re: #325 HoosierHoops

That is only because there is no limits to love and friendship

That is the core of Shabbos. Honestly, every single holiday can be summarized by an idea or even one word. For Yom Kippur it is atonement. For Rosh Hashana, it is kingship. For Pesach, it is freedom. For Shabbos, the one that is more important than all the others, it is love.

I was not brought up observant. In fact, choosing to become so was a long process for me. I can easily remember what it all looked like from the “outside.” I have some very dear friends in the department, who wondered at this process (and they still do!). It has led to many hours of debate and a strong desire on my part to try to dispel misconceptions.

None of my non-Jewish friends ever even thought to question why I would become more involved. It was always my Jewish colleagues who felt a need to “bring me back to my senses.” They had put things like Shabbos observance into the pile of things they considered weird and perhaps backwards. I think some were perhaps even a little ashamed of things that were too overtly Jewish, like they were embarrassed to be associated with a crazy uncle who was making a spectacle of himself. When their colleague, another physicist (who is supposed to use the scientific method) evaluated things differently, there was an implicit challenge. At the end of the day, I did not try to (nor did I) convince anyone to be more observant. I believe that I managed to convince them that there are good reasons why a sane person might do these things and that it was possible to not be crazy if you do.

So, that said, why do it? I mean why go nuts every weekend?

First off, the purpose of Shabbos is not to “kick back.” It is not time off.
It is about time out. All of the great preparation that you scurry to do before Shabbos is to make certain that once Shabbos comes, you have nothing to distract you from Shabbos. Also, all of that preparation puts you into a head space of anticipation for the event.

Many Jewish holidays have a theme that can be summed up in one word. For Pesach it is “freedom.” For Sukkot it is “trust.” For Shabbos, it is love. I will come back to that theme in a bit, but for now, lets talk about the space you set up to explore it.

Not playing with the lights also means you do not use the television or the phone (you could call 911 if you had to of course). There is much, much to be said about the outside world and all of its distractions just going away. It disappears and you focus on what really matters.
Which is more important, spending real quality time with friends and family, or “must see” TV?

All of the prohibited activities are there so that you plan ahead and create an environment where you do not need to worry about any distractions. What’s for dinner? It’s already taken care of. Where are we going tonight? We are going to have a fabulous meal and talk and sing and bond a lot. Then we are going to reflect over all of our blessings and be happy. Did you hear about the latest atrocity on the news? No, I did not. I will worry about it on Sunday if I must. Did you hear the latest gossip about so and so? No, I don’t like gossip during the week and especially not now.

So what is left?

Spiritual and emotional renewal, intense bonding with friends and family, personal time to reflect on the transcendent and the spiritual, and a whole battery of rituals and traditions to put you into the mindset to do so. There is a bond of G-d, community, family and individual to be explored and refreshed. It is all about relationships and identity in the most healthy and positive sense.

In a word, what is left are reflections of all of the acts of love you have ever received.