiddush (meaning holy ). In Judaism, one of the ways to make something holy is to proclaim it as being holy, and that is what Kiddush does. Usually, Kiddush is made over wine, which is a symbol of joy. During Shabbat, Kiddush is made twice once on Friday night and once at the Shabbat lunch. This Kiddush proclaims G-d s mastery over the world, and reminds us to remember our place in the world, both as being part of G-d s creation, and through our loyalty to G-d who singled Jews out as a nation when He took us out of Egypt. Two Challot There is a tradition to have two Challot (called Lechem Mishneh literally double breads ). This is a reminder of when the Jewish people received a double portion of manna on the Friday in the desert. The challot are usually covered below and on top as a reminder of the dew that covered the manna. Three meals As we are not supposed to lack anything on Shabbat, we ensure that we eat three meals during the Shabbat so that we are not hungry. Generally this will consist of the meal on Friday night, a Shabbat lunch, and a third meal (called Se uda Shlishit) on the afternoon of Shabbat Zemirot (songs) During the Shabbat meals, many have the custom to sing special songs that praise G-d. These are called Zemirot. There are many different types and tunes. 7
Learning Torah As there is more time on Shabbat dedicated to our connection with G-d, many people will take some time during Shabbat to spiritually recharge, and learn some Torah. This may be in the form of attending a shi ur (lecture) or learning with a partner or group. Resting Shabbat is also a time period when Jews are able to physically recharge. Many people will have the opportunity to sleep a little more than they would do during the rest of the week. Havdalah Just as we begin Shabbat by proclaiming it holy, we end Shabbat with a ceremony that proclaims the end of this holy time and the start of the ordinary week. Havdalah (meaning separation ), consists of three elements: Wine Used in most ceremonies to mark something as a holy event or the end of something as holy Two flames to symbolise that we are once again allowed to perform acts of work (one of which is lighting a fire). Spices symbolic to the idea that once Shabbat goes, we lose an element of spirituality. The spices are a sort of pick-me-up an idea that we compensate for the loss of this spirituality through smelling spices. 8
Shabbat in the synagogue There are various differences in synagogue services on Shabbat compared to the rest of the week. As well as the morning, afternoon and evening services, there are two extra services: o At the beginning of Shabbat there is a service called Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming Shabbat). This consist of seven Psalms (one for each day of the week) culminating in the Psalm for Shabbat. There is also a song called Lecha Dodi which portrays the relationship between the Jews and Shabbat as a bride and groom. o Musaf (meaning additional). This corresponds to the additional sacrifice offered up in the Temple on Shabbat. The first part of the following week s Torah portion is read during the mincha (afternoon) service More prayers praising G-d are added to the services generally The weekly Torah portion is read in full during the morning service. Seven men are called up to the Torah, and the Haftorah is read as well. The Rabbi may give a sermon to the congregation. This consists of an ethical message usually connected to the weekly Torah portion. Due to these, the prayer services on Shabbat will last longer than weekday services Communal celebrations Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are usually celebrated on a Shabbat. On these occasions, and at other times, there may be a communal Kiddush after the morning services. Using the information that we have covered, can you explain why Shabbat is considered to be a small experience of what it is like in the World to Come? Go back to your answer on why Shabbat is important to Jews, and include specific examples from what we have just learned to improve your answer. 9
How Shabbat is celebrated 2: Restrictions of Shabbat At the beginning of the previous section, we mentioned that no work is permitted on Shabbat. Judaism has a unique definition of work. Work known as melacha (plural melachot ) is classed as anything that was done connected to the building and use of the Mishkan (temporary temple used by the Jews before the Temple was built in Jerusalem). Source of Wisdom: Shemot (Exodus) chapter 31 In total, there are 39 main categories of work. Some of the more common are: Lighting a fire Putting out a fire Carrying in a public place e.g. streets Writing Baking/cooking Tying a knot Anything that would involve any of these 39 types of work are not permitted to be done on Shabbat. When Shabbat was first commanded, technology was relatively simple. Lighting a fire meant exactly that. However, in the modern world, technology is much more sophisticated, and there are many types of technology that are connected to those 39 categories of work. Make a list of modern technologies that are connected to those listed above. One example is lighting a fire turning on a car engine In addition, the Rabbis made further restrictions involving moving anything that cannot be used on Shabbat. These restrictions are called Muktzeh. An example of this is moving a pen, because writing is not allowed on Shabbat. There are one or two ways to work around these restrictions: ERUV Carrying is only not allowed if you carry in a public place. Therefore, carrying something in the place that you live in is ok. An eruv technically makes a public place into a shared private place and then allows anything needed for Shabbat to be carried in the street. TIME SWITCHES 10
These allow electrical items to be set to turn on and off on Shabbat. Therefore, lights can be set to turn off on Friday night and come on again on Saturday afternoon, so it is not necessary to sit in the dark! 11
How Shabbat is celebrated by different Jewish groups We have looked at how Shabbat is celebrated from an Orthodox perspective. It is important to note that Shabbat as a day is observed across the Jewish religious spectrum and that many non-orthodox communities may celebrate Shabbat in the same or similar ways. However, there may also be some significant differences. When non-orthodox movements first began, some of them wanted to move Shabbat from Saturday to a Sunday, in order to minimise the differences between Judaism and Christianity. These positions have modified over time. The main difference between Orthodox and non-orthodox is the way they interpret the Torah. The Orthodox believe that since the Torah is the direct word of G-d, there are parameters (limits) on how it can be interpreted. In practice, this means that modern technologies need to fit into existing interpretations of the Torah. Non-Orthodox movements believe that although the Torah is the word of G-d, there is much more room for humans to interpret it. This becomes especially important as technologies advance because the Torah might be interpreted differently to allow for these. A practical example of this is driving a car. Orthodox Judaism maintains that since lighting a fire is prohibited on Shabbat, and starting a car engine involves the use of a spark plug i.e. lighting a fire, the use of a car is not permitted on Shabbat (there may be other issues involved too). Some non-orthodox Jewish movements maintain that since life has changed since the times of the giving of the Torah, and the use of technologies has become part of modern life, the interpretation of what lighting a fire is does not necessarily extend to a car engine. Therefore, if using a car is important to celebrating Shabbat e.g. to get to and from shul, it may be permissible to drive. These different interpretations may be evident in other areas too. 12
Practice questions 1. (a) State three things that are done in preparation for Shabbat in a Jewish home [3] (b) Describe how a Shabbat prayer service differs from a weekday prayer service [3] (c) Why might Shabbat be observed by some Jewish people? [3] (d) Explain how Shabbat can affect the way Jewish people live their lives [6] (e) Keeping Shabbat is the most important mitzvah a Jew can do. Discuss this statement. In your answer you should: Analyse and evaluate the importance of points of view of common and divergent views within Judaism Refer to sources of wisdom and authority 2. (a) State three things that might happen in a Jewish home that keeps Shabbat [3] (b) Describe how Shabbat is kept in the Synagogue [3] (c) Describe the differences between the positive and negative commands of Shabbat? [3] (d) Explain the importance of Shabbat in Judaism [6] (e) More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews. Discuss this statement. In your answer you should: Analyse and evaluate the importance of points of view of common and divergent views within Judaism Refer to sources of wisdom and authority 13
Key vocabulary (write their definitions) Shabbat Zachor Shamor Kiddush Lechem Mishne Seudah Shlishit Melacha Melachot Zemirot Kabbalat Shabbat Musaf Eruv Muktzeh Mishkan 14