Take The Entire Day Off

I was walking with a friend, one Shabbat, and as we reached the crosswalk, he bent to push the button to stop the traffic. I reminded him it was Shabbat, when we don’t use electronics. Instead, I suggested we relax patiently and chat until the light changes. It was Shabbat after all. We were not in a rush.

He pulled back instantly, but then asked how I could remember every detail related to Shabbat. There are literally hundreds of dos and don’ts and keeping them all straight boggles the mind.

I explained that this was only the case if you dabble in Shabbat observance for several hours. In that case, Shabbat is a regular day, and its rhythm only changes for the few hours you are at synagogue or Shabbat meal. If you take the entire day off, from Friday at sunset to Saturday at nightfall, you are in a different frame of mind all day. You don’t need to remember every detail separately. You simply plug out of the weekday routine and plug into the Shabbat routine. The rest is habit and muscle memory.

The brain is a powerful tool. You don’t need to be conscious of every detail to be guided by the brain to do things a certain way. During the week, the brain guides us to flip the switch when we walk into a dark room. On Friday night, the brain guides us to slow down, take our time, and walk carefully in the dark. But that is only if your brain has switched over. If your brain is operating in weekday mode, it won’t toggle into Shabbat mode just because you visit Shabbat for a few hours.

Think of the difference between vacations and staycations. It is not just about going somewhere different and exotic. It is about switching from regular mode to vacation mode. No matter how relaxing it might be at home, sleeping in your bed and using your shower, there is no physical break from the ordinary to tell our brain to toggle into vacation mode and detox.

When we leave the house and ordinary life behind, we step into vacation mode, and the brain knows it’s time to turn off the everyday noise. It’s time to stop worrying about the unhappy clients, unfinished projects, unpaid bills, and so on. All that will come tomorrow. Today, we are on vacation. Sometimes it takes a few days for the brain to adjust, but eventually the change of location filters through, and the brain enters vacation mode.

Shabbat is the same. If you dabble in it here and there, the brain doesn’t toggle into Shabbat mode. If you take it on entirely as a full-day project, the brain eases off the everyday concerns and turns on the Shabbat mode. You stop worrying about the everyday things, stop thinking in weekday mode, and stop operating in your ordinary routine. Everything is different. It is Shabbat, and your brain knows it.

When you prepare your meals, you know not to throw the food into the microwave. You don’t have to think about it consciously. You are in Shabbat mode, and it’s part of your routine. When you walk out the door, you don’t gravitate toward the car. You are in Shabbat mode, and this is your routine. When you sit down on the couch, you reach for a book instead of the remote or your phone. You are in Shabbat mode, and it’s part of your routine.

Two Offerings

In this week’s Torah portion, we learn something about Shabbat that aligns with these ideas. The Torah (Numbers 28:9) instructs us to bring two additional sheep offerings on Shabbat, in addition to the two daily offerings. Many biblical commentaries have asked why there are only two additional offerings on Shabbat, when most days of note on the calendar require at least seven additional offerings.

Long-term Effect

Rabbi Don Isaac Abarbanel offered two powerful explanations. The first is that Shabbat celebrates G-d creating the world. There are two elements to creation. The first is the astounding miracle of creation, a one-time event that occurred “in the beginning”. The second miracle is that creation continues constantly, moment by moment. G-d continuously orchestrates and directs the affairs of existence.

This aligns with the two ways of observing Shabbat we have been discussing. The first miracle was a loud, astounding one-time event that shattered the status quo but had no lasting impact. This is akin to one who visits for a few hours during Shabbat services or the Shabbat meal. It is a highly uplifting time that disrupts one’s routine but doesn’t have long-term consequences.

The second aspect of Shabbat speaks to the long grind. G-d is constantly there for us, continuously recreating the world every nanosecond and continually orchestrating and providing for our needs. This is akin to the person who goes all in on Shabbat and observes it thoroughly from sunset to nightfall. No particular moment is earth-shattering, but the entire span is uplifted to a higher order—a Shabbat routine.

Tame Your Nature

Rabbi Abarbanel’s second explanation is breathtaking. He explains that Shabbat celebrates two pivotal moments. The moment of creation and the moment of the Exodus. He goes on to note that the Shabbat offerings were sheep. The Hebrew word for sheep is keves, which is similar to the Hebrew word, kovesh—to conquer. The two sheep proclaim that G-d controls two pivotal aspects of existence.

When G-d created the world, He harnessed the powerful forces of nature to His will. When G-d took us out of Egypt, He tamed the Egyptian brutes, Pharaoh and his henchmen, to His will. When we celebrate Shabbat, we embrace both elements. We celebrate G-d’s mastery over the affairs of life, the planet, our galaxy, the universe, and all of existence. We also celebrate ceding control of human nature to G-d.

Ceding control sounds easier than it is. Before we cede control to G-d, we must first be in control of ourselves. We can’t give away what we don’t control. Human nature comprises powerful forces that hurl us to and fro. One moment we are ecstatic, the next we are brooding. One moment we are confident and strong, the next we are fearful and weak. We are at the mercy of our mood swings and circumstances.

We are also subject to numerous powerful stimuli that bombard us from all sides. Unhealthy thoughts, including doubt, guilt, insecurity, inadequacy, and resentment, constantly besiege us. We are also bombarded by a continual flow of distracting social media messages that vie for our attention. Our numerous duties and responsibilities also weigh on us; our to-do list is constantly growing.

We must tame this wild beast before we can master it, and we must master it before we can cede control to G-d. This is where Shabbat comes in. It is easy to celebrate G-d’s creation on Shabbat. It doesn’t take long to do it. But celebrating the other aspect of Shabbat—taming our nature and mastering it to let G-d take control, takes all day. We can’t just visit Shabbat for a few moments and expect it to be enough. We must go all in and take it seriously for the entire length of Shabbat.

We must unplug from all the weekday concerns and pressures, as well as the unhealthy stimuli and rewards. We must enter a state of serenity and peace that is entirely new. To do this, we must immerse ourselves fully in Shabbat, not just visit Shabbat for a few moments.

When we embrace Shabbat in its entirety, we toggle into Shabbat mode, and the incessant chatter of the brain turns off. We can be focused and deliberate. We can fill our brain with Torah, G-dly thoughts, family, and joy. We can master ourselves and then give ourselves to G-d.

When we observe Shabbat in this manner, we are acutely aware that it is Shabbat. We never require a reminder. When we cross the street, we know not to push the button. We take our time and stroll leisurely. Where are we running? It’s Shabbat, and G-d is already where we are, let alone where we want to be.