The first instance of the seventh day as a day of rest is found in this week's parasha. God worked for six days creating the world and on the seventh day God ceased working. The word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to cease."
There is no further mention of the seventh day as a day of rest until Israel reaches Sinai. At Sinai, Shabbat becomes a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. In the book of Exodus it reads, "It shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day God ceased from work and was refreshed." (Exodus 31:17) The concept of Shabbat as a day of rest expanded to include a time to become refreshed and renewed.
The essential meaning of Shabbat was to cease working, but what was to be the definition of work? In the book of Numbers, a man is called a Sabbath breaker because he gathered wood on the Sabbath. During the Rabbinic era, Jewish sages codified the work restrictions of the Sabbath. They identified 39 actions as "work" and these categories were recorded in the Mishna. The actions identified as "work" (and therefore prohibited on Shabbat) included: any kind of agricultural work, spinning, weaving, sewing, hunting, slaughtering, kindling fire and transporting. Through the centuries the definition of work expanded to respond to modern day developments and inventions. Sabbath restrictions now include prohibitions on transacting business, touching money, writing, tearing paper, smoking, switching on lights, using the telephone, television, computer, traveling and carrying.
Shabbat looms large in Jewish tradition and ritual. The entire week leads up to Shabbat and it is for Shabbat when we sing some of our most beautiful melodies, recite poems and prayers glorifying and sanctifying this most sacred of days, and prepare foods unique to the Shabbat table.
One might focus on Shabbat observance as a series of prohibitions, those things one is forbidden to do. But what if we were to shift the focus from what we are forbidden on Shabbat to what we can do to make Shabbat a more special and sacred time?
What can we do on Shabbat to make it a day filled with meaning and fulfillment? Is Shabbat the day we visit grandparents? Is Shabbat the day we gather as a family for lunch or dinner? Is Shabbat the day we dedicate to a tzedakah project? Maybe on Shabbat we explore the natural world around us by going for a hike, a bicycle ride or taking a walk along the beach. Fro me, Shabbat begins early on Friday morning.
For me, on Friday morning, even before I go out and exercise, I begin the process of making challah. That is when Shabbat begins. After feeding the cats, when the house is still a little quiet and the noise from the street has yet to permeate our home, I open the pantry and take out the simple ingredients we use to make Challah: yeast, flour, salt, oil, water, sugar. When I make challah, I join my hands and my heart to the generations and traditions that came before me. The simple age-old act of mixing, kneading, and rising provides me with moments to meditate and think about the past, concentrate on the present, and imagine the future. I think about my grandmother’s gnarled hands moving the dough across her wooden countertop, seemingly miraculously changing a heap of flour into a wondrously braided loaf.
Challah is traditionally braided or formed into shapes associated with the changing seasons and holidays. A challah braided from three strands is said to symbolize truth, peace, and justice. Round loaves, where there is no beginning and no end, are baked for Rosh HaShanah to symbolize continuity. On Purim, small triangular loaves symbolize Haman’s ears; sweet challahs with honey or raisins are baked during the festive season to bring joy and happiness.
On Sunday, October 18th, at 10am we will gather as a community and make challah with “The Challah Prince”- an Israeli now living in Berlin who is a true challah expert. Please sign up and joni us as we explore challah and its history and folklore. And hopefully- you will begin the tradition of baking this historic bread to begin your own Shabbat celebration.
Shabbat shalom