7 Jun
Shabbat as a State of Mind
The story is as old as the hills.
A Jewish sailor was shipwrecked on a desert island and the first thing he did was build two synagogues…. Years later when he was rescued people were bewildered and asked him: Why he built two synagogues… to which he replied. “Oh that other one… I would NEVER go there!”
Well, today I will tell you about a different desert island story-probably one you’ve never heard before.
You’ve been shipwrecked and stranded upon a desert island.
You’ve been unconscious for several days.
You have just enough food to get by for a few more days.
But you have no idea what day of the week it is . . .
What do you do about Shabbat? Build a synagogue or two?
Sorry, not in this story.
The question is more than just theoretical. The Talmud actually discusses an almost identical question and the answer it gives is most intriguing.
What do you do?
According to Talmudic wisdom, one must count six days and rest on the seventh day (BT Shabbat 69b) Although the counting may seem arbitrary, we may deduce a fascinating principle that emerges out of this speculative inquiry: Although Shabbat has its own unique ontology, but it is also to some extent—a state of mind.
Shabbat has conceptual reality even when a person is staying in a place where he cannot tell the difference between day and night, e.g., the Arctic—or better yet, someone who is living in a spaceship in outer space. The latter example is almost perfectly analogous to our Talmudic story, yet the same principle still applies—despite the relativity of time and place. In a realm where time and space have only relative meaning, the Jewish astronaut makes a profound statement about the importance of remembering and observing the Shabbat—even in outer space.
Yes, Shabbat is a state of mind.
Think about it. There are several biblical and rabbinical illustrations that one can draw from that elucidate this premise in one way or another. In the Decalogue the text states that, “Six days you may labor and do all your work” (Exod. 20:9). An ancient Halachic Midrash known as the Mechilta raises an important question: “Can a person actually complete all his work in six days?! Rather, when the Shabbat arrives, it should be in your eyes as if all your work has been done, so that you will not be preoccupied with thoughts about work.” Continue Reading
