Shabbat also has a tremendous sociological and psychological impact on the Jewish people. No matter what is going on in the outside world, no matter how hard a person works during the week, on Shabbat everyone feels like royalty - everyone dresses in his or her best clothing, candles are lit, festive meals are eaten. No one engages in work, business is not discussed, and an atmosphere of relaxation and serenity is created. Once the usual weekday distractions are removed, we are able to devote ourselves to more spiritual pursuit. One can pray without rushing to get to work, spend extra time study Torah and focus on personal growth and relationships. Shabbat creates a sanctuary in time in which we are forced to suspend our normal activities and re-evaluate the importance of our daily concerns. We are offered the opportunity to turn our attention to those areas of life that are too often neglected. Shabbat is the one time that the entire family can get together without the pressure of school or work and without the intrusion of the phone or television. ...(A common expression by the Zionist writer, Achad HaAm, attests: More than the Jews kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jews.)...
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:37:55 +0000