Shalom.
It has been about 3 weeks since I wrote
my last post. During that time my wife and I closed on a house, and
have spent the last couple of weeks, quite literally, off the grid
and off line. It has been an interesting time, I would dare say a
very quiet time, while we entertained ourselves with nothing more
than games and books, just as our ancestors,and we did, before the
age of the internet as the world went on without us.
Upon our return to the internet, I
found out that an anti Semitic crazy man had shot and killed 11 Jews
in a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Shabbat while they were in a baby
naming ceremony. I was shocked and saddened. I and my wife practice
Judaism,as much as any gentile can, and Shabbat we have found to be a
very joyful and peaceful day. This is the subject of this post. I
will not the forces of evil in this world discourage me from writing
on the wonders and the joy of one of G-d's greatest commands to the
Jewish people, nor will I ever cower in shame before those who would
try to silence any of us who support the Jewish people.
To that end I dedicate this particular
post to the Jews of Pittsburgh that were killed and their families,
as well as the people of Pittsburgh, and the Jewish population of the
world as a whole.
This past Shabbat was the first day in
quite a while that my family and I had a chance to slow down and
really enjoy the Sabbath in weeks. It's not that we ignored the
Sabbath before, but because we had been so busy with the business of
moving, when the Sabbath rolled around our minds were still thinking
on the move and all that had to be accomplished. This past Sabbath
however was different. We were finally in, no more searching, no more
distractions by a world that does not appreciate the Sabbath and the
the idea of resting. We can debate what it means to “rest” on
Shabbat on another day for I know different people have differing
views on just what that means. What follows is our idea of a good
Shabbat.
The place that we bought a home in is
in the foothills of the White Mountains. We are literally
surrounded by rather large hills so my
wife and I thought we would go for a walk up our road to see where it
goes. Going “up” the road would be an understatement. The road
literally went up hill and we followed it up and over to the other
side and back and what a worthy hike it was.
It was gray,cloudy and cold. There was
a hint of snow in the air and the late fall coloring was in full
plumage. In a word it was beautiful. The views from the top were
breathtaking and you could see the snow falling in the distance. We
ran across deer tracks and evidence of a bear passing through and
myriads of birds. It was if G-d Himself was welcoming us to our new
home.
On our way back down, it began to spit
snow. While having lunch it picked up steam and by mid afternoon we
looked like a winter wonderland. We spent the rest of the afternoon
reading and resting and ended the day with a visit from our son and
his girlfriend. This was one of the most restful and peaceful
Sabbaths I can remember in a long time.
This, in my mind anyhow, is what
Shabbat is supposed to be about. Communing with G-d,with and
through, nature. Reading the Torah and quite literally resting as
well as being with family. Yes there is much to be said for being a
part of a religious community but when you don't have one you have to
make a choice as to how you are going to do things. For us we prefer
to rest and relax and let the rest of the world do it's own thing.
Consider this passage from Isaiah 56:2
“Happy is the man who does this, The man who holds fast to it: who
keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and stays his hand from
doing any evil.”
or 52:6-7 “As for the foreigners (
some translations say strangers ) Who attach themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him,And to love the name of the Lord, To be His
servants- All who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it, and who
hold fast to my covenant- I will bring them to my sacred mount And
let them rejoice in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and
sacrifices shall be welcome on my altar;For My house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.”
The Sabbath was meant to be a blessing,
it was meant to be a day of rest, a day where we become closer to
G-d. If we honor the Sabbath G-d Himself says that we will be happy
but, even more important, is that we will be accepted by Him and our
offerings, even though we are “gentile” will be accepted by Him.
That is the ultimate for me and my
family; to be accepted by G-d and to commune with Him. I hope you
will strive for the same.
Shalom.