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Shabbat
The
Nature of Shabbat
The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is
called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish
observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with
stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath.
But to
those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from god a day of great joy
eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our
weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits.
In Jewish literature, poetry and music,
Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha
Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said
"more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel."
Shabbat is the most important ritual
observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten
Commandments.
It is also the most important special day,. Shabbat is not
specifically a day of prayer Although we do pray on Shabbat, and spend a
substantial amount of time in synagogue praying, prayer is not what distinguishes
Shabbat from the rest of the week.
To say that Shabbat is a day of prayer is no
more accurate than to say that Shabbat is a day of feasting: we eat every day,
but on Shabbat, we eat more elaborately and in a more leisurely fashion. The
same can be said of prayer on Shabbat.
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