torres.anthonny

· 29 Sep 2021

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What is shabbat

Shabbat is rest: Shabbat is an island of tranquility in the workstorm, anxiety, struggle and tribulation that characterizes our daily lives during the other six days of the week. For about 25 hours a week, the world literally slows down: the business is closed, the car stays parked, the phone stops ringing, the radio, the TV and the computer are off, and the pressures and worries of material life fade behind a curtain of peace. As we cease all creation related to the physical world, our focus is on the inner—on family and friends, on our inner selves, our soul.

Shabbat is Knowledge: On Shabbat we remember that the world is not ours to do with it what we see fit, but it is the creation of G-d. On Shabbat we also remember that G-d took us out of Egypt and decreed that we would never again be slaves to any master, our jobs, financial and material needs, are the tools by which we fulfill our divine purpose, not the masters of our lives.

Shabbat is Jewish identity: Shabbat is the bride of Israel, the spiritual companion of the Jewish people. It is one of the most far-reaching ways of renewing our Judaism and transmitting it to our children. We have been true to Shabbat in every place, culture and circumstance we have visited throughout our 4,000-year history, from the glorious days of King Solomon to the black night of Auschwitz. In the words of a famous Jewish writer, “More than Jews have cared for Shabbat, Shabbat has cared for Jews. “

Shabbat is pleasure: Shabbat is a delicious meal, a well-served table, the glow of the candlestick, the sweet sound of chanting, pleasant sleep. Throughout the week, our enjoyment of the blessings of life faces a certain challenge: we are physical beings within a physical world, and we must always be careful that pleasure does not sink us into decay. But on Shabbat, body and soul rise to a higher level, to a spiritual plane, so the pleasure of Shabbat with good food, drink and rest becomes a mitzvah, a divine action.

Shabbat is spirituality: Shabbat is the soul of the week — the energy that revitalizes our week and the purpose towards which our effort is focused. The Kabbalists teach: On Shabbat all the actions of the previous week reach their end and elevation, and on Shabbat all plans for next week are blessed. Observing Shabbat ensures G-d's blessing for the success of our entire week, and infuses purpose and meaning into our existence throughout the week.

Shabbat is to taste the world to come: “At that time there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry. Goodwill will be abundant, and all delicacies will abound like dust. The occupation of the whole world will be only, meet G-d.” This is how the prophets and sages of Israel describe the Messianic Age — “the seventh millennium” that will mark the culmination of six millennia of history and effort to make this world a “dwelling place for G-d”.

Shabbat gives us the chance to try this future world every week.

And just like when you try something delicious, you can't really understand what Shabbat is until you experience it for yourself. In short, the only answer to “What is Shabbat?” is: Try it!

source: https://es.chabad.org
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