Powering Down

“When my husband turned to me one day and said he thought we should start observing Shabbat, it was only a little less surprising than if he had said he wanted to start crocheting tea-pot cosies. “Shabbat?” I said. “Are you serious?” After my husband and I decided to take the plunge, we came to the task of setting our parameters. We agreed that we would shut down our phones and computers—really shut them down, none of that wimpy silent crap. We would light Shabbat candles. We would bless and drink wine (as well as gin martinis). We would try not to use money or travel except by foot, but, in an unapologetic departure from Orthodoxy, we would allow cooking, playing music, writing, and even occasional DVD-watching. 

But our greatest enjoyment was simply being suspended in a day of being rather than doing. Piled on the couch together as a family without the distractions of interactive technology, divorced from the acquisitive and aspirational impulses that drive most of modern life, we understood in the most visceral way how the deprivations one enforces on the Sabbath enable a kind of liberation. Our attention was reserved for each other. The world was overlaid with glittery stillness. We stepped back from the buzzing of our lives and said, “Here we are.” Without being able to articulate exactly what holiness is, we agreed that it felt holy”. From “Powering Down” by Jennifer Bleyer.

When was the last time you powered down completely? When you switched off properly? Or even just a little?  It is hard to do this, especially if others around you don’t, and when time off competes with all the other priorities and important things we would like to, or that keeps us healthy. What Jewish values are important and what happens when they compete with other important values?

Shabbat is in a way a sacred stop sign, but in today’s world it is harder than ever to try and heed it. One of the subjects that comes up most often in conversation is about how to do Shabbat in today’s world, in a way that honours who we are, rather than falling into the trap of ‘you shall nots’, and rules and restrictions.

Our Shabbat Retreat next weekend is an opportunity to unplug together as a community. To make challah on Friday night, to sing and celebrate time off, and to explore the art of resting (in Crouch End). And on Saturday, to begin with a walk in the beautiful green area of Hemel Hempstead, followed by delicious food, and exploring the ancient Jewish gift of the Art of Rest. 

This is an interesting podcast about the topic. Sabbath and the Art of Rest - Ezra Klein Podcast

Dvar Acher (Another Thought)

In a burning world, we look for the next political commentary, eyewitness report, or statement about the situation to help us process what is happening, and make sense of a world that we barely recognise.

And surely, at a time when another Jewish community has been attacked, there are two significant wars, we need a prayer about peace, or supporting humanity in wartime, or international understanding. Something Jewish that helps us reflect on what is going on around us, helps us cope.

But the war in Iran is the third major world issue in the past six years - Covid, war in Ukraine, 7th Oct, and bombardment of Gaza. Not to mention the refugee crisis, Black Lives matter and  Me too movement, the frightening rise of anti democratic ultra nationalists in the US, Israel and other parts of the world, and of course the climate crisis with wildfires and extreme heatwaves. We should never shy away from what is happening. But we should not be only looking at that either.

And so I chose a different text for this Shabbat, something that is as important for us, both in the aftermath of all the events, and as we go through them, which is the question of our Jewish values, and what matters to us. What does it mean to live as Jews today? What rituals and traditions matter, which values come to the fore, and which would we like to explore further. Though it can seem callous, we cannot live in a hyper-alert state all the time.  And so I wanted to share with you a reading that seems deceptively simple and maybe even superficial, but it asks profound questions for us today, about time, focus and how our tradition can help us discover what genuinely is important to us.

There’s still time to sign up for the Shabbat Retreat - to unplug, power down and explore the Art of Rest, for adults as well as children. The Progressive Youth movement (LJY-Netzer) will be running session for children and teens,