Shabbat: It’s good for you! More than a day unplugged
Rabbi Adir Glick
I recently saw a billboard advertisement for Global Day of Unplugging and I mused, “A yearly day? We have a weekly day of unplugging!”
When Shabbat was first conceived thousands of years ago, it was a revolution for everyone involved. As the Torah defines it, it was a day off for all—workers, foreigners, servants, and even animals. It was not an accident that it was one of the first commandments given to the tired slaves leaving Egypt. In effect, it said to them: “An essential aspect of being free is that you do not have to work ceaselessly. You deserve a free day.”
Shabbat is still a revolution in our relentless age of screens and connectivity. One entire day a week unplugged?! This is not easy! For some of us, even 30 minutes is quite the challenge. Ultimately, of course, unplugging is a blessing, teaching us, in our modern times, that we do not have to constantly run in every direction to find our wholeness. Shabbat reverses the numbing effect of the daily grind on our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls.
As a rabbi who teaches Jewish meditation, I open with a teaching by the Baal Shem Tov—the founder of the spiritual renewal movement of Hassidism—who said one of G-d’s names is Menuchah, “Rest.” He asks, If G-d’s name is Rest, why is His Creation—all of us—so restless?
When we admit the existence of our restlessness, we often identify only the superficial reasons: the frantic pace of life, the pressures of our society, and our hardcore addiction to technology. But the Baal Shem Tov’s answer goes to the heart of the matter: We are restless because we have forgotten who we really are. G-d has gifted us one whole day to put aside restlessness and find
our self—our true self.
Shabbat is about rest and tranquility. It is not only about unplugging. It is about abjuring virtual reality for real reality, face-to-face interactions and leisurely dining with family and friends. It is about home-cooked meals. It is about living ancient sacred traditions. On Shabbat, we rest our tired minds and refresh our spent spirits. The tradition of a Shabbat nap helps us recover from the week’s busyness.
Shabbat is an ancient practice derived from age-old scriptures. It is an example of what religion still has to teach humankind. We may live in vastly different worlds, of which our ancestors millennia ago could not dream, but the wisdom of how to live is not that different today. Over the centuries, Shabbat has kept evolving, to be richer with traditions.
On Shabbat, we cease from our non-stop activity and constant movement and allow ourselves to just be. We stop to feel, think, and listen. We can remind ourselves that life is about more than making a buck.
As we recite in the Friday night benediction over the wine, kiddush, “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He ceased work and refreshed (vayenafash) Himself.”
The great mystical work, the Zohar, explains that the word “vayenafash”—related to the word “nefesh,” or “life-force”—tells us that on the Shabbat, G-d infused everything in creation with the power of spirit. Spirit is found in synagogue, but equally also in the joy of the little things of life—by experiencing the beauty of a sunset and the pleasure of a moment of leisurely quiet.
Reap the health benefits of Shabbat: Unplug for a set time every week and make it a discipline. Create a Friday night ritual. Make plans with friends and family. Enjoy nutritious food. Take a breath, a nap, a walk, read a non-career-related book. More than anything, find your connection to spirit and dive deep.
It will nourish your soul.
Rabbi Adir Glick has been the spiritual leader of Temple Har Zion in River Forest since 2015. Born in Jerusalem, Glick grew up in the Old City and the South of France, and has lived in England, Canada, and India. Particularly drawn to the spiritual and mystical dimensions of Judaism, he teaches meditation to all ages and has a passion for lively prayer.
