F1: Shabbat

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At last, school is over for a couple of days after another long week. You've only got a two day-weekend to look forward to, so why stay in on a Friday night? In this chapter we take a look at some of the reasons why Shabbat is such a special time for every Jew, and suggest positive ways for you to view this most recurrent of Jewish holidays.

Introduction

The general "Friday Night Rule" is well known. "Do what you like the rest of the time, but Friday night you must stay at home" is what thousands of Jewish parents tell their teenage children. One meal with the family is all they ask. Candles, dinner & maybe Kiddush and that's your lot.

Is this custom a relic from the past when many more Jews kept all the laws strictly, or does it still have some meaning today? Is it unfair for parents to want their children to be at home on Friday night when they themselves might not keep many other Jewish laws? And what has staying in really got to do with Shabbat? Read on...

A sign of commitment

The fact that so many Jewish teenagers do stay in on a Friday night means that they are committed to something. We might not realise it, but by turning up at the meal, we are accepting something. That something is Shabbat, no matter what form it takes.

Searching for Shabbat

What then actually is Shabbat? We all know some of the rules. Most of use probably know that "God rested on the seventh day", but what is the essence of Shabbat, what makes it tick?

People often think that creation lasted six days and then God rested. Wrong! Creation lasted seven days. On the seventh day God created Shabbat. But what exactly was created on that day? Day one was Heaven & Earth for example, and day four was Sun, Moon & Stars; what can we see that was made on the Seventh Day? Nothing concrete and touchable appeared on this seventh day. This must mean that the creation of Shabbat was something a bit more special, a bit magical.

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