Sabbath for the Rest of Us

Sabbath for Rest of Us

As a New Englander, the historical significance of the Sabbath has been drilled into me. This, I supposed was to highlight the contrast between the lives of my austere forebears and my own ridiculously cushy life. They had to stay in church for hours on Sunday, only to return home to more Bible study and quiet reflection. If they weren’t doing house or farm work, they weren’t goofing off either. Sunday was a day of desisting from worldly concerns, but it was also about religion and vigorous moral instruction.

As a child, my brief time in church was spent being herded into Sunday School, or later, moving through the Episcopal service as I admired the stained glass windows in St Michael’s and enjoyed the music. Afterwards? Liberty Hall! We’d walk to LaPan’s store on the edge of town and get newspapers with funnies, slim Jims and penny candy. We’d come home, change into play clothes and, well, play. Kids outside running around, parents inside, reading, occasionally watching a football game.

Our neighbors, who’d had a big Sunday dinner (made I might add, on this day of rest, by their hard working mother), did a wonderful thing for supper. They had popcorn. That was it. In my view, it was a perfect meal. No fuss, no squirming at the dinner table. Each person got a small salad bowl full of popcorn, with butter. You got to sit anywhere at all, maybe even in front of the television. Then it was baths and bed. I angled for invitations to Sunday night supper, which were generously extended. Then I came home, bathed, laid out Monday’s clothes and happily collapsed into bed myself.

I realize that such a day without structure is only welcome or healthy if there are schedules and mealtimes adhered to throughout the week. It is the contrast between Sunday and the rest of the week that makes it so revitalizing.

In strictly observant Jewish families, the prohibition of work extends to homework, cooking, lighting fires, even turning on the lights or using a stapler. There are 39 kinds of work prohibited on the Sabbath, which roughly fall into the categories of any kind of creativity or trying to control your environment in any way. If there is a life-threatening situation, then the Jew is not only allowed, but required to act in order to save a life.

I have a friend who converted to Judaism and embraced the Sabbath. A lifelong activist and very hard worker, she said it’s the one day of the week she doesn’t have to try to fix the world. I think she might even refrain from making telephone calls. What a wonderful idea in a culture where school practices, soccer games and all sorts of driving are routinely scheduled on Sundays so that our weeks are eaten up and we feel guilty for wanting to occasionally stop.

I doubt I could ever refrain from knitting on the Sabbath, say, or some cooking. Since the temperature hovers around zero these days, I’ll not only feed the fire, I’ll fetch wood. But I could time it to get chores done ahead of time. I could plan.

Think about it. No driving, no buying or selling. For once you do not try to accomplish anything. Try to rest. Sleep late. Avoid the making of To Do Lists. Take some time to be still. Who knows what will come to you?