Six days you shall do your
work, and on the seventh day you shall cease, so that your ox and your donkey
will rest, and the son of your maidservant and the sojourner will be refreshed.
Exodus 23:12
Tziporah:
The observance of the
Sabbath is mentioned in many verses of the Torah, but this one is my
favorite. It proposes that we stop
working on the Sabbath not only to allow ourselves
time to rest, but also to allow our work animals and laborers an opportunity to
shore up their strength, because all living creatures need rest. The biblical scholar Everett Fox translates
the last word of this verse, vayinfash,
as “pause-for-breath.”[1] This definition of Sabbath rest resonates for
me. Since my college days, I have taken
advantage of this weekly opportunity to turn off my phone and power down my computer, close my writer’s notebook and lock my car in the garage. Through the years, people who learned of my
strict observance of the Sabbath have asked me if it’s difficult not being able
to do laundry or run errands on Saturday. It’s true that I have occasionally
imagined being more productive by foregoing my Sabbath rest. But these thoughts are fleeting. Observing the Sabbath refreshes and recharges
my spirit; this weekly commitment to pausing for breath has changed my life.
Grace:
Christians share with Jews
the scriptural commandment to honor the Sabbath. With numerous variations, we
traditionally observe the Sabbath on Sunday, which we call “the Lord’s Day.” In
communal worship, we understand the Sabbath as a “little Easter,” an experience
of spiritual resurrection, refreshment, and renewal. I have to say, however,
that the concept of physical rest, which Tziporah expresses in
the pause-for-breath time she takes each week, is often lost in my own Sabbath
practice. Tziporah’s example inspires me to realize my need to honor the “take a breath” in all its fullness. Taking Sunday (or
another day) to “close down” and not just “rev up,” would
enable me to express in practice my conviction that spiritual health is
intimately linked to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being that God
wants for all God’s people—and God’s creatures!
Yasmina:
The
Quran mentions the Sabbath as a commandment to the Jewish people.[2] For Muslims, the essence of the Sabbath as a
day for connecting with God has two aspects.
First, when practicing Muslims put on hold whatever they are doing and
turn to God at different times throughout every day to perform their five
prayers, they are observing an aspect of Sabbath. In fact, the Arabic word for prayer is Salat, which means connection. Furthermore,
Friday is a day that brings numerous purposeful actions, including the
congregational sermon and communal Salat;
during that time, Muslim men are prohibited from working. Friday is also a day
for increased remembrance of God and reaching out to the community. The feeling
that Tziporah describes as the fruit of her observance of the Sabbath is the
same sense of peace I feel as an observant Muslim. This feeling is derived from
the highest purpose a faithful person can have, and that is to obey the
commands of God in order to seek His pleasure.
[1] This word, which appears only
twice in the Torah, is also used in Exodus 31:17 to describe God’s taking a
breath on the seventh day after completing the Creation.
[2] See 2:65, 4:47, 4:154, 7:163 and
16:124.
