The Highlight of the Jewish Week

“Six Days a week you shall work and on the seventh day you rest”. Shabbos is a symbol of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish nation. The covenant is enacted through observing twenty-four hours of Shabbos rest (See section three)

For the Jew, Shabbos is a day of complete rest from worldly affairs. On this day he takes a full-fledged vacation from his daily routine. The grind of the office, the ring of the telephone and the buzz of the business world are completely absent on this day.

A Jew, who wouldn’t miss a single telephone call, or business opportunity, during the week, allows his life to grind to a halt for a full day, in honor of a G-d who is greater than himself. On Shabbos a Jew refrains from pursuing, discussing or even thinking about business.

This is the strength of our religion and the purity of our soul, this is the nature of commitment to Torah values. Jews are trained from youth that Shabbos is a special day, consecrated only to G-d. This day is spent at the temple, where we engage in prayer and Torah study, on this day we are completely immersed in our religion.

Shabbos becomes the highlight of the Jewish week, the very center of our existence. During the first half of the week we bask in the glow of the previous Shabbos, during the second half of the week we await, and prepare for, the coming Shabbos.

Jewish law encourages mothers to train their children, from a very young age, to anticipate the arrival of Shabbos as a special day of celebration. If a child is deserving of a treat, we give it to him on Shabbos. IF a new dress was purchased, we wear it first on Shabbos. In this way we implant the glamorous beauty of Shabbos in their young and fanciful minds.

Shabbos is not just a day off from work but a day of immersion into the Jewish soul. On this day, we are completely extracted from worldly affairs and weekday pursuits.

In short Shabbos is a weekly vacation on a spiritual island of time.

A Day of Community

The Mitzvah of Shabbos has become one of the cornerstones of Jewish practice and faith. Shabbos is one of the Ten Commandments, in fact, it is the only one of the Ten Commandments that deals with a ritual obligation. This speaks volumes for the great significance that Judaism has attributed to Shabbos.

Observance of this Mitzvah offers many benefits. From a purely sociological perspective the benefits are enormous. Shabbos, more than any other Mitzvah, brings a community together. During the week, due to various commitments and obligations, many worship privately at home. On Shabbos we join as a community to celebrate our religion together.

On Shabbos we pray together, read the Torah together and dine together at the festive Shabbos meals. Most traditional communities organize public classes, seminars, or lectures, on Shabbos for the benefit of the entire community.

This sort of communal participation generates a feeling of belonging and warmth. It sparks an interest and commitment in perpetuating the principles of our faith.

Once a person stops keeping Shabbos, he slowly disassociates himself from his community, and their inspirational sessions of study and prayer. Clearly evidences in countless cases throughout the world, this is the beginning of a downfall that ends with total secularization.