“The meaning
of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of
things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to
share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the
mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world
(p. 10).”
Excerpts
from Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man (NY:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1951)
When I read
this earlier today I was touched by the poetic way Heschel wrote about
celebrating the holiness of time. We
work and have our being throughout the weeks, months and years of our lives,
but do we give ourselves space to be tuned into the rhythm of time? Do we know how to stop, turn off, and put
away so we can embrace the gift of blessed time? Society seems to expect us to go-go-go,
spinning uncontrollably, up and down to the constant noise in our heads and in
the soundtracks of living. Even at rest
we often choose to watch a movie or television where the movement and the noise
interrupt the opportunities silencing them would provide.
One of my
friends mentioned that for a while her household would shut off everything
electric (not the fridge or heat or things like that) for an hour on a
Sunday. It was a way to quiet the house,
the mind and the soul. It would, I
suspect, bring them into the holiness of silence, opening them to communion
with their God, their souls and with one another. I wonder what kind of impact such a move
would make in my own household. I wonder
if we would be able to break free from that “tyranny of things of space”
Heschel mentioned. I wonder how we would
choose to spend the time—together or in seclusion or napping. I wonder if I would convince anyone else to
stop with me. I wonder how we would
understand creation if we were to just listen and watch as the miracles unfold
in that magic hour.
O Heavenly
One, how can we find the Sabbath respite when the world has so many
demands? The commitment some Jews have
made to Sabbath rest is astonishing and frankly something I desire in my own
life. I am thankful for the snippets of
time I take to break away from the demands of living, but when I learn more of
the Sabbath ritual, I am guilty of religious envy. Help me to find a balance that works for me
and all my commitments and that fulfills my regular need for quiet time with
you and the ones I love. This I ask with
a weary heart, mind and soul, thirsty for the refreshment only Sabbath rest can
provide. Amen.