Shabbat

This past shabbat WJC chose not to do any live digital programming.  we did a kabalat shabbat service that ended before shabbat started. We created a shabbat packet for shabbat at home experiences.  Heschel refers to Shabbat as a palace in time.  He means it is a way to use time to set aside a different world. To create a world that's better than the one of the week.  Ahad ha'am is famous for saying "The Jewish people haven't kept shabbat. Shabbat has kept the Jewish people." In a world where everything is disrupted, is it possible to build a palace in time? In a world where shabbat as we know it is changed can we let ourselves be "kept" by shabbat? 


Here are my three thoughts on a whole shabbat without any kind of shul.

1. It was nice, the weather was a little chilly but not so much we couldn't go outside but our family had all three meals together.  I led two gym classes (look at an earlier blog post for more on that) and we played a family game of soccer.  It was a welcome breath of air after a very hectic week.  Jessie teaches on zoom, the kids learn on zoom, i'm doing minyan on zoom, facebook live, and youtube programming.  it was nice not to be connected out and only connected in. 
2. It was really sad.  I missed my community.  I missed the ability to share shabbat even for a little while with others.  I felt a real absence.  It made me ask the questions that we aren't supposed to ask like, "when will this end?" or "what will normal be like after this is over?" 
3. I have no perfect answers but a challenge and request.  the challenge is to myself and others.  As we try to preserve our sanity, our tp supplies, and our health can we carve out some space to also preserve shabbat?  The request is to share below your difficult or wonderful corona shabbat experiences.  Let's share with each other after shabbat even if we weren't during. 

I feel like I have to end this one with, 

Shabbat Shalom!