Got Shabbat

Parashat B’reishit
Genesis 1:1-6:8

In the 21st century, 24/7 living has gained momentum. It seems like we live an out-of-breath lifestyle. Go, go, go. Buy, buy, buy. Seek, seek, seek. Through the online marketplace, we have access to goods and commerce at every moment of the day or night. The boundaries that used to help keep our schedules in check are fuzzier than they once were. This couldn’t possibly be entirely healthy, could it? Is it what we were meant to do? Is that what living life to the fullest means?

Let’s take a look at this issue of 24/7 living from the perspective of Jewish time. What do Jewish people do with this daily marching of time? How can we distinguish one day from another? How can we turn off the “internet” of our busy lives?

The answer can be found by considering the concept of Shabbat which we first learn about in Parashat B’reishit. After creating day and night, heaven and earth, plants and trees, sun and moon and stars, fish and birds, beasts and people, “God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation which he had done.” Genesis 2:3. So, you see, God actually STOPS the work, CEASES the labor involved in creation and sets down to rest for 24 hours. This is the essence of Shabbat: Stopping, resting and recognizing sacred time. Even though life in the 21st century has served us up a plateful of 24/7, we have the choice to get off the merry-go-round and take advantage of the incredible gift of Shabbat for us and our families.

For young children, the introduction of the recurring nature of Shabbat is in sync with their natural inclination to recognize and find comfort in the patterns of their lives. A strong foundation of routine and pattern can free a child and allow him to explore, knowing that the familiar and predictable will always bring him back to the safe and sound.

Question for Parents: How does the pattern of your child’s routine (or non-routine!) affect you?

Question for Children:  How do you feel when things are different than you thought
they would be? Like… when you usually have school on a Monday but then you have a day off?

Read more about Parashat B’reishit from Got Shabbat of the Union for Reform Judaism