Hang On! Shabbos is Coming!

It is late Friday afternoon. Thank goodness, Shabbos is coming! While the Sabbath was given to the Jews at Mount Sinai, bnai Noah are not prohibited from enjoying the benefits of Shabbos, and there are many.

The directive for the Jews is to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy..." Exodus 20:8. Bnai Noah may remember the Sabbath day in their own way. They may not keep the Sabbath as a Jew would keep Sabbath. The reasons are many and for another discussion.

A ben or bas Noah may light a candle (without the Jewish blessing that refers to remembering the Sabbath as a commandment.) One may enjoy a festive meal, or maybe a special dessert after an evening out. One may sing Shabbos songs.

I can tell you that there is great benefit in declaring one day a week as totally off limits for the tedious and the mundane. No frantic errands, no annoying phone calls, no boob tube, no paying bills, no putting in overtime at work. As people learn that needless tasks and interruptions are off limits one day a week, they will respect your time in other ways as well. Reserving one day for rest and family, what could be more important?

While learning Torah is an important daily activity, making it a point to study one specific day every week is a good start.

Just as planning a family vacation takes preparation, so does preparing for Shabbos. Planning for a vacation requires making sure the laundry is done, packing all the essentials, making a run to the bank for extra cash, arranging transportation or filling up the car's gas tank, and maybe preparing travel snacks for the kids.

Preparing for a weekly mini-vacation involves similar preparations. A last minute run to the grocery store, paying bills that are due, wrapping up work related projects and making sure the laundry is done and the grass is mowed. In other words, all the annoying things that you wouldn't want to be dealing with if you were away from home on vacation.

Wouldn't it be nice if every week you had a day that you could call your own? We are seeing the results of our stress related culture in the eruption of new diseases and increased use of prescription drugs. Divorce rates never seem to go down and families with small children are being abandoned by a spouse who just can't take it anymore. Work environments seem to be increasingly hostile and even long term friendships can be disposable at the slightest provocation. The damage that stress overload can do is immeasurable.

Shabbos is referred to as an island in time. While preparing for Shabbos often involves frantic, last minute preparations, (don't all vacations?), it is all forgotten once Shabbos arrives.

It takes time to get the hang of relaxing, connecting with family and connecting with Hashem on a regularly scheduled day. Is there really something more important on your calendar?