one breath Shabbat
How to acknowledge Shabbat with just one breath
For the very first time in my life I have attended (and hosted) Friday night Shabbat dinners for three weeks in a row as well as experienced my first Havdalah, a ceremony that takes place on Saturday at sunset to mark the end of Shabbat and usher in the new week. This week I won't be celebrating with a gathering or dinner, but I still wanted to acknowledge the tradition and situation in some small way. The goal of my project is to imagine how else myself and others could observe in a way that acknowledges the intention and fits into the reality of our lives.
I connected with and found value in so many beautiful traditions over the past three weeks that I would like to bring into my day or week. This list is long, but writing it made me feel so inspired to find moments of intentionality that observe some of the rituals of Shabbat among other rituals during my day, my week, and my life.
-I really appreciated having a reason to cultivate awareness of the shift from day to night. I love sunsets, but rarely see them. It would be a lovely intention to go to a scenic spot to watch a sunset - or a least step out of my house and look at the sky. Can I do this once a week? Month? If I just look at the weather on my phone I can see the time the sun sets. Maybe I can set an alarm to go off 30 minutes prior so I can take moment to look at the sky.
-I never knew there was a prayer during the lighting of the candles that welcomes two Shabbat angels in to bless the home. Wow. How different would my day be if I took a moment to invite angels into my space and consciousness. For me the word angel stands for any good energy, intention, or feeling. In Hebrew Shalom Aleichem means 'peace be upon you.' Take a moment, take a breath, ask for your home to be blessed, acknowledge your blessings, or wish yourself, your loved ones, and the world peace.
-Kavod, one of the mitzvahs or 'good deeds' performed on Shabbat is one way of honoring the holiday on a personal level. This has traditionally been by bathing, dressing in clean clothes, tidying the home, or creating a special atmosphere by buying flowers. As I am getting ready for my Friday night plans, I can bring a moment of intention to that ritual. I am honoring my body by taking care of it. I'm appreciating my body by adorning it. I am celebrating my beautiful city, my friends, and the opportunities for enjoyment in my life as I get ready and experience the evening. Cleaning my home to clear the mess of the last week as I enter the weekend or to welcome the new week would be a ritual that would be beneficial to my state of mind as well as the state of my housekeeping. Flowers are always lovely, especially if they have the intention of commemorating a special moment in the week. This can also be any moment you chose! Why don't we take every opportunity to acknowledge the blessings in our lives? Maybe if I start doing it out loud others will see the value and follow suit.
-The ceremony of lighting the candles is beautiful and special, but not one I'm sure I would practice alone (although writing that sparked a desire to). I rarely remember to light candles at home, but the sweet smell, the dancing flame, a moment of bringing fire, an element so intrinsic to our species' history, into my eyes is always delightful. Lighting a candle with intention, even just taking a moment to say thank you for the good that has happened the past week, would be a grounding moment and takes mere seconds. I'm going to go light one right now!
-Food is a large part of the tradition of Shabbat. Most of us will be eating dinner on a Friday evening whether alone, with family at home, or maybe at a restaurant. In addition to Kavod, Oneg is another expression of how Shabbat is observed that can be simply translated to 'enjoyment'. It indicates we prepare a special meal, enjoy meat and wine, sleep well, and abstain from working in other to connect with yourself and your community. If you are eating at home - alone or with others- use your nicer plates and do one thing to set this meal apart such as a candle or table cloth. This meal you may keep cell phones away and the TV off. I rarely remember to pause before I eat to acknowledge my food. This doesn't have to be a prayer, just a breath where I shift modes into nourishing my body, being present (not working or texting as I often do), be thankful for the effort of so many that it took to get this food on my plate, and to be grateful that I have the privilege of knowing I can always afford to eat when I am hungry.
-Many of us will also have a drink on a Friday night. The blessing over the wine, the Kiddush, includes a few lines of the story of genesis in which god made the world in six days and rested on the 7th. Today, Friday marks the end of the work week and it would be appropriate to briefly consider the work I have done and give myself permission to close my mental laptop, put away my to do list, and shift to a mindset so I can be present to the way I'm choosing to celebrate the weekend. The first bite of food or sip of a drink on this night could be a moment that stands out in the flow of my week to remind me to acknowledge that I have worked hard and that I am taking a well deserved break. Counterintuitavely I have found that giving myself permission to take a break is what allows me to work more efficiently and with more clarity and excitement when I come back to it.
-I love that Shabbat is a time set aside in the week to engage in pleasurable activities. We are all so blessed to have such full lives, but often I feel like I need a weekend after my weekend. As the the weekend comes closer, the more full my calendar gets. What a blessing! But is all this running around in my highest good? I would love for the tradition of Shabbat to remind me to take a day, or more realistically block out a few hours, to do whatever I feel moved to. This could be to lay around or sleep, do house chores that have piled up, go to the park, cook food for the week or eat a luxurious (unhurried) meal, or read. What a dream to have time and energy for reading!
-Last weekend I was taught that the two candles we light on Shabbat symbolize the family or community coming together and the braided candle lit the following sunset for Havdalah represents the bonds created by spending a day together eating, resting, and connecting. I can imagine how the observance of Shabbat may have looked when we all lived so close to our families and were more intimate with our neighbors. For me, making plans, especially to spend time together one on one, takes a fair amount of effort. It would feel manageable to set an intention that this weekend I have several present conversations where I intentionally connect with the person in front of me. Not checking my phone, multitasking, or letting my mind wander. Not being more eager to share than to listen. Not having a goal in the conversation other than to see the person in front of me as their highest self and send them positive energy. Sadly this can be so hard to do during the rush of the week while my mind is always racing. Given our gradually diminishing attention span this practice can even be a form of meditation.
-There is a mitzvah called Deoritta that suggests we remember Shabbat every day of the week. Even with this particular project in my heart and consciousness, I don't know if I could do that without being surrounded by a community who shared that intention and reminded each other day in and out. Given this concept in the Jewish traditions, albeit one that many don't know or practice, I want to write this list in bullet points with one word or phrase representing each suggestion and put it up in my space so I can be reminded to take a moment to practice one of these concepts - even just pausing and taking a deep breath every now and then.