different from all other nights

February 7, 2020

Shabbat : How is this night different from all other nights? The Pesach Haggadah on Passover asks this question several times. Passover calls us to remember the Jews liberation from slavery in Egypt. Shabbat inspires me, among many things, to a moment of awareness and self reflection.

I ask myself on Shabbat, how is this night different? It’s sometimes different only in that I ask that question. How is this night different from all other nights? Well, it isn’t.

We have all become so deeply entrenched in the routine of our lives that I’m not sure what I’ve done the previous week, month or year. The more time passes, the more time seems to move more and more quickly. So having a life, having a full life, how can I celebrate shabbat in a way that is practical and meaningful for me?

On Friday I have a sip of my drink at a friend’s going away party when I remember that it is Shabbat. What can I do at this point?

The answer is: anything.

I made a toast to the fact I was out celebrating with friends, that I could afford bright red pants and buy my friends a drink, that it is the beginning of the weekend.

That sip was my kiddish. In that moment, with that intentional practice of gratitude inspired by the Shabbat tradition value was added to my life.

How is this night different from all other nights? It’s a night has a built in reminder to take a moment to be intentional. This can be a bite of food, a sip of a drink, a moment of deep connection in a conversation, or even deciding to stay in and connect with yourself.

If the tradition is interpreted in the spirit of intentionality, gratitude, connection, and regeneration, how do you shabbat? How do you want to?