Honor Shabbat

On the seventh day God rested and reflected on God’s work. And it was a holy day. Shabbat has been at the core of Jewish identity since biblical times. It is one of the Ten Commandments, a central theme throughout the Jewish liturgy, an absolute that is arguably the most essential element of Judaism and its ability to survive against a history ridden with persecution, segregation, and attempts at annihilation. So you may be asking, what does Shabbat have to do with the environment?

You will find throughout the Jewish world that people are constantly referring to “the gift of Shabbat.” Gift? you might ask. Growing up, I often felt Shabbat was more of a burden than something I was happy to receive. It meant staying home while others went to see movies or concerts. Shabbat meant weekly chores such as scrubbing the toilets and vacuuming the living room. I’m supposed to think of this as a gift? It wasn’t until I left home and experienced a world without Shabbat that I truly understood its significance. Some probing into the origins of Shabbat reveals both its spiritual and environmental potential. Looking at the creation story we see that God creates the earth and all its inhabitants on the first six days. On the seventh day, however, God rests. “And God rested on the seventh day from all God’s work which God had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it God rested from all God’s work which God had created and made.” (Gen. 2:1-3). Thus the concept of Shabbat is introduced into this world.

It is not until the Ten Commandments that the concept is revisited, and here it is given to the nation of Israel as a law, but also as a gift from their creator. The commandment of Shabbat, the fourth commandment, is placed as a bridge between the laws regarding human’s relationship with God, and human’s relationship with other humans. While the first three commandments concern the nature of God and the ways in which we relate to this God, the final six commandments cover prohibitions of murder, stealing and other such actions between people. Shabbat is unique in that it is relevant to both the dynamics between people and also between humans and God. Shabbat requires that we stop participating in the chaos of everyday life and slow down to appreciate the present moment. In fact, strict adherence to the laws of Shabbat forbids a person from making any plans or discussing any topics that do not directly relate to the present day. Shabbat is a day in which we transcend the mundane in pursuit of the holy.

Again, you ask, what exactly are the environmental ramifications of this law? By creating a weekly cycle that revolves around the one day of not doing work, the gift of Shabbat reminds us of a different form of progress; one that does not relate to producing and consuming, but rather to rest and mindfulness. Many of our environmental crises are direct results of our lifestyle of consumerism and perpetual growth. Shabbat comes as a weekly reminder that accumulation and economic prosperity is not the essence of man’s existence, rather the obligations inherent for its survival. Toil is the means to the end of rest, and Shabbat is in place in order to mandate time for reflection.

One should also be aware of the direct correlation between Shabbat and the Sabbatical (Shemittah) year where all agricultural land is allowed to rest and people are encouraged to pursue a year of study and reflection. This law is an even more striking reminder that production and consumption should not be our main goals. Too easily we lose sight of the fact that we are here to do more than work and accumulate material wealth. We are here to celebrate the simple beauties of life, and oftentimes partaking in these beauties reminds us what is important and how essential it is that work to preserve it.

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